If only all ticket buyers were anthro majors, amirite? “If I were an anthropologist put on Barsoom, I’d try to integrate myself within the Tharks and learn more about their lifestyle. I’d definitely need to know about the current political climate first. That’s always a good idea when you’re thrust into an alien environment , here literally. Political unrest kept me out of Bolivia… On Barsoom, I’d be drawn to the civil war, but I wouldn’t want to become involved. As an anthropologist, we like to keep our heads down in these types of situations. I actually have a shirt from my old archeology club at Boston University that says, “Don’t shoot — I’m an archeologist!” in 13 different languages. Then again, Tharks don’t read.” [ Box Office Magazine ]
Movieline is pleased to introduce Inessential Essentials, a regular feature about some of the most intriguing — if not necessarily most obvious — new home-viewing options on the market. We begin today with a film practically doomed by controversy a quarter-century ago, resurrected for DVD and finally given the treatment it truly deserves this week on Blu-ray. — Ed. What’s the Film : The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), new on Blu-ray via Criterion Collection Why it’s an Inessential Essential : Adapted from Nikos Kazantzakis’s novel by the same, The Last Temptation of Christ is a moving and heart-felt testament of religious faith. It’s also probably not the first film you’d think of when you think of when you think of Martin Scorsese’s filmography. Temptation follows Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) in his long journey from looking at God’s presence as “the ultimate headache,” to quote Temptation screenwriter Paul Schrader, towards seeing death in the service of God as an act of divine mercy. The Last Temptation of Christ isn’t the only film of Scorsese’s to focus on a troubled protagonist’s spiritual crisis. Like several of Scorsese’s protagonists, Jesus gradually comes to understand the difference between how he can behave and how he should behave according to his moral principles. He’s a man first, and only by film’s end does he really become the messiah, too. Still, because of its sexual implications, the film was a source of major controversy when it was released in 1988 and even before then when Scorsese originally tried unsuccessfully to make The Last Temptation of Christ with Paramount Studios in 1983 on a considerably bigger budget. According to David Ehrenstein’s liner notes, Scorsese was told he could make the picture with a budget of $15-20 million. But then a letter-writing campaign from Christian fundamentalists stopped the 1983 production dead in its tracks. Scorsese would go on to make Temptation with a considerably smaller $7 million with Universal Studios. Nearly 25 years later, as comedian Billy Crystal “joked” during the most recent Oscars telecast, Scorsese is still always going to be the guy that did Goodfellas and other “crime pictures.” How the DVD/Blu Makes the Case for the Film : Predictably enough for a Criterion release, the Blu-ray features a number of exceptional special features, including a terrific audio commentary track that selectively alternates between Scorsese, Schrader, Dafoe and screenwriter Jay Cocks. The track is especially good since it only lets any one of these four talking heads speak when they have something worth saying, such as when Scorsese explains the background behind Mary Magdalene’s tattoos, or Cocks’s description of Scorsese’s filmmaking approach: “The simplest, most direct way is usually the most heart-felt, the way which technology can interfere the least in the way of the emotion.” Both the Criterion Collection’s DVD and Blu-Ray releases of The Last Temptation of Christ also feature a decent interview with Peter Gabriel, who scored the film. Gabriel talks a little about how he and Scorsese worked toward “avoid[ing] the clichés of Christ goes to the movies […] Marty had some strong opinions of some people he wanted me to integrate and whose work he wanted me to play with. I spent some time in the National Sound Archive doing some research and trying to educate myself a bit. And although I didn’t try and master Arabic scales, I was just trying to soak in some of the feelings and find key performers that could bring power and passion.” Other Interesting Trivia : Also according to Ehrenstein’s liner notes, director Franco Zeffirelli pulled his Young Toscanini from the 1988 Venice Film Festival line-up when he heard that Temptation would also be screening that year. Zeffirelli hadn’t yet seen Scorsese’s film when he made that appropriately theatrical gesture. But he still was outraged by Temptation , saying that it was “truly horrible and completely deranged.”
” Russell Brand was NOT arrested for a misdemeanor yesterday … turns out it was a FELONY, and the late Steve Jobs may be to blame. We did some digging and just found out … in Louisiana property damage that exceeds $500 triggers a felony arrest. You’ll recall, Brand allegedly snatched a photog’s iPhone Monday night and hurled it through a plate glass window . The iPhone alone costs more than $500…Steve Jobs famously believed he could charge a lot for the iPhone — and did. And now Russell is paying dearly for it.” [ TMZ ]
And at a cemetery! “Created and performed by acclaimed actor Val Kilmer, and seen recently in development by sold-out audiences in venues in Los Angeles such as Disney Concert Hall, Tim Robbins’ The Actors’ Gang, and The United States Veterans Artists’ Alliance Hall, Mr. Kilmer’s production delves into the heart and soul of Samuel Clemens and conjures forth the great spirit of Mark Twain, America’s greatest storyteller. Storytelling was a lifeline for Twain, and in Kilmer’s Citizen Twain , this lifeline continues into and after Twain’s death, making it an appropriate choice to perform the show in The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.” [ Ticketfly ]
What is the color of democracy? Would you believe brown? At least that’s what it looks like here at Movieline, where our inaugural Soily Awards for the worst in cinema roll on today with the distinguished Brown Note — the totally free, 100-percent reader-generated prizes now open to your vote. While certain other, more over-the-hill awards want to charge you as much as $40 for the “privilege” of voting for the cinematic fails of 2011, the Soilies not only charge nothing, but also solicit write-in votes for noteworthy crap not recognized by our esteemed Brown-Ribbon Panel. The polls are open immediately and and will remain so for a week, until March 21 at midnight EDT/ 9 p.m. PDT . The first-ever Soily winners will then be announced on March 23 . Have a look back at the six voting categories and official nominees reprinted here, and vote away below that. And please spread the word! Check out the Soilies on Facebook and campaign for your Soily favorites with the #Soilies hashtag on Twitter. Thanks! The Soily for Worst Picture of 2011 The most appalling, misconceived and/or unpleasant-to-watch film of 2011. The more ambitious/pretentious, the better. Take Our Poll The Soily for Achievement in Bad Directing The director of the most appalling, misconceived and/or unpleasant-to-watch film of 2011 — or maybe just most appalling director? (NOTE: The award will be named after its inaugural winner.) Take Our Poll The Soily for Achievement in Bad Acting A unisex award recognizing the worst and/or least inspired performance by any actor in any film in 2011. Take Our Poll The Brown Paycheck Achievement in Bad Acting A unisex award recognizing the most lopsided ratio of salary to quality. Take Our Poll The Shart Prize A film that seemed like it might be bad but turned out much, much more aromatically awful than anyone could have imagined. Take Our Poll The Shit-the-Bed Award Arguably the most prestigious Soily, this honor goes to the movie that, despite its pedigree and everything it had going for it on paper, nevertheless resulted in a massive failure to move the cultural needle or achieve anything remotely resembling entertainment. Take Our Poll PREVIOUSLY: Introducing the Soily Awards, Movieline’s Inaugural Tribute to Cinema’s Worst Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Preparing for a battle to the death in which the odds are most definitely not in her favor, Jennifer Lawrence’s Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen feels utterly alone, trapped within the deceptively cushy confines of the Capitol. Thankfully, she has at least one key ally on her side: Her stylist Cinna, played gracefully by rock star-turned-actor Lenny Kravitz , who discovered only after being cast that he’d be sharing the screen with one of his daughter’s close friends. “I asked, ‘Who’s playing Katniss?’” Kravitz recalled to Movieline. “‘It’s Jennifer Lawrence.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, she was just in my house cooking breakfast!’” Their previous friendship (through daughter Zoe, who co-starred with Lawrence in X-Men: First Class ) helped lend a natural rapport to scenes between Katniss and Cinna , moments that evoke the stalwart tribute’s hidden fears and anxieties on the eve of The Hunger Games ’ death Olympics. For Kravitz’s part, his take on Cinna is at once subtle and fresh; cast on the strength of his acting debut in Lee Daniels’ Precious , he lends Cinna unexpected warmth and complexity and breathes confident life into one of the books’ most beloved supporting characters. Kravitz spoke with Movieline about the call from Gary Ross offering him the part of Cinna, the all-night reading sessions that caught him up on Suzanne Collins’ page-turner, and why, in this age of media oversaturation and reality TV fame, The Hunger Games rings scarily true. (Also discovered: Lenny Kravitz totally watches Hoarders .) Revealing the real-life inspirations for his take on Cinna – described in the books as a gold-eyeliner wearing fashionista who is also the most “normal” person Katniss encounters in The Capitol – Kravitz answered Movieline’s burning question about Cinna and his intentionally ambiguous sexuality, a question that’s led to much discussion of Collins’ more subtle commentaries on modern culture. Is Cinna gay? [ GALLERY: Jennifer Lawrence & Co. shine at the Hunger Games premiere ] So, you weren’t familiar with the books beforehand and only heard about them when you got the call for Cinna? Yes, through Gary Ross – I had no idea. Did you know Gary beforehand? I had met Gary once at a dinner, a random dinner. He and I had a conversation about film in general, and I was completely taken by the fact that he had written Big and it was his first thing, off the cuff – ‘Oh, I’ll write this movie called Big …’ But that was it! I’d met him once at a dinner. Never saw him again, didn’t have his phone number. How did he track you down for this phone call? I’m in the Bahamas, recording my album, and I’m in the booth somewhere. The engineer knocks and says, ‘There’s a Gary Ross on the telephone.’ I had kind of forgotten, you know? I pick up the phone and he’s like, ‘It’s Gary! Remember, we had dinner…’ I was like, ‘Oh! Gary Ross . Cool. What’s up?’ He said, ‘I’m doing this movie called Hunger Games and there’s a character called Cinna. If you want it, you’ve got it – just tell me. You won’t have to audition.’ I’m sitting there like, what? But in the back of my head I’m thinking, who’s Cinna and what’s Hunger Games ? I had no idea what it was. So I said, ‘Thank you, I’m sure I’d want to do this but – I don’t know what it is, so let me get the book.’ I was in the Bahamas in a small town, not a lot of internet around, so I’m with my iPad trying to get a signal to download this entire book… and I began to read, began to read, and at the end of Chapter One I thought, oh shit – I can’t put it down. I’ll just read another chapter. It was at night and I had been working all day so I’m tired and I figured I’ll make a chapter or two before I put it down, but I couldn’t. I was like, wow, this is a really good story! So I called him the next day and said, ‘I’ll be there.’ Your scenes in the film are mostly comprised of just you and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and you two share a great chemistry together. But you had already known her prior through your daughter Zoe, who was also in X-Men . What was your relationship like with her before making the movie together? She used to come over, and I’d go to London and see them. I mean, I fell for her the day she walked in my house. This girl is family. She’s so funny, such a joy to be around. She brings sunshine to any situation. And obviously it was a plus to find out, because when I told Gary I would do the movie I asked, ‘Who’s playing Katniss?’ ‘It’s Jennifer Lawrence.’ And I was like, ‘Wow – she was just in my house cooking breakfast!’ Did Gary know about this connection when he called to offer you the part? Did he know? No, he didn’t know. I told him and he said, ‘Really? Well, that makes it even better because there’s going to be a natural chemistry already.’ That definitely was a plus. Did you read the whole book in a day? At night, and then the next day. Quickly. I could not put it down. What a great opportunity! And the fact that he’d called me – he said he’d seen Precious and he thought that Nurse John and Cinna, even though they’re completely different characters, had similar characteristics as far as being nurturing and all that. Certainly, they do. When it comes to Cinna, though, maybe given the fact that he’s a fashionista some readers of the books infer that he’s gay, even though his sexuality remains ambiguous. Right, they assume. And that was a question: How far do we take it? If we had gone the outrageous route, it would have been just another stereotypical statement. Immediately I’m thinking science fiction, crazy costumes, this sort of possibly effeminate costumes. I started thinking Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element , because I didn’t know where Gary was going stylistically. Then when I got to the set I thought, this is really smart. The look of the Capitol and the way everybody dressed, it was real – it wasn’t this outrageous costumey stuff. There were a lot of outrageous colors and big statement, but there were a lot of old things and new things mixed, just like it is now. We’re in 2012 and we’re still wearing clothes that look like clothes. We’re not wearing silver space suits with helmets and all that… well, some of us are. [Laughs] Did you take inspiration in terms of Cinna’s style or carriage from any real life figures? I thought about Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford, who are both very inspiration design characters for me. And both of them are kind of right down the middle and very classically dressed, not say, like a Galliano or someone who is more outrageous and flamboyant in dress. That was the way we decided to play him and I think that was definitely the right choice. So then: Is Cinna gay? I have no idea. I have no idea. I played him right in the middle, and one of the inspirations is a friend of mine, actually, who I grew up with. He’s bisexual and you could think he’s gay, you could think he’s straight, you’re not really sure. It’s very subtle. You wouldn’t know it, but Cinna’s speech patterns and the way he enunciates was kind of based on this person that’s just a friend of mine, who I thought was a good example. It’s worth noting that the way you play Cinna, what stands out a bit more than in the books is that he comes off as more of a strategist than a stylist. Was that an important element to highlight? Most definitely. When people think at first, ‘So, what is Cinna?’ I play a stylist, but it’s hard to just say I play a stylist. What does that mean? He’s not that, he’s trying to help Katniss make an impression and he’s trying to save her life, and he wants people to like her because that’s part of the game. So that’s a good word, strategist. Given how much of a stark contrast he is to most people in the Capitol, more sensitive and grounded and restrained in his sense of style, it feels as if he’s infiltrating Capitol culture. Right. He’s clearly on Katniss’s side, doesn’t agree with the Capitol groupthink. No, he’s doing his job, trying to stay alive and do his thing and not get on the bad side of the government… How much of Cinna’s backstory did you cultivate with Gary or Suzanne Collins in terms of where Cinna comes from, even if that backstory isn’t included in the film? Not a lot, really. I just thought about him as being a person who’s been there for a few years; he hasn’t been there forever, he’s not that old, and he’s one of those people that kind of wishes or wants to break out and it’s not the time, necessarily. So he’s going to keep things even but he’s going to show his talent, he’s going to be fierce about it – he’s making these fire costumes and all this stuff – and he obviously is talented and likes using his talent. I’m sure he’s cared about everybody that’s come his way over the years, but now he’s met this girl that he really sees something in, and she’s the biggest underdog there is, and he’s going to do his best to help. Do you see a contradiction between the wariness in the books of mass media and the dangers of entertainment as a means of cultural control, and the fact that the Hunger Games movie is a now studio franchise involving hundreds of millions of dollars that will likely dominate pop culture when it comes out? Especially given your unique position as a successful recording artist, how do you view that fine line? It’s a very interesting time we live in. You know, it took me a long time to join this party of Facebook and Twitter and reality TV – I mean, I still don’t really watch it, but sometimes when I’m on the tour bus late at night trying to bring my brain back to a neutral place I’ll flip past these shows, and when I stop it’s because I’m really blown away that I’m watching this… that it exists . There’s a show for people that don’t know how to throw away their garbage! Or guys who have a pawn shop. Last night I was flipping channels for a bit before I went to bed and there was a show for guys in prison and how they function in prison and all their secrets! This one guy’s making moonshine liquor and they’re getting him to show us and it’s like, my god, what’s going on? Well, some of those shows are amazingly insightful, but then you have the other kind of reality TV shows… You have the bad behavior being glorified, and they’re becoming role models. Kids, everybody just wants to be famous now. I mean, I grew up saying I wanted to be a musician. Did I want to make it and be famous? Why not, sure. But I never said I wanted to be famous, I wanted to be a musician . Now it’s just all about fame. They’re showing everything. It’s quite interesting, but I think the movie is trying to show us where we are. We’re not yet in arenas killing people, but it happened thousands of years ago. Could it happen again? How much is it going to take to keep quenching our thirst? Look at where we are now. How’s it going to be a hundred years from now? People are going to be numb. That’s the great thing about the novels; it’s a young adult series and could be dismissed on first glance as a children’s property… But it’s not! That’s what’s so interesting. That’s why I think this is going to be very successful. The Hunger Games is in theaters March 23. Read more here. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Today in horrifying reboot news comes the stuff of past and future nightmares: “Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company will finance and produce the development of a feature film based on Garbage Pail Kids , the trading card line published by Topps.” Viral video/shorts helmer PES will direct based on the terrifying 1985 trading cards, which were previously adapted into one of the worst feature films of all time featuring the most disgusting child characters ever created who scared an entire generation of youngsters into not judging their freaky looking but well-meaning peers by their looks alone. Or something. So… yay? [ Deadline ]
Movieline is pleased to present the first installment of One-Sheet Wonder , a new column on the best, worst, weirdest and other milestones of contemporary movie-poster art. — Ed. We’re a little more than two months away from the debut of the Cannes Film Festival opener Moonrise Kingdom , Wes Anderson’s first live-action film in five years, and the promo push is on. The first trailer hit a while back, and the first poster was revealed last week. And while the trailer is an exhilarating promo clip, on first glance it’s easy to dismiss the poster. It feels minimal and rather meh overall, like a starving-artist, Bob Ross knock-off masquerading as a one-sheet (“Look at that happy little waterfall…”). But since The Life Aquatic , posters for Anderson’s films have trended to a less-is-more approach. The Darjeeling Limited , for example, focused on, essentially, a snapshot of the three leads in a moment of quiet introspection, whereas Rushmore is all about bombastic (Photoshopped) revolution. The reason for this change is Anderson’s movies, increasingly, have been sold to his fans rather than audiences at large. Not surprisingly, this began with The Royal Tenenbaums as Anderson established his unique visual style. Since then, his posters have become more conceptual and more for his acolytes. ( Fantastic Mr. Fox — aimed squarely at kids with its kooky, busy everything-but-whackbat design — is the exception.) Moonrise Kingdom is the zenith (so far) of this marketing strategy. It’s not very active, but it picks up many of Anderson’s trademarks. Sam and Suzy, the film’s leads, are in full-on Anderson mode — Sam carries a popgun and pulls his best young Bud Cort impression while Suzy is loaded down with a travel record player and Margot Tenenbaum-esque style/ennui — and their straight-on confrontation of the viewer is an Anderson trademark. And while the foreground is fairly flat, there’s a world of depth and texture in the background, a staple of Anderson’s cinematography. The poster also continues the practice (begun on Darjeeling ) of placing the credit block at the top of the poster, above the title, drawing our eye (and consideration) to an image rather than text. When you factor in the font-type similarities to the invitation script at the beginning of Tenenbaums , it could be that Anderson is finally establishing a design continuum for his ad art to complement the one in his films. Visually dazzling? Maybe not to the motion-poster (blech) crowd, but for Anderson devotees it’s exciting. It picks up on his filmmaking sensibilities like no poster before it — and it aesthetically establishes Moonrise Kingdom ’s place in Anderson’s legacy vis-à-vis the Criterion Collection. Criterion’s releases of Bottle Rocket , Rushmore , Tenenbaums , Aquatic and Darjeeling are whimsical, but they eschew studio publicity shots for a handcrafted, Andersonian representation of a scene or the essence of the film. (Criterion’s Tenenbaums and Aquatic releases had studio art slipcovers over the hand-drawn ones because they were the only official releases of the films, Buena Vista didn’t likely want to scare off the normals with childlike illustrations.) Moonrise Kingdom is the first theatrical poster for an Anderson film to similarly disregard poorly edited stills (a la Rushmore or Bottle Rocket ) for a painted distillation of what we can imply is the film’s spirit. Ultimately, it might seem this poster is selling Anderson’s sensibility more than the film, but that’s because they’re one and the same. The poster says, “Wes Anderson has a new movie coming out,” and that will either sell people on it or drive them away. Such is the plight of an auteur. Focus Features understands the audience for this film — the cinephile who genuflects at the Wes Anderson altar — and the studio absolutely reaches it with this poster. It might not be the flashiest of Anderson’s ads to date, but it’s certainly the most authentic. Dante A. Ciampaglia is a writer, editor and photographer in New York. You can find him on Twitter , Tumblr , and, occasionally, his blog .
SXSW ers will get a peek at Will Ferrell’s Spanish-language comedy Casa de mi Padre this week in Austin, but here’s a quick taste of what you’re in for: Ferrell as a Mexican ranchero singing the moonlit ditty “Yo No Se” in a scene from the film, which is best described as something of a Spanish telenovela satire grindhouse comedy. Yo No Se performed by Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell Ferrell plays Armando Alvarez, the son of a rancher who falls for the girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) of his brother (Diego Luna) and must defend his family from a local drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal). Efren Ramirez and Adrian Martinez also co-star as Ferrell’s ranch hand pals, who join him in a moonlit serenade in the above scene… as cowboys are wont to do. [ Funny or Die ]
Those NMA TV wizards have done it again: Watch as the Taiwanese animators offer their take on the in-progress South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive festival (“If you’re watching this animation, that likely means you’re not at SXSW. You’re probably not even cool enough to go”). Tears, hippie DJs, 21 Jump Street , bands the rest of the world will hear about months from now… it’s all here! Okay, okay. SXSW isn’t quite as douchey as this video suggests — though the divide between the Interactive/Music folks and the Film attendees always feels like some sort of class division. But earlier today, I di d overhear the following while walking downtown: “What if pills could contain… ideas?” And also: “The thing is, I already have a green trucker hat!” Here’s hoping more notable SXSW ’12 events happen that warrant their own NMA video. Where’s Jake Gyllenhaal when you need him? [ NMA ] Catch up with Movieline’s ongoing coverage of SXSW Film and follow along on Twitter .
