Tag Archives: think-the-film

For Discussion: The Latest ‘King Kong’ Stars A Black Man, Does That Make The Story Less Racist?

Cultural Critics Dissect The Racial Implications Of Every Single King Kong Film In case you weren’t already aware, there’s a new King Kong movie out called ‘Kong: Skull Island’ which stars Samuel L. Jackson. With the arrival of this latest version, our friends over at NPR took the time to discuss the racist undertones of the previous Kong films — and whether it’s at all possible for this film to avoid those issues. The first King Kong movie, which was released in 1933, starred Fay Wray as the blonde-haired white woman among explorers in search of Skull Island — geographically somewhere near Indonesia, but whose “natives” are normally depicted as dark-skinned savages who kidnap the blonde to sacrifice her to Kong. In later iterations of the film, the woman is played by Jessica Lange (1976), Naomi Watts (2005) and this time Brie Larson. Regardless of the choice in heroine, the figure of Kong pretty much HAS to be taken as a metaphor for black masculinity and it’s easy also to draw the line from that metaphor to one of the black male threat to white women. Members of the panel point out that this time around Samuel L Jackson — who wants revenge against Kong– is there to help prevent that trope of white men coming to the rescue of a white woman in danger from a big black ape. Have a listen below. Have you seen ‘Kong: Skull Island?’ Do you think the film manages to steer completely clear of racial stereotypes? WENN

Original post:
For Discussion: The Latest ‘King Kong’ Stars A Black Man, Does That Make The Story Less Racist?

Bond Designer Danny Kleinman On His ‘Skyfall’ Title Sequence (And How To Craft A Great 007 Opener)

James Bond veteran and BAFTA-nominated director Danny Kleinman has crafted all but one of 007’s title sequences since taking over from Maurice Binder, the creator of Bond’s iconic gun barrel shot, with 1995’s GoldenEye . For Skyfall Kleinman created a moody, inky death dream of a title sequence powered by Adele’s “Skyfall” theme song — a reflection, he explains, of the MI6 agent’s dark emotional state as Bond’s 23rd EON outing unfolds. REVIEW: James Bond Is Reborn In Lavish Skyfall “At the beginning of the film there’s always an amazing action sequence, and this time it ends with Bond being shot. So one of the things I wanted to do was perhaps suggest what might be flashing through Bond’s mind as he thinks he might be dying,” Kleinman explained to Movieline. Kleinman memorably used scorpions to open Die Another Day and turned Casino Royale ‘s literal and figurative gambling theme into a kaleidoscope of deadly hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs . The key guiding motif for Kleinman’s Skyfall title sequence? Death. “It’s a sequence that starts with Bond underwater and thinking that he’s dying,” Kleinman said. “I took that on as being almost like going into the underworld, feelings of mortality and feelings of, perhaps, regret and nostalgia.” In Skyfall ‘s opening sequence Bond drifts through a watery dreamscape of daggers and guns, encountering faceless, shadowy foes who threaten to overtake him. “One of the lines in the movie is about the intelligence service working in the shadows,” Kleinman said, “and I found that really interesting — the idea of being in the shadows and how shadows suggest different things but can also be intimidating.” “It’s quite a macabre and dark sequence, because I think the film is about Bond coming to terms with things that have happened in the past and with [Judi Dench’s M], it’s a very emotional story — moreso than most Bond films. My intention is to set up an atmosphere that gives you little clues, little hints, but is not too specific.” He paused. “It’s better than watching a bunch of names against black, anyway.” How does one go about creating a fantastic James Bond title sequence? Kleinman takes us through his creative process, the delicate art of teasing Bond’s exploits without giving too much away, how closely he works with Bond theme song creators like Adele — or not, as it happens — and his favorite 007 title sequence of all time.

Go here to read the rest:
Bond Designer Danny Kleinman On His ‘Skyfall’ Title Sequence (And How To Craft A Great 007 Opener)

Bond Designer Danny Kleinman On His ‘Skyfall’ Title Sequence (And How To Craft A Great 007 Opener)

James Bond veteran and BAFTA-nominated director Danny Kleinman has crafted all but one of 007’s title sequences since taking over from Maurice Binder, the creator of Bond’s iconic gun barrel shot, with 1995’s GoldenEye . For Skyfall Kleinman created a moody, inky death dream of a title sequence powered by Adele’s “Skyfall” theme song — a reflection, he explains, of the MI6 agent’s dark emotional state as Bond’s 23rd EON outing unfolds. REVIEW: James Bond Is Reborn In Lavish Skyfall “At the beginning of the film there’s always an amazing action sequence, and this time it ends with Bond being shot. So one of the things I wanted to do was perhaps suggest what might be flashing through Bond’s mind as he thinks he might be dying,” Kleinman explained to Movieline. Kleinman memorably used scorpions to open Die Another Day and turned Casino Royale ‘s literal and figurative gambling theme into a kaleidoscope of deadly hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs . The key guiding motif for Kleinman’s Skyfall title sequence? Death. “It’s a sequence that starts with Bond underwater and thinking that he’s dying,” Kleinman said. “I took that on as being almost like going into the underworld, feelings of mortality and feelings of, perhaps, regret and nostalgia.” In Skyfall ‘s opening sequence Bond drifts through a watery dreamscape of daggers and guns, encountering faceless, shadowy foes who threaten to overtake him. “One of the lines in the movie is about the intelligence service working in the shadows,” Kleinman said, “and I found that really interesting — the idea of being in the shadows and how shadows suggest different things but can also be intimidating.” “It’s quite a macabre and dark sequence, because I think the film is about Bond coming to terms with things that have happened in the past and with [Judi Dench’s M], it’s a very emotional story — moreso than most Bond films. My intention is to set up an atmosphere that gives you little clues, little hints, but is not too specific.” He paused. “It’s better than watching a bunch of names against black, anyway.” How does one go about creating a fantastic James Bond title sequence? Kleinman takes us through his creative process, the delicate art of teasing Bond’s exploits without giving too much away, how closely he works with Bond theme song creators like Adele — or not, as it happens — and his favorite 007 title sequence of all time.

Go here to read the rest:
Bond Designer Danny Kleinman On His ‘Skyfall’ Title Sequence (And How To Craft A Great 007 Opener)

‘Smurfs’ Cast Recall Watching Original Cartoon

‘We were a big ‘Smurfs’ household. We had the glasses and the sheets and the whole thing,’ ‘Glee’ star Jayma Mays admits. By Jocelyn Vena “The Smurfs” Photo: Sony Pictures “The Smurfs” took “Cowboys and Aliens” for a ride at the box office over the weekend when the two blockbusters tied for the top spot. And the movie’s cast recently chatted with MTV News and recalled some of their favorite memories from the vintage “Smurfs” cartoon. “We were a big ‘Smurfs’ household,” “Glee” star Jayma Mays explained. “We had the glasses and the sheets and the whole thing. We didn’t have the figurines that some people collect, but my mom loved ‘The Smurfs,’ so she would make me watch.” Co-star Hank Azaria also has a backstory with the lovable cartoon. “I was highly familiar with Gargamel and ‘The Smurfs,’ being an animation fan, even though I was technically too old for ‘Smurfs,’ ” he recalled. “When they came to America, I watched them anyway ’cause I’m immature,” he joked. “I always wanted to improve on Gargamel,” he continued. “I always felt he was too one- note and borderline annoying and wanted to make him funny and more amusing and a little scarier in other moments. I ended up using a voice very similar to the cartoon, but I thought he could be more three-dimensional and sarcastic and laid-back, and mostly I was curious as to why he was married to a cat.” Neil Patrick Harris said he enjoyed the cartoon back in the day, and recalled his favorite moments shooting the 3-D, part CGI/part live action flick. “Hank’s great. My favorite elements of Hank being in the movie was that since we didn’t really have scenes together, it was my days off,” he jokingly explained. “So when it was Hank-heavy scenes, [Jayma] and I were like, ‘Woohoo!’ “For me, I really liked filming around New York,” he continued. “I’m mostly a West Coast guy, and I’ve always been a fan of the city and I think the film is a wonderful homage and love letter of New York. So to be able to film in New York … you don’t get that opportunity.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Smurfs.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

Follow this link:
‘Smurfs’ Cast Recall Watching Original Cartoon

Newest Eclipse Poster: Dark, Foreboding, Awesome

It all begins … with a choice . The time for moping around in New Moon is over, and the time to take action has arrived. Soon, so will Eclipse in theaters, as advertised in this dark new poster. Featuring Bella front and center with Edward and Jacob looking hot in back, the poster is actually a lot like previous ones for the third movie in the Twilight saga. But the colors are, like, totally dark and gloomy now. This is deep, ominous stuff. Things are about to get very real, and much like Robsten , we can’t wait for it: The choice is Bella’s June 30 . If you haven’t seen the full Eclipse trailer , we suggest you do so now. If you already think the film is being overhyped, you’re totally right … but THERE IS NO ESCAPE!

More:
Newest Eclipse Poster: Dark, Foreboding, Awesome