Here's a few more:
Via ISO50 Blog
January 17, 2010
Awesome Movie Poster Designs
Here's a few more:
January 16, 2010
Review: Irreversible
Marcus (Vincent Cassel, “Brotherhood of the Wolf” & “Black Swan”) and Alex (Monica Bellucci, “The Matrix Reloaded”) are an average couple living a social life in Paris. One night, during a boisterous party, Alex decides to leave when Marcus becomes far too belligerent to enjoy the evening any further. Traveling down a metro tunnel, Alex is attacked by a pimp and is violently raped. Marcus, having learned of his girlfriend’s fate far too late to prevent it, decides to track down the offender, leading him and friend to an S&M club called “The Rectum,” and ideally, ultimate revenge.
Gaspar Noe’s 2002 film “Irreversible” is a lightning bolt into the cerebral cortex. For those with a strong stomach, the film is simply a journey into hell. But for those who might not have familiarity with the recent wave of French “shock cinema” (“Baise-Moi, “Fat Girl”), “Irreversible” might be far too strong an experience. However you approach the horrors contained within the picture, the end result is one of the most artistically daring and searingly hostile pictures I have ever come across. This isn’t a film that is passively watched, but more a film that grabs the audience by the collar and takes them down with the events onscreen. Any kind of emotional reaction is welcomed from a moviegoing experience, but with “Irreversible,” the reactions are taken forcibly and violently. This isn’t an easy film to swallow, but the artistic merits and pure adrenaline of the filmmaking make this film a rousing creation unequaled this year.
The film’s centerpiece, if you will, is the Bellucci rape sequence which ends up taking almost 10 minutes of screen time. Presented in one single take, the sequence is blistering to behold. It’s also responsible to the film’s unseemly reputation, which I feel is without merit. Noe uses this sequence, and a similarly brutal beating in the “Rectum” club, to make his dramatic points about the tragic underbelly of life. As wrenching as they are, I never found these two scenes to be exploitative. Noe has a bigger strategy in mind with the violence, which is made all the worse once we learn to true nature of Alex and Marcus’s relationship near the end of the film.
The theme of “Irreversible” is how “time destroys everything,” which is pessimistic to be sure, but Noe’s examination of inevitable dread is fascinating. The film is structured backwards (the end credits open the film), much like Chris Nolan’s “Memento.” However, “Irreversible” is no mystery. The ugliness of the story is presented right away, forcing the audience to view events they have no emotional connection to besides horror. Once we witness the crimes, it is only the route to them that is left, robbing the film of the visceral power a revenge story typically inspires.
This leaves the film with an unmistakable power, with Noe deliciously taking away expectations, and replacing them with small doses of originality and horror. Noe keeps his film disorienting with swirling camera movements and a cast that is performing mostly through improvisation (Cassel clearly breaks character at one point), but “Irreversible” is hardly chaotic or meandering. The horror of the events onscreen are often impossible to watch, but Noe’s commitment to his theme of destruction and stylistic choices are splendid.
I would never suggest that “Irreversible” is an easy-to-watch movie, nor do I think it will appeal to a great many people. This is a challenging film that consistently requires the full attention of the viewer.
January 15, 2010
Jimmy Kimmel Transforms Into Jay Leno For Entire Episode
I can't tell if Leno would be insulted by this or not. With there being absolutely no exaggeration, it's not so much a parody as a demeaning tribute:Amazing. I didn't know a late night band could be effectively aurally mimicked, but there I was, feeling the unnerving presence of a phantom Kevin Eubanks at all times.
And have you heard about this Avatar movie? And Tiger Woods?
And time for Headlines!
Arnold Schwarzenegger During the Earthquake
Could we compromise, and instead of giving Leno an 11:35 spot just give Kimmel the spot in-character as Leno? I swear, my parents won't even notice; they just want anyone to give them half-assed jokes about the two relevant news stories they're aware of.
(here's the rest of the episode)
Bonus! Jimmy Kimmel on Jay Leno's 10 at 10 - HILARIOUS!
Modern Movies As Terrible Old Video Games
Remember when an amazing movie like E.T. would become a dismal video game like this that would end up largely buried in a New Mexico landfill? Relive the days of horrible film-to-video-game adaptations with this gallery of modern films reduced to Atari-level game covers!
January 14, 2010
Top 20 All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses - Avatar will be king soon...
| Rank | Title | Studio | Worldwide | Domestic / % | Overseas / % | Year^ | ||
| 1 | Titanic | Par. | $1,842.9 | $600.8 | 32.6% | $1,242.1 | 67.4% | 1997 |
| 2 | Avatar | Fox | $1,420.0 | $445.8 | 31.4% | $974.2 | 68.6% | 2009 |
| 3 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | NL | $1,119.1 | $377.0 | 33.7% | $742.1 | 66.3% | 2003 |
| 4 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | BV | $1,066.2 | $423.3 | 39.7% | $642.9 | 60.3% | 2006 |
| 5 | The Dark Knight | WB | $1,001.9 | $533.3 | 53.2% | $468.6 | 46.8% | 2008 |
| 6 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | WB | $974.7 | $317.6 | 32.6% | $657.2 | 67.4% | 2001 |
| 7 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | BV | $961.0 | $309.4 | 32.2% | $651.6 | 67.8% | 2007 |
| 8 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | WB | $938.2 | $292.0 | 31.1% | $646.2 | 68.9% | 2007 |
| 9 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | WB | $929.4 | $302.0 | 32.5% | $627.4 | 67.5% | 2009 |
| 10 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | NL | $925.3 | $341.8 | 36.9% | $583.5 | 63.1% | 2002^ |
| 11 | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | Fox | $924.3 | $431.1 | 46.6% | $493.2 | 53.4% | 1999 |
| 12 | Shrek 2 | DW | $919.8 | $441.2 | 48.0% | $478.6 | 52.0% | 2004 |
| 13 | Jurassic Park | Uni. | $914.7 | $357.1 | 39.0% | $557.6 | 61.0% | 1993 |
| 14 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | WB | $895.9 | $290.0 | 32.4% | $605.9 | 67.6% | 2005 |
| 15 | Spider-Man 3 | Sony | $890.9 | $336.5 | 37.8% | $554.3 | 62.2% | 2007 |
| 16 | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Fox | $884.4 | $196.6 | 22.2% | $687.9 | 77.8% | 2009 |
| 17 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | WB | $878.6 | $262.0 | 29.8% | $616.7 | 70.2% | 2002 |
| 18 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | NL | $870.8 | $314.8 | 36.1% | $556.0 | 63.9% | 2001^ |
| 19 | Finding Nemo | BV | $864.6 | $339.7 | 39.3% | $524.9 | 60.7% | 2003 |
| 20 | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith | Fox | $848.8 | $380.3 | 44.8% | $468.5 | 55.2% | 2005 |
Reports say 'Conan O’Brien finished after next week'
It looks like Conan O’Brien’s run of hosting The Tonight Show is coming to an end even sooner than believed. Many online sources, including People.com, are reporting that his final episode will air on Jan. 22, with a source telling the magazine: “Conan does not currently plan on doing any more new shows after next week.” It was initially reported on the Twitter feed of ESPN personality Bill Simmons who added: “His staff is trying to book big guests so he goes out with a bang.”
Despite these unconfirmed reports, there’s still much that needs to be worked out, as many legal experts have also been discussing several things online, everything from whether or not NBC can move The Tonight Show back until after midnight, to any cash penalties that O’Brien may be able to wring from NBC in regards to his contract to host The Tonight Show.
O’Brien’s public statement on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a later Tonight Show with him at the helm. And since his letter became public he has been embarrasing the network on a nightly basis with plenty of jokes.
As well, Nikki Finke of the Deadline Hollywood Daily blog has reported that Jeff Zucker, the head of NBC Universal, has threatened to keep O’Brien off the air for the length of this contract, and that O’Brien’s reps might head to court if such drastic measures are taken.
Finke speculates that the goal might be to keep O’Brien off the air for at least six months until Leno is back in place in his old slot, where, it should be remembered, he was the ratings leader.
To that possible end, TMZ.com reported that Jay Leno has signed a new contract with NBC to have a one-hour show from 11:35 a.m. to 12:35 a.m. Leno required a new contract because his current one stated that his show would run at 10 p.m.
NBC also announced its post-Olympics schedule with the shows that will fill the 10 p.m. slot vacated by Leno. It will include Law & Order (Monday) and L&O: SVU (on Wednesday), Parenthood (Tuesday), the Jerry Seinfeld-produced Marriage Ref (Thursday) and Dateline (Friday).
Despite all the bitterness, the feud has been good for late-night ratings as people stay up to watch the fireworks. At this point, O’Brien seems to be benefiting the most from the bump, with initial numbers for Tuesday night’s episode jumping a dramatic 40 per cent from Monday night’s broadcast and staying strong on Wednesday night.
As well, while it is up to NBC to decide what it’s going to do, public sentiment - at least on the Internet - is with O’Brien.
The “I’m with Coco” campaign was started by L.A.-based designer Mike Mitchell and features a poster that Entertainment Weekly has likened in its online ubiquity to Shepard Fairey’s famous Barak Obama “Hope” portrait.
A corresponding O’Brien Facebook support group was at just over 100,000 fans as of Thursday afternoon. As well, there are plans for a protest rally in front of NBC studios in Burbank on Friday.
The dispute has been fuel for the the other late night hosts, who have come out squarely in support of O’Brien, except for Jimmy Fallon, who has declared his neutrality.
On Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel did his entire show dressed as Leno and plenty of pot shots are coming from other hosts, including CBS rival David Letterman, who has repeatedly made reference to “Jay ‘Big Jaw’ Leno.” Leno has been painted as an entitled establishment performer who has failed at his latest gig and now wants to take back his old gig, no matter what the cost.
Last night, the on-air battle between Leno and O’Brien got more personal. In his opening monologue, Leno said, “Welcome to NBC, America’s most dysfunctional family,” and joked about O’Brien’s statement, saying “Conan said NBC had only given him seven months to make his show work. When I heard that - seven months, how did he get that deal? We only got four!”
He also addressed Kimmel’s imitation and has now scheduled Kimmel to appear via satellite on Friday’s episode as part of his Ten@10 interview segment.
As for O’Brien, he addressed his supporters, collectively known as Team Conan, and had a message for the youth watching saying: “Hosting The Tonight Show has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me and I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too.”
The network executives at NBC have been the ones truly taking it on the chin, though, with all of the late night hosts taking pot shots at the management that created this programming disaster. It’s a mess in which everybody is unhappy with their show’s ratings and where hosts are having a field day skewering their bosses, which until now has always been one of Letterman’s favourite shticks.
Classic 'ROBIN HOOD' Movie Poster
This is going to look so good on my Wall of Robin Hoods About To Shoot Someone Next to Me with an Arrow:
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