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The Film Habit #43 - March 30, 2005 It’s been a good week here at Cinema Blend, even if my Miss Congeniality 2 review did linger on the front page a little longer than I’d have liked. That’s alright. Tomorrow night I’m heading out to see Sin City and the real 2005 movie year officially gets started. The dreck we’ve been slogging through for the past few months has been nothing but lame filler. It’ll be nice to give a four star review, something I anticipate happening in the next couple of months. Hard to believe we’re three months in and there’s been nothing warranting more than a 3.5, but there it is.
None of that matters, since from Sin City on forward the year is loaded with potentially great films which, while they may not be Lord of the Rings or Spider-Man ought to make this a pretty great movie year. 2005 sure has taken its sweet time to get going. Whether it’s good or it sucks, I’m glad Sin City is finally here. me to get this party started right. Email me to get this party started quickly. A Certain Point Of View  Movie websites all generally share a certain point of view, and that view is emphatically male. Not just male, but mega-male, nerdy male, geek male. What’s the deal? Where’s the female point of view? Why aren’t there more women writing on the internet? There’s no shortage of talented fairer sex writers working in print journalism, but on the red-headed stepchild that is the internet, it is for the most part an all boys club. The big players are run and written by nothing but bearded alpha males. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting a little bored with it.
If the writer’s applications I get are any judge, there’s certainly no shortage of female talent. In fact, I’d say there’s more. Maybe they’re simply too talented to stay long in the bosom of print journalism’s bitch, and all quickly rocket to the top (In other words anywhere but the internet.). Guys just suck. Since we’re Cinema Blend, I’m trying to stay away from that by simply getting the best blend of people I can, regardless of sex, age, or proclivity for wearing pope hats. Can you write? Got a sense of humor? We want you. As CB’s not-that-prolific news reporter Matt Norris would say, we’re working for a better ratio. me to join my harem. Tom Cruise Loves Me (But not in a gay way, please don’t sue)  I’ve talked a little elsewhere on this site about the War of the Worlds webmaster program, but let me recap. To help promote the upcoming War of the Worlds movie (the big budget one, not the horrid, cheesy Pendragon one), Steven Spielberg is doing something phenomenal… embracing the internet movie community. Granted, more than once I’ve felt a little used, as they trickle out boring photos, or ask for questions from various movie websites only to answer them exclusively on Yahoo (shunning everyone else). But still, it’s a novel thing not to be reviled and hated by someone making an actual big Hollywood picture.
Last night I experienced the most surreal part of their master marketing program, a somewhat cheesy video from Tom Cruise and Steve Spielberg, sent specifically to folks running movie websites, thanking all the webmasters out there talking about their film. “Thank you webmasters for what you’re doing for us!” Cruise said, and my head began to spin. Not because the video was particularly effective, or because Tom blinded me wit his teeth (well maybe a little), but because I’m rather used to being kicked and spat upon by folks with Hollywood mojo. We’re the internet! You’re supposed to hate us aren’t you? Besides, Tom Cruise shouldn’t be using words like “webmaster”. It sounds too geeky for him. He’s frickin Maverick. All the kinks haven’t been worked out of the W.O.W. program, but it’s phenomenal to actually see a movie willing to work WITH us instead of against us. Where are the George Lucas lawsuits or the blame game bitch fests where the internet is faulted for the latest Hollywood flop? Maybe Spielberg is actually starting to get it. Print media is dead, embrace the internet movie journalist or get flattened by him. It’s nice to see someone putting forth the effort. It’s not working as well as it could, but thanks guys. We appreciate it. me to share your gay Tom Cruise experiences. The Good Andersons  It’s weird how much the two good Anderson’s careers have mirrored each other. Both P.T. Anderson and Wes Anderson made a splash with critically and fanboy loved films that I just don’t get. I’ll never understand why people like Boogie Nights, and I’ll never get what the heck is so all fire funny about Bottle Rocket. Both followed those movies up with fantastic flicks in Magnolia and Rushmore, but never got the amount of recognition either deserved. Round three for both directors got a little more pub. P.T. Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love nearly got, of all people, an Oscar for Adam Sandler and Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums reminded us all why Gene Hackman is so damn cool. Still, neither movie made a mint.
Unfortunately, that’s where their careers start to diverge. Wes has persevered in exploring the odd and unique. Last year he released The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, another wholly original idea that for the most part, yet again was box office ignored. But it looks like P.T. Anderson has given up on innovative and fresh movie-making ideas. Has low audience interest in spite of massive critical praise finally broken his spirit? I don’t know. But his next movie is a political conspiracy drama that obsesses over oil and long dead presidents. Plenty of opportunity for Michael Moore style preachiness will also no doubt be found. Maybe his take on the Upton Sinclair novel will be more well… novel than the material suggests, but it looks to me like at least one of the good Anderson’s has given up on doing what they do best: originality. In a world where the bad Anderson is allowed to contemplate an AvP 2, ain’t that a punch in the gut? me to justify Upton Sinclair. Letters From Close Enough to the Edge to See the View But Not So Close That There is Danger of Falling Off  Guided by the spirit of the small Asian woman to your left (who I really need to replace with something more snazzy), I answer reader mail. to have your comments to have them read on the… er answered here. Let’s see what you folks have to say this week: Betty: The New York Post is reporting on the latest "sex flap" regarding SpongeBobSquarePants. It seems one of the cartoon's scribes has cast a former porn gang bang queen as his new lead (Jasmin St. Claire, recently from the indie comedy "Communication Breakdown"). Josh: I fail to see how this has any bearing on Sponge Bob. The man is allowed to have a life outside of writing shows for pot smokers. Maybe he’d like to try some sex for a change. Give the guy a break. stardust: the movie MAY isnt new but it is a great movie. i suggest that everyone see it. it is rated R for nudity, language, violoence, and adult content. it has a great plot and great actors, rent it now!!! Josh: And because it is rated R for nudity, lanuage, violence, and adult content that automatically makes it good? You know me too well. Of course you did throw in something about plot and actors, but who cares about that. I’ll put May on my must watch shelf, right behind Miss Congeniality 3 should it ever be made. Till then, it’ll have to wait. Andrejs: In the MC Diaries review, you say: Still, the film starts as a Spanish language buddy movie and ends up as a pamphlet for the evils of democracy. This really is too preposterous to let go. I think maybe you mean evils of "industrial capitalism" or even just "capitalism." But, the preaching is painfully and sentimentally *for* democracy -- i.e. for respecting and giving power to people. Equating capitalism with democracy is routine in US political talk, but in this movie it really doesn't work because the difference is itself what is being shown. I agree that it was all very preachy; but, then, it was the story of a guy who became very preachy -- so preachy that our govt felt obliged to help snuff the sermon out. Josh: The main character is all about communism. I’ve never heard communism equated with democracy, but if you want to do that go right on ahead. Don’t blame me when you’re haunted by the ghost of Lenin. Steve Anderson, The Video Store Guy: If you look carefully at the back of the box for the recent Asylum release, "Death 4 Told," you'll catch a scene in which Tom Savini is cutting a woman's throat. Not much of a scoop by itself, until you actually WATCH "Death 4 Told" and realize that this scene is the last thirty seconds of the fourth story in the film, "The Psychic." They gave away the ending on the back of the box. Josh: This sounds like a really cool little bit of random knowledge, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. Hopefully, some of our readers will, and they’ll enjoy it. Personally, I’d never WATCH something called “Death 4 Told”. Movie titles shouldn’t contain numbers unless they’re sequels. Hey! Do you like writing for mildly successful movie websites with no guarantee that you’ll ever be paid? Are you over 18? You’re in luck. CinemaBlend.com is looking for writers just like you. If you think you can capture the signature Cinema Blend style as a critic and/or BNN reporter send me an with a few samples and we’ll talk. |
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