It’s a sad day for Skinema lovers all over the world as we bid farewell to sexploitation legend Sylvia Kristel . A beauty queen in her native Holland, Sylvia first became famous for her fantastically nude role as the original Emmanuelle (1974). One of the first erotic films to be shown in mainstream theaters, Emmanuelle was a massive success that went on to play in one Parisian cinema for a staggering 11 years. She returned for the sequels Emmanuelle 2 (1975), Good-bye, Emmanuelle (1977), and Emmanuelle IV (1984). As the slinky, supple embodiment of ’80s Euro eroticism, Sylvia went on to star as the legendary seductress Mata Hari (1985) and as a sexually adventurous housewife in Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981). She then brought her heaving hills to Hollywood for parts in the skin classics Private Lessons (1981) and Private School (1983), although personal problems eventually brought her career to a standstill. Sylvia was diagnosed with cancer this past July, and her agent Marieke Verharen tells the AFP news agency that “” she died during the night during her sleep. ” Good-bye, Emmanuelle. You will be missed. Celebrate the life and career of Mr. Skin Hall-of-Famer Sylvia Kristel right here at MrSkin.com
It’s a sad day for Skinema lovers all over the world as we bid farewell to sexploitation legend Sylvia Kristel . A beauty queen in her native Holland, Sylvia first became famous for her fantastically nude role as the original Emmanuelle (1974). One of the first erotic films to be shown in mainstream theaters, Emmanuelle was a massive success that went on to play in one Parisian cinema for a staggering 11 years. She returned for the sequels Emmanuelle 2 (1975), Good-bye, Emmanuelle (1977), and Emmanuelle IV (1984). As the slinky, supple embodiment of ’80s Euro eroticism, Sylvia went on to star as the legendary seductress Mata Hari (1985) and as a sexually adventurous housewife in Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981). She then brought her heaving hills to Hollywood for parts in the skin classics Private Lessons (1981) and Private School (1983), although personal problems eventually brought her career to a standstill. Sylvia was diagnosed with cancer this past July, and her agent Marieke Verharen tells the AFP news agency that “” she died during the night during her sleep. ” Good-bye, Emmanuelle. You will be missed. Celebrate the life and career of Mr. Skin Hall-of-Famer Sylvia Kristel right here at MrSkin.com
Because the Paranormal Activity movies are defined by their structure rather than by a visible monster or recurring lead characters or surroundings, it’s the filmmaking that ends up having to evolve and change to set each new installment apart rather than, say, the mythology. You’re got the limited location, the slow burn, the surveillance gear, the demonic hijinks — it’s what’s done with these elements that distinguishes one film from the next, a fact that makes the franchise interesting technically even if its versions of things that go bump in the night don’t do much for you. [ Read Movieline’s interview with Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum ] I have to admit, they’ve managed to grow on me. The ingenuity required to work within the restraints of this dictated form of spookiness while coming up with new scares makes for some clever uses of space, timing and the way things are arranged in the frame. The original Paranormal Activity laid out the minimalist rules, while the second and weakest of the bunch upped the camera set-up to a full home security system. The third, which brought in Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman , jumped back to the late ’80s and older tech, including one ingenious bit of DIY on the part of the main character in which a camcorder mounted on the base of a rotating fan panned back and forth between the open kitchen and dining room of the haunted house. Joost and Schulman have returned for this fourth installment , which brings things closer to the present day and chooses for its weapons webcams, smartphones and an only mildly product placement-y Xbox Kinect. While, as in all of the installments, the filming doesn’t entirely make sense — there are inevitably scenes in which no rational person would continue holding up a camera — Paranormal Activity 4 ‘s killer shot is the surprisingly affective and familiar one of a person looking directly into a laptop while video chatting. Teenage Alex (the Taylor Momsen-esque Kathryn Newton) likes to shoot herself and her family with her phone and to Skype with her goofy boyfriend Ben (Matt Shively). Whether she’s leaning over it in bed or carrying it with her through the house while talking, her use of the built-in webcam represents a mundane but constant vulnerability — her attention is on the screen, but we’re aware of all the space behind her and the things happening in it. Alex and her six-year-old brother Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp) live in Henderson, Nevada. When something happens to the single mom who lives across the street, her creepy son Robbie (Brady Allen), who’s about Wyatt’s age, comes to stay with them until she’s out of the hospital. Their parents are going through a rocky patch in their marriage and are therefore too busy to pay much mind to the increasingly strange goings-on in the house following Robbie’s arrival, but Alex is very aware and gets Ben to rig up all the laptops to automatically record in her room, in Wyatt’s, in the kitchen and in the living room. And before you know it, “Night #1” is flashing on screen, things slowly start to go to hell and we begin to get hints at how what we’re seeing ties into the earlier films. Nothing that disturbing ever happens in the Paranormal Activity s, which is part of the franchise’s appeal — it crafts its frights out of its everyday suburban trappings, from doors creaking open or slamming shut by themselves to household items crashing down from places they shouldn’t be, or moving by themselves. The Kinect, while promising, does end up being a bit of a disappointment — the infra-red tracking dots illuminate the room and, inevitably, the occasional supernatural being within it when the lights are off, but the effect is more novel than creepy, like a demon-tracking disco ball. The film is heavily reliant on jump scares, but its best moments are the ones before them, when the tension builds without the benefit of escalating music to queue you in to the approaching shock. Instead, there’s that high-pitched sound, like a monitor left running, a fitting signal of trouble considering the way the technology used by the characters to document their lives so frequently outlives them. Many of the elements in Paranormal Activity 4 are familiar — the spooky children talking to the not-so-imaginary imaginary friend from Paranormal Activity 3 , the words on the door from Paranormal Activity 2 , and even Katie (Katie Featherston) from the original make an appearance. But while the film breaks no new ground, it does manage the giggly shocks that make this franchise so much fun to see with a rowdy midnight movie crowd. The fact that there’s so little space for an explanation for what’s happening — though we get more hints of witchy organizations and rituals here — has given the franchise an unexpected vitality. Who needs to delve into the stultifying details of who’s possessed by what and why? Like the diabolic force bedeviling the characters as they sleep, these things are better and more effective when left vague. Read more on Paranormal Activity 4 . Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Actor/comedian Katt Williams spent the majority of his night somewhere he jokes about hating to go to–jail. Williams was taken into the LAPD’s custody after…
Do you think he’s got a point? Tom Morello doesn’t hold back; especially when it comes to politics. He called out Lyan when his camp used a Rage Against The Machine song without the bands permission and now, he’s put POTUS on blast: According to Celebuzz… …the musician is no fan of Barack Obama’s administration either. Despite supporting Obama in the 2008 election, Morello, 48, is grossly disappointed in the president. “I think Obama has fallen horribly short of expectations that people like I had for him,” Morello told Celebuzz at Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars benefit in New York City on Saturday. “He talked like a different president, he looked like a different president, but he acted just like all of the other presidents, in my view.” What else did Morello have to say? Watch the video above! With so much political rhetoric from both parties dedicated to the nation’s middle class, Morello says that politicians are falling short on what he sees as the important issue: poverty. “There are millions of people around the planet who could be the next Mozart or cancer doctor or the person that cures autism that aren’t able to become the people that they were meant to be due to poverty,” he said. As for what politicians are doing to address the issue, Morello added: “They’re doing jack-s*** of what needs to be done because the poorest of the poor don’t have lobbyists in Washington. Their advocates are either themselves or people who [speak out] — I’ve dedicated my life’s work to that.” Morello has been an outspoken left-wing activist throughout his career and most recently has supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. “I think freedom of speech is very important,” he said. “And to present views that are outside of the corporate-controlled media. That’s a key thing.” As for what everyday Americans can do to get politically involved, Morello says it’s pretty simple — and a it doesn’t require an Ivy League education. “You don’t need to read The Wall Street Journal every day to have a moral compass. Stuff’s right and it’s wrong,” he said. “You don’t need to have a honors political science degree from Harvard to weigh in on this stuff — Although I do have an honors political science degree from Harvard,” he added, humorously. With only three weeks until election day, are you fellin’ confident with the candidates we’ve been given? Images via WENN
In what is being described by many as The Greatest News The World Has Ever Received, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will co-host the 2013 Golden Globe Awards. The close friends and former Saturday Night Live co-stars appeared together in Baby Mama and will forever be remembered for their dueling impressions of Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton in 2008. “Having both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on board to host this year’s festivities is a major coup,” says Paul Telegdy, President of Alternative and Late Night Programming at NBC Entertainment. “Tina and Amy have a proven chemistry and comedic timing from their many years together on SNL to their successful co-starring roles in Baby Mama .” The pair replaces two-time hosts Ricky Gervais and the ceremony will take place on January 13. Dare we bother to ask: Will you be tuning in for it?
Dunham, 50, also did cardio six to seven days a week, working up to an hour and 20 minutes a day on a stair climber, plus three days of weight training every week. The result? He lost 25 lbs. and now weighs what he did in high school. After all that hard work, the couple was determined to eat whatever they wanted on their big day. “The wedding was about fun, friends, family,” says Dunham, “and food!” They threw healthy eating out the window for the night and enjoyed a menu that included eve
‘Saturday Night Live’ alumnae take over for Ricky Gervais at 70th annual awards show. By Kara Warner Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Photo: Jon Kopaloff/ FilmMagic
Bond isn’t bi. At least that’s what I took away from Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem’s separate but equally vague responses to the erotically charged scene they share in Skyfall . On Monday, the actors took part in separate press conferences to promote the latest installment of the Bond franchise and, in both cases, questions about sexuality arose. In a piece I posted earlier this morning offering my early reaction to the picture , I noted that in the scene where Bond and the villain Silva meet, the latter caresses the bound MI6 agent’s chest. In response to Silva’s attentions, 007 replies, “What makes you think this is my first time?” Since there’s been speculation on the web for a years now now about whether Bond will ever pump more than hot lead into another man, I asked Craig at the press conference if his character was bluffing when he used this line with Bardem’s Silva. “What are you going to do?” Craig replied breezily, getting a nice laugh from the crowd, but then he added: “I don’t see the world in sexual divisions.” He then changed the subject from Bond to to Bardem’s wonderfully flamboyant character, Silva. “Someone suggested that Silva may be gay,” Craig said with a big smile. “And I’m like, I think he’ll f*** anything.” As Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson sat silently onstage with Craig, the actor, natty in a form-hugging suit and skinny tie, then downplayed the scene as “a great flirt. It’s a game of cards,” adding: “It the right thing to say, and that way that Javier plays it is so great. He plays it for real, and he plays it to the limit. He never forgets that he’s playing a Bond villain.” Finally, Craig offered his final assessment: “I love that scene,” he said “It makes me laugh. I hope it makes you laugh.” Earlier in the day, Bardem dropped some hints about his character that may shed a little more light on the scene. Asked how Silva’s “sexuality informed [Bardem’s] interpretation of the character, the actor responded; “It was part of the game, but it’s not entirely the game.” Bardem explained that his “main goal” as Silva was creating “uncomfortable situations” for anyone who crossed his path. “Within that, you can read anything that you want or wish,” Bardem said. “But it was more about putting the other person in a very uncomfortable situation where even James Bond doesn’t know how to get out of it.” In other words, that scene between Bond and Silva isn’t about sex. It’s about power. Right? Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
AFI Fest rounded out its 2012 program with films screening in its World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight and Shorts sections. Festival favorites The Angels’ Share , Greatest Hits , Laurence Anyways , Nairobi Half Life , Pieta , White Elephant and Zaytoun are among the titles set to screen at the L.A. festival, taking place November 1 – 8. As previously announced, the festival will kick off with the world premiere of Hitchcock and will close with the the world premiere of Lincoln . The World Cinema, Breakthrough and Midnight selections follow. Information provided by AFI Fest. World Cinema Section: A Royal Affair : DIR Nikolaj Arcel. SCR Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel. Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany Amour : DIR/SCR Michael Haneke. Austria/France/Germany. The Angels’ Share : DIR Ken Loach. SCR Paul Laverty. UK/France/Belgium/Italy. U.S. Premiere. Barbara : DIR/SCR Christian Petzold. Germany. Berbarian Sound Studio : DIR/SCR Peter Strickland. UK. Beyond the Hills (DUPÃ DELAURI): DIR/SCR Cristian Mungiu. Romania/France/Belgium. Blood of My Blood (SANGUE DO MEU SANGUE): DIR/SCR João Canijo. Portugal. Caesar Must Die (CESARE DEVE MORIRE): DIR Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani. SCR Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Fabio Cavalli. Italy. Everybody In Our Family (TOATA LUMEA DIN FAMILIA NOASTRA): DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude, Corina Sabau. Romania/The Netherlands. Greatest Hits (LOS MEJORES TEMAS): DIR/SCR Nicolás Pereda. Canada/Mexico/The Netherlands. U.S. Premiere. The Hunt (JAGTEN): DIR Thomas Vinterberg. SCR Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg. Denmark. In Another Country (DA-REUN NA-RA-E-SUH): DIR/SCR Hong Sang-soo. South Korea. Kon-Tiki : DIR Joachim Roenning, Espen Sandberg. SCR Petter Skavlan. Norway/Denmark/United Kingdom. Kuma : DIR Umut Dag. SCR Petra Ladinigg, Umut Dag. Austria. Laurence Anyways : DIR/SCR Xavier Dolan. Canada/France. U.S. Premiere. Leviathan : DIR Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel. UK/USA/France. Like Someone in Love : DIR/SCR Abbas Kiarostami. France/Japan. Our Children (A PERDRE LA RAISON): DIR Joachim Lafosse. SCR Joachim Lafosse , Mathieu Reynaert, Thomas Bidegain. Belgium/France/Switzerland. Paradise: Faith : DIR Ulrich Seidl. SCR Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz. Austria/France/Germany. Paradise: Love : DIR Ulrich Seidl. SCR Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz. Austria/Germany/France. Pieta : DIR/SCR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea. U.S. Premiere. Post Tenebras Lux : DIR/SCR Carlos Reygadas. Mexico/France/Germany/The Netherlands. Reality : DIR Matteo Garrone. Italy/France. The Sapphires : DIR Wayne Blair. SCR Keith Thompson, Tony Briggs. Australia. Something in the Air (APRÈS MAI): DIR/SCR Olivier Assayas. France. Tabu : DIR Miguel Gomes. SCR Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo. Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France. Tey (AUJOURD’HUI): DIR/SCR Alain Gomis. Senegal. War Witch (REBELLE): DIR/SCR Kim Nguyen. Canada. White Elephant : DIR Pablo Trapero. SCR Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui, Santiago Mitre , Pablo Trapero. Argentina/Spain/France. U.S. Premiere. Wrong : DIR/SCR Quentin Dupieux. France/USA. Zaytoun : DIR Eran Riklis. SCR Nader Rizq. UK/Israel. U.S. Premiere. Breakthrough Selections: Everybody’s Got Somebody…Not Me (TODO EL MUNDO TIENE ALGUIENE MENOS YO): DIR/SCR Raúl Fuentes. Mexico. Kid : DIR/SCR Fien Troch. Belgium. North American Premiere. The Last Step : DIR/SCR Ali Mosaffa. Iran. The Most Fun I’ve Ever Had with My Pants On : DIR/SCR Drew Denny. USA. Nairobi Half Life : DIR David Tosh Gitonga. SCR Serah Mwihaki, Charles ”Potash” Matathia, Samuel Munene, Billy Kahora. Kenya/Germany. North American Premiere. Oh Boy : DIR/SCR Jan Ole Gerster. Germany. North American Premiere. Midnight Selections: ABCs of Death : DIR Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián García Bogliano, Bruno Forzani and Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens, Jorge Michel Grau, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi. USA/New Zealand. Come Out and Play : DIR/SCR Makinov. Mexico. Here Comes the Devil (AHI VA EL DIABLO): DIR/SCR Adrián García Bogliano. Mexico/Argentina. John Dies at the End : DIR/SCR Don Coscarelli. USA.
