Well . Orchestrating a luminous, fiery 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony celebration that somehow managed to combine film, music, live theater, dance, the Beatles, a giant baby, flying men on freaking jetpacks, Mr. Bean, James Bond AND The Queen, Danny Boyle set the world abuzz with his tribute to British culture. While Olympics-watchers process the epic Brit-centric extravaganza, we’ve got good looks at 9 beautifully bizarre moments from the Opening Ceremony. Dive right in to Movieline’s Olympics gallery and revel in the Boyletastic theatrics. Your move, Brazil ’16. Maybe I missed the memo and someone out there can explain why so many of the random UK cultural icons in Boyle’s uber-British, at times verging on Gaga-esque mad dance party are words that begin with the letter B? B eatles, B ond, B owie, (Mr.) B ean, that terrifying b aby, the b ubble people, B eckham … on a b oat! 1. James Bond and The Queen Her form is impeccable. 2. David Beckham “He’s on a boat (I’m on a boat)…” etc., etc. 3. David Bowie A nice segue into the “Starman” segment, and perhaps a visual approximation of what Danny Boyle was thinking at this very moment . 4. Mr. Bean Instagram waits for no man. 5. That Giant Baby Homage to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children, or preview of tonight’s nightmare visions? 6. Winged Bicyclists Great new Olympic sport idea, or best new Olympic sport idea? 7. He Who Shall Not Be Named If he wasn’t terrifying before, kids… 8. Flying Mary Poppinses! Shout out to Bert, over in the corner sweeping the world’s largest chimney tidying up after the molten Industrial Revolution rings. 9. FREAKING. JET. PACKS. DANNY BOYLE’S GREAT BRITAIN IS THE FUTURE. Click here for the full 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony Gallery. [Photos: Getty Images] Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Also in Friday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, Israel’s celebrated doc The Flat is headed to the U.S. as is Sundance doc A Place at the Table . Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black gets a new gig writing a disaster movie for Universal and R.I.P. Lupe Ontiveros. Israel’s The Flat Headed to the U.S. A winner at the Jerusalem and Tribeca film festivals, Arnon Goldfinger’s doc The Flat will head to North America via Sundance Selects which picked up the title. The film centers on the director’s experience clearing out his deceased grandmother’s apartment in Tel Aviv, a home she shared with her husband for decades since immigrating from Nazi Germany. Sifting through her belongings, he discovers a treasure-trove of photos, letters, files and objects that reflect three generations of Germans both Jewish and non-Jewish. Sundance Selects will reelase the film October 19th. Doc A Place at the Table Heads Stateside Magnolia Pictures picked up the documentary from Participant Media, the folks behind An Inconvenient Truth and Food, Inc (the latter which Magnolia released). The Sundance debut featuring Jeff Bridges and Tom Colicchio (then called Finding North ) takes on the food issue from a new angle, shining a light on the 30% of American families—more than 49 million people—that don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Magnolia plans a release in the first quarter of 2013. Around the ‘net… Star-studded Audience for Olympics Opening Monarchs, presidents, prime ministers, other royals and a venerable who’s who will be joined by the likes of David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Hugh Bonneville ( Downtown Abbey ) along with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama at the opening of the Olympics Friday. The show, a 27 million pound ($42 million) spectacular titled “Isles of Wonder,” will end with a performance by Paul McCartney, A.P. reports . Ryan Seacrest & Paramount Team for Food Fight Pic The comedy is loosely based on celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his reality series Food Revolution Seacrest will produce the project based on a gourmet food truck operator who is sentenced to work at a school, revolutionizing the lunch program, THR reports . Milk Writer Dustin Lance Black Set for Earthquake The Oscar-winner will write the big scale disaster Earthquake for Universal and producer JJ Abrams. The feature will apparently not be a remake of the 1974 film that starred Charlton Heston of the same title, Deadline reports . R.I.P. Lupe Ontiveros The actress who starred in Selena and As Good as It Gets died Thursday at 69. The actress appeared in both film and television over four decades, Deadline reports .
The Watch (nee Neighborhood Watch ) truncated its title to avoid conjuring the February killing of Trayvon Martin and its plot contains no major similarities to the teen’s controversial death. But in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting — which may have spawned at least one would-be copycat thwarted today in Maryland — some of the violence-based laughs in the Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn comedy might hit too close to home for some moviegoers. The comedy, about a suburban schmoe (Stiller) who starts a Neighborhood Watch gang after the murder of a friend, invokes the cultural conversation about violence that has been stirred anew by recent events. “There weren’t walkouts at my particular screening, but in a moment where Jonah Hill’s military-obsessed character Franklin threatens a group of teenagers with a pocket knife, muttering that he’ll ‘kill each and everyone of [them],’ the cringes reached audible levels,” writes Hollywood.com’s Matt Patches , noting audible discomfort among moviegoers at a screening he attended. Like the Columbine shooters and last week’s Aurora gunman, Hill’s character is a young white male with a violent streak on the fringe of society, who has a cache of firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle, stashed at home and is all too eager to use them again. Violent impulses mixed with societal frustrations are given a target when the Watch is called into action to battle their enemies — in this case, extraterrestrial aliens. “Franklin’s entire persona is eerily similar to those that have lashed out in the past: he’s a high school drop out, reject of the police academy, and object of bullying by the socially normal people around him,” Patches continues. “He wants to serve justice, but he’s inherently violent. Hill plays Frankin for comedy, and in another moment in history the act would be hysterical, but in the wake of tragedy it’s simply uncomfortable.” “[When] we see bloodshed early on in The Watch , it stings more than it amuses,” writes Salt Lake Tribune critic Sean P. Means in his review of the film. Hill’s character goes from comic relief to a figure that “instead makes us wince.” Over at the Huffington Post, writer Jonathan Kim echoes the uneasy sentiment. The problem isn’t that violent movies cause violent behavior, he says, but that America’s gun-happy culture is so often reflected in its media. “If American entertainment is seen as too violent, I see that as a reflection of our gun- and military-worshipping culture, not the cause of it,” Kim offers . “And if people copy the violence they see in movies, the problem is not the movies, but people who can’t tell fantasy from reality, and the ease with which our gun laws allow those people to arm themselves to the teeth. The Watch is obviously fiction, but sadly, when unstable people can buy such powerful weapons, we need to do more than just hope that they’ll only be aimed at bad guys and aliens.” Ultimately most critics seem to agree that The Watch hardly earns the attention or scrutiny it may receive from Aurora parallels; it’s currently at a dismal 13 percent at Rotten Tomatoes , while Movieline’s Michelle Orange called it slight and ephemeral entertainment. But beyond that, I’d give writers Seth Rogen, Jared Stern, and Evan Goldberg enough credit to have purposefully written Hill’s character as a commentary on the kind of gun-loving disaffected young man that could, under other circumstances, follow a much darker path. Raw and shaken sensibilities didn’t stop audiences from attending The Dark Knight Rises last weekend, but tracking approaching this weekend was flagging. As the national conversation about guns and violence and film rages on — and with most fans having already seen the event film — are audiences less enthusiastic to flock to theaters, post- TDKR ? And if they do go to the multiplex for the latest Ben Stiller comedy, are they prepared to process shades of Aurora’s gunman in Jonah Hill’s angry, armed loner-turned-hero? Just be warned: If you’re going to the movies this weekend looking for escape from the real world, The Watch may hit closer to home than you anticipated. Then again, if Ben Stiller and Co. can inspire discussions about violence and gun control in America amid the broad guffaws, penis jokes, and one-liners, that might be a good thing for all involved. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Daniel Craig was at Her Majesty’s Service for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The James Bond franchise’s latest 007 appeared with Queen Elizabeth and her Corgis in a pre-recorded skit that had the secret agent and the queen meeting in Buckingham Palace. London’s Mail Online reports that the Queen told Craig, “Good evening, Mr. Bond,” before accompanying him on a helicopter ride to Olympic Stadium with the secret agent at the aircraft’s controls. The film then gave way to real life as their stunt doubles sailed into Olympic Stadium beneath Union Jack chutes, eliciting gasps from the crowd. After touchdown, the real Queen, her hair strategically mussed, then reappeared to take her place in the royal box. Although, sadly, no Rage-virus-infected zombies showed up to spike the adrenaline levels of the gathered athletes, the ceremony’s director Danny Boyle didn’t completely ignore his darker instincts for the presentation, which was entitled Isles of Wonder . The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang put in an appearance and Harry Potter baddie Lord Voldemort menaced in the form of a giant inflatable that was reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s The Wall concert tour. Fortunately, a small army of approximately 30 Mary Poppinses swooped down into the stadium on umbrellas to save the day. That’s a weird act for the athletes to follow. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Nowadays the Olympic Games ‘ opening ceremony is masterminded by a big time movie director. Beijing 2008 commenced with the vision of Zhang Yimou ( Ju Dou , Raise the Red Lantern , House of Flying Daggers ) and in London this year the reins — excuse me, the rings — have been handed to Danny Boyle , with a British history theme. But what if the Games themselves took inspiration from Boyle’s filmography — like, say Trainspotting , 28 Days Later , and 127 Hours ? According to the BBC , Boyle’s opener will be a reproduction of the British countryside representing British history with over 10,000 voulunteers and even more costumes and props. It will open with a reading of a passage from Shakespeare’s Tempest and will also include maypoles, a 23 ton bell and a moshpit. (Really!) Color me intrigued enough to actually watch primetime network television for the first time since I got Hulu+ on my iPad. It’s also got me wondering what would happen if the IOC just handed EVERYTHING over to Danny Boyle. Were that the case, perhaps he’d let elements from his filmography influence not just the pomp and circumstance, but the games themselves. Picture this: – Traditional Olympic fanfare is replaced with Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life” – Leonardo DiCaprio, hopped up on party drugs, is unleashed to wander through the “Beach Rave” segment of the Opening Ceremony – Rock climbing has very much been scratched as an Olympic event – To boost times in track events, all runners will be chased by rage virus-infected undead ghouls – The longjump to be made extra poignant by taking place in the cold vacuum of space to the music of John Murphy and Underworld – Living arrangements at the Olympic Village to involve a lot of mocking interviews by other roommates – Athletes will win their gold medals by exploiting a number of coincidentally corresponding life lessons. Poignant flashbacks to play along on jumbotron. Got any Boyle-isms to add? Follow Jordan Hoffman on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
I wasn’t planning on watching the olympics this year, until female gratification becomes an event I’m boycotting it, but after seeing this picture I might have to. Here’s some hottie named Michelle Jenneke showing off a pretty awesome body. That sounds kinda stupid, you’re not going really going to see chicks with terrible bodies at the olympics are you? But you know what I mean. Anyhow, good luck princess.
Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Comes Out…”I’m Gay” Well looks like Anderson Cooper and Frankie Ocean started a gay “come out of the closet” trend this week: Set to play with the U.S. Women’s soccer team in the London Summer Olympics later this month, the midfielder, Megan Rapinoe, 27, tells Out Magazine: “For the record, I’m gay.” The blonde Redding, Calif. native explained that she had not been hiding her sexuality, but was never directly asked by reporters about her sexual preference. “I feel like sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out . . . I feel everyone is really craving [for] people to come out. People want — they need — to see that there are people like me playing soccer for the good ol’ U.S. of A.” Indeed, in a recent chat with Us Weekly, Rapinoe spoke about her long-distance relationship with girlfriend Sarah, whom she described as “an athlete” who lives in Australia. “She’s great!” Of her first turn at the Olympics, Rapino admitted to Us she grew up “totally obsessed” with the Games. “And I still am totally obsessed with the Olympics — I love it, everything around it, . . . to have the opportunity to be a part of that, to represent your country is just amazing. It’s pretty amazing to have one of your childhood dreams come true.” Source
Swedish-born actor Stellan Skarsgard has run a wide gamut of film roles in his career. His blockbuster fare includes roles in Marvel’s The Avengers and last year’s Thor . He appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Mamma Mia as well as artier titles like A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010) and fellow Scandinavian Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011), Dogville (2003) and Dancer in the Dark (2000). One of his next projects is the controversial filmmaker’s next two films, which have already titillated fans of the enigmatic Danish director. Skarsgard gave a bit of insight about the back to back projects, The Nymphomaniac and The Nymphomaniac Part 2 , which, perhaps unsurprisingly, promise to live up to their titles. Skarsgard will star opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg in what the actor recently joked is “the porno we’re doing…” The films are described as a “light and poetic story” of a woman’s erotic journey from birth to the age of 50 as told via the main character who is a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac. Initially, the “erotic journey” part of the story was allegedly being fulfilled by porn-star stand-ins, but Skarsgard left unclear who was doing what, though apparently there will be no shortage of carnal delights for von Trier fans to indulge in. He told Sabotage Times, “I pick up Charlotte Gainsbourg’s character on the street and take her back to my apartment, and over two movies we talk about her time as a nymphomaniac.” He added, “There’s a lot of fucking in it. A lot of fucking in it.” The 61 year-old actor, who will also appear in Thor 2 , which will be out next year said he feels “at home” in both big budget movies as well as micro-budget independents. “I’m at home everywhere. If I’ve been doing a small, shoestring budget art-house film that’s very dark and that nobody will see, but that’s very good, it’s nice to go and do something fluffier. I’m extremely privileged in that I manage to enjoy myself all the time with very different materials.” [Source: Sabotage Times via Contactmusic ]
Summertime is blockbuster season, and with it comes the usual onslaught of promotional tie-ins. Naturally, The Amazing Spider-Man has generated its share of interesting merchandising partners. However, with great products come great risibility, and with over ninety promotional partners it was inevitable that some of the marketing would miss the mark. From odd adult eyewear to a line of cosmetics, take your pick of the items that failed in the goal to get your spending-sense tingling. Promotional Partners in Crime In this new era, with all the kids living on the inter-tubes, the concept of keeping the details of your film a secret is a dwindling enterprise. Directors endeavor to preserve the crucial plot points of their film, hoping those details can remain veiled with closed sets, limited script releases, performers signing non-disclosure agreements, and all manner of clandestine control of their intellectual property. That is why it becomes amusing when all these efforts become unraveled by unintentional reveals by the companies licensed to sell branded merchandise. (Obligatory spoiler-alert!) Up until last December the visuals of The Amazing Spider-Man ’s villain – The Lizard – had been a closely guarded secret. That is, up until a certain confection company released promotional materials for retailers. Suddenly the web was abuzz because everyone had a sense of how he would appear – courtesy of The Lizard Pez dispenser. A few months later key plot spoilers were discovered when construction-toy maker Mega Bloks released their tie-in play sets at an annual toy fair. Fanboys began drooling over the fact that key moments of the film were rendered via injection-mold plastic. One involved a mechanical battle frame Rhys Ivans would use to combat our hero, while another diorama exposed a battle at an underground laboratory. Yet another play set shows a climactic battle that ensues atop the Oscorp Tower. The addition of what were described as “S.W.A.T. Team Lizard” action figures tipped the hand of yet another plot detail. If you want to learn the details of upcoming films, go to aisle 8 at Toys-R-Us! “Ate” Legged Freaks Common among summertime blockbusters are the food tie-ins, and Peter Parker does not disappoint here. Kelloggs and Keebler together have forged a shopping cart full of products, from a disturbing-looking cereal to Cheese-It crackers to fruit snacks. The Spidey-branded Rice Krispy Treats not only get spider graphics on the box and wrappers, they’re comprised of industrially-dyed red pieces. These, I suppose are emblematic of the color associated with our hero. The end result is something… different ; the unwrapped product takes on more of a viral appearance that seems to make it more appropriate for a film like Contagion . Twizzlers candy has also joined the fray, using their licorice as more than a supplemental confection: They’re selling it as a key component in the Spidey universe. The eponymous hero is shown crouched on a web made of the candy, and even the film’s logo is rendered in red licorice. Better still is the corporate explanation, which tells us in a press release just how perfect Twizzlers complements the Spider-Man moviegoing experience: “Twizzlers Twisted Web! From the candy’s signature red color to its web-like characteristics, our iconic Twizzlers Twists are the perfect complement to sweeten fans’ movie experience.” That’s something for fans to bear in mind as they are about to breeze past the concession stand. And you thought deciding whether to see this in 3-D was going to be the big decision. Surprising among the numerous promo partners is that the fast food licensing rights went to the lesser franchise Carl’s Jr. (Burger King carries those rights in most Latin America markets). Now, before stampeding to a local burger joint for a collector cup there’s something to bear in mind. On July 4 the Carl’s Jr. restaurants offered their “Spider-Man Eats Free” promotion. This actually means that anyone arriving at the restaurant decked out in full Spider-Man attire in theory received a free Amazing Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger. To get a sense of who might show up, behold what the company envisions for its own lobbies. Across the Pacific we find our favorite niche territory marketing partner Jolibee has teamed up with Spidey. The Phillipine chicken magnate has once again offered up a collectors bird bucket – filled with its signature “Chickenjoy” – decorated in heroic graphics. Jollibee also offers a number of toy food promotions with our webbed hero, one of which makes me pause; the Spidey ring-toss toy has a rather curious design. Now, a better person may avoid mentioning this appears to display rectal violation of the web slinger, but amazingly I’m not better than that. Nor am I above noting how he seems to be enjoying things in this particular pose. Better to simply move on. Roll Your Eyes-Play It goes without saying that there are a crap-ton of toys associated with any given superhero film. One of the talked-about aspects of this reboot helps the kids out: In years past the tots had to contend with clunky web delivery contraptions to replicate the physiological spinnerets displayed in the previous three efforts. Now, even as the toys have not gotten better, Marc Webb ’s Spider-Man has Peter Parker employing a mechanical web shooter means the kids will have a much easier time getting their Andrew Garfield on. Variations in design involve these toys launching various media, from twine to rubberized webs, to water. Parents will especially cherish the “Silly String” version, which can stain household fabrics and requires rapid replacement of the “web fluid.” Among the action figures there’s one particular curiosity. Remember the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man where Spider-Man had to take to his dune buggy to battle an evil scourge? Of course you don’t remember, because nowhere in the franchise, nor the comic pantheon, does Spidey EVER get behind the wheel of such a conveyance. Despite that reality, your kids can relive the moment which never occurred. About the closest you can arrive to this object making any sense would possibly involve some random scene involving The Sandman from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 – and that is a monumental stretch. Why? Cos(play) You Can When you imagine the entire realm of the Spider-Man universe I’m certain the first thing to come to mind is an array of colored finger nail polishes. Cosmetic manufacturer OPI has released a line of lacquer colors in conjunction with the film. The hues range across the spectrum, with names that evoke the film. Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard, Call Me Gwen-Ever, Into The Night, Your Web Or Mine, Shatter The Scales, and My Boyfriend Scales Walls. The last one, for the record, is white. All of them, for the record, make little to no sense. Footwear tie-ins for the kids are another commonality in comic book-based releases. The Amazing Spider-Man has generated quite a few different designs, but the most arresting has to arrive courtesy of Striderite. Not only does the design resemble the famed mask, but with each step the eyes flash. As the company states, “Your little super hero will feel like the real deal with light-up powers.” It’s a little difficult to gather, however, just how Spider-Man is particularly connected with the power of light. Clearly someone did their homework. So let’s say you’re near a group of shrieking 6-year-old harridans and they are all sporting shoes that strobe. The retinal damage one may incur is a potential threat, but you can ward off those rays from their Spidey shoes with this functional and entirely sane-looking set of Spider-Man glasses. Sure, you may run the risk of getting kicked out of the Chuck E. Cheese if caught wearing these, but let’s be honest here; you probably deserve it. Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat , Mediaite , and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
A month before making literal waves in a London swimming pool at the 2012 Olympics, Australian Stephanie Rice is making figurative ones for a photo she recently posted on Twitter. The three-time gold medalist snapped a shot of herself in a bikini this week, showing off both her body and a birthday gift from designer Ellie Gonsalves. Simple and harmless, right? Not to some of Rice’s followers. “i feel that stephanie rice posting a photo of herself in swimwear has brought disgrace to the australian swim team and she should be dropped,” wrote one Twitter user, presumably taking issue with Rice for… okay, we have no idea. Showing more skin here than she does while donning official Olympic attire? The nerve! Rice is no stranger to somewhat racy Twitter photos, as evidenced by this picture of herself as a police officer . She was also once rumored to be dating Michael Phelps , which would be less scandalous than perfectly understandable from both points of view. So, in conclusion: Team Stephanie Rice in a Bikini!
