The pickings are pretty slim this week, but we do have a few rare birds spreading their wings on DVD and Blu-ray: first, a sweet hint of skin from Andrea Riseborough and Abbie Cornish (or her body double, anyway) in W.E. (2011); then SKINtage sex symbol Dolores Del Rio shows off her seat meat for a rare pre-Code nude scene in Bird of Paradise (1932), and Nora Alexis makes a sleazier sort of history in “Godfather of Gore” Herschell Gordon Lewis ‘s final film, The Gore Gore Girls (1972), nude on Blu-ray. Plus, prepare to beat yourself senseless as sexy pugilist Gina Carano kicks ass in a skintight black outfit in Haywire (2012), not nude but highly punchable on Blu-ray. More after the jump!
Anyone who’s seen Contagion (or, let’s be honest, even just the trailer for Contagion ) knows that Steven Soderbergh is not precious about keeping his biggest stars breathing for the duration of his films. And when you think about it, that is kind of an awesome against-the-tide trend that few directors — okay, few studios — have the wherewithal to attempt. Chatting with the UK’s Independent about Contagion and Haywire , Soderbergh dropped some science on the art of manipulating the very essence of stardom in movies to great effect. “It’s always good to kill movie stars,” he told the Independent. “I think that the two most important things that have happened to that aspect of movies in the last 50 years are Hitchcock killing off Janet Leigh in a way that nobody had ever dreamed of doing – taking his heroine and killing her off after 40 minutes – and… Mike Nichols casting Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate . That changed everything.” “Now it’s back to the way it was before that single decision totally turned the world upside down in terms of what was people’s idea of a movie star. That one stroke ushered in the great actors who followed, De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson.” So how does one shake up audience expectation again in movies chock-full of A-listers? [ Spoilers ] Have them pummeled to a pulp by unknown MMA fighter-ladies! Cut their brains open in the first act! Blame it all on chickens! [ End spoilers ] All hail Soderbergh! Kill your idols! (Figuratively speaking.) [ The Independent via Movie City News ]
I’m a little late to this, but it’s not as if anything else is happening beyond the fecal tsunami that is the Iowa caucuses: Find herewith the childhood home videos of comic John Ramsey and his filmmaker brother Richard, with both siblings contributing commentary over the searing indie drama. Aspiring directors, take note! [via Andrew Sullivan , The Daily What ]
MMA star Gina Carano makes her action heroine debut this month in Steven Soderbergh ‘s spy revenge pic Haywire , which bone-crunched its way into moviegoer hearts during AFI Fest . Can’t wait to see Carano put a beat down on just about every leading man (Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender) whose path she crosses? Submit a 10-word review of any Soderbergh film to enter to win a pair of tickets to Thursday’s Los Angeles premiere. Your faithful Movieline editors will select the 10-word review that moves, tickles, or pummels us the most, in true Haywire fashion. The best part? The premiere ticket prize includes entry to the after party, where you can worship Carano in person. Just, y’know. Keep your distance. The rules for Movieline’s Haywire premiere giveaway: – Submit a 10-word review of any Soderbergh movie in the comments below. Entries must be exactly 10 words, no more, no less! – Enter with your full name and an email address where you may be reached. – Eligible entrants must be at least 18 years of age and able to attend the premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 5 at 7:30pm. One (1) winner will be selected and notified the morning of Thursday, January 5. Tickets must be picked up at will call at the Los Angeles premiere and are not transferable. Contest ends Thursday, January 5 at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. — so get to reviewing!
January isn’t exactly the time of year when you want your film to hit screens, but maybe Steven Soderbergh ‘s Haywire will defy the “dumping grounds” curse! After all, in addition to starring MMA fighter Gina Carano as a double-crossed covert ops specialist, it’s written by Lem Dobbs ( The Limey ) and has folks like Channing Tatum , Antonio Banderas , Michael Angarano , Ewan MacGregor , Michael Fassbender , and Michael Douglas filling out the cast. Mmm, Fassbender. Yup, we’re in. Relativity will release the film January 20, 2012. [Press release]
Going into Saturday night’s main event, Gina Carano was deemed the face of women’s MMA, but it was Cris “Cyborg” Santos who walked out with the Strikeforce 145-pound women’s title as she got a first round TKO win, punishing her way to a referee’s stoppage after a barrage of strikes on the ground.
More than 13,500 fans streamed in to San Jose, Calif.’s HP Pavilion last Saturday to witness Strikeforce’s “Carano vs. Cyborg,” the first major MMA card to have female fighters in its main event.
The former Reno resident and American Gladiators star Gina Carano with the perfect record will headline a mixed martial arts card Saturday night on Showtime.
Gina Carano made like Joe Montana in grade school. She was the girl who tossed the pigskin around better than the boys, left ’em scattered and battered around the playground face down in their underage egos, dishing out bruises like badges of honor.
