1-20 of 111 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
28 October 2009 6:30 AM, PDT | HeyUGuys.co.uk | See recent HeyUGuys news »
The latest movie sent over for us to review on our iPod Touch so kindly given to us by NBC Universal is Coraline. I have to admit to not knowing too much about this movie before I watched it. I’d heard something about buttons for eyes and that it was a bit twisted but other than that I was pretty clueless.
The movie stars Dakota Fanning as Coraline, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Ian McShane, Keith David and is directed by Henry Selick who previously brought us A Nightmare Before Christmas. Once you see Coraline, that will make perfect sense. I think that I had the misconception that this was a kids movie but now that I’ve seen it, it’s so much more than that and will definitely appeal both to adults and children. That said, it’s quite a freaky film with a few bits that made me, »
- David Sztypuljak
23 October 2009 11:17 AM, PDT | SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news »
Cold Souls Directed by Sophie Barthes Charlie Kaufman's attorneys must be pleased. The first phrase one grasps at to describe Sophie Barthes debut feature, Cold Souls, is 'Kaufmanesque': a metaphysical comedy with an absurd, fantastical central proposition, be it a machine that erases memories of a failed love affair or a puppet master accessing the consciousness of a well respected character actor. In Cold Souls, the story is no less outlandish, concerning, as it does, a medical procedure that surgically extracts and stores people's souls, an idea inspired by a dream that Barthes had (appropriately enough) featuring her and Woody Allen in a doctor's waiting room only to discover that he had the soul of chickpea. Speaking as someone who finds nothing in life more tedious than other people telling you how crazy and wacky their dreams are, Cold Souls initially sounded like a potentially horrific experience, and while »
- Ricky
22 October 2009 4:02 PM, PDT | Atomic Popcorn | See recent Atomic Popcorn news »
A unique Sundance Channel interview with costume designer Casey Storm — a man who has worked on films including Being John Malkovich, Zodiac and The Onion Movie — has revealed some interesting details regarding Where the Wild Things Are’s design and the process of director Spike Jonze.
Storm pretty much glows about Jonze, as would be expected (”He has an amazing ability to find people whom he admires and then ask them to do something they’ve never done before. He knows who gets his creative vision and will execute it perfectly”). The interesting details are in the specifics of Wild Things’ production:
“The biggest challenge was getting the wolf suit right. It’s tough when you have so much scrutiny on just one suit. How do you interpret a two-dimensional sketch? How do we get the details? We spent two months just taking snaps, playing with fabrics, etc. One of »
- John Cooper
22 October 2009 6:00 AM, PDT | MTV Newsroom | See recent MTV Newsroom news »
If you happen to run into Spike Jonze today, be sure to give him a pat on the back for making a truly stunning film adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are." But you can also wish him a happy birthday, as today he turns 40 years old. The man born Adam Spiegel spent his youth as a Bmx and skateboard enthusiast and got involved with filmmaking when he started filming his friends doing tricks and stunts. His warped visual style, wide-eyed innocence and sense of adventure have served him well, as he has become one of the most talked-about American film directors. 1999's "Being John Malkovich" and 2002's "Adaptation" were both formidable stories told with Jonze's slick mix of absurdist humor and childlike melancholy, but it's the recently-released "Where the Wild Things Are" that solidifies Jonze as a true genius.
Of course, the director has had a long history with MTV. »
- Kyle Anderson
22 October 2009 12:43 AM, PDT | HollywoodNorthReport.com | See recent HollywoodNorthReport.com news »
Behind-the-scenes photos by actress Jennifer "Flashdance" Beals on the set of the Vancouver-lensed TV series The L Word have appeared as part of a photographic journal in the new L Word Final Season 6 DVD set. The Us/Canadian co-production for Showtime television portrayed the lives of a group of women, their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Los Angeles-area city of West Hollywood, California, airing from 2004 to March 2009. The show was created by executive producer Ilene "Barb Wire" Chaiken for producers Steve "Being John Malkovich" Golin and Larry "Barbershop" Kennar. Season 6 cast included Beals as 'Bette Porter', Leisha Hailey as 'Alice Pieszecki' (who went on to star in the spin-off pilot The Farm), Laurel Holloman as 'Tina Kennard', Mia Kirshner as 'Jenny Schecter', Katherine Moennig as 'Shane McCutcheon', Pam Grier as 'Kit Porter', Rachel Shelley as 'Helena Peabody' and Daniela Sea as 'Max Sweeney'. Click the images to enlarge »
19 October 2009 12:22 AM, PDT | Filmofilia | See recent Filmofilia news »
The children’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are” is only nine sentences long. The new, live-action film version is more than 90 minutes long. You might expect that clever director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) and trauma-tested co-writer Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) would pad the story with extraneous detail to captivate modern kids and their parents.
Where the Wild Things Are is about a child’s innocence brushing up against reality’s prickles. As king, Max (solidly played by newcomer Max Records) inherits the wonder of power, bossing around the monsters in fits of rumpus fun. The child-like tyranny of fun is easy, but the party’s sheen wanes, and Max faces the actual responsibilities of leadership. When forced to deal with being a caretaker, mediator, and confidant to his kingdom’s dysfunction, Max is in way over his head. The monsters of his fantasy »
- Allan Ford
18 October 2009 9:25 PM, PDT | CinemaSpy | See recent CinemaSpy news »
With the help of bestselling author and hipster favorite Dave Eggers, director Spike Jonze has turned a nearly wordless picture book into a full-length feature. Where the Wild Things Are brims with creativity, imagination, and the untamed spirit of childhood—all hallmarks of Maurice Sendak’s enduring creation. With its PG-rating and source material, Jonze’s film might seem like standard children’s fare, but there’s a palpable sense of loneliness, sadness, and unpredictability rarely felt in mainstream family films.
Like Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, Where the Wild Things Are boasts an undercurrent of darkness that might surprise children and any unwitting parents unfamiliar with Jonze’s past work in Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. However, despite its sometimes melancholy mood, this adaptation is often buoyant with moments of joy and gleeful abandon.
Max (Max Records) is a terror of a child »
18 October 2009 8:25 PM, PDT | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »
"Where the Wild Things Are" kicked off a wild rumpus at the North American box office by opening atop the chart over the weekend. Winning over adult audiences with 43% of the moviegoers being 18 and older, the Spike Jonze-directed fantasy drama scared up an estimated $32.5 million. The number beat analysts' expectations by about $2 million.
With the impressive bow, "Wild Things" became the second successful adaptation of a children's book in recent weeks following "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". It also marked the best debut for Jonze. The filmmaker's two previous movies, "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation", took in only as much as $22.9 million and $22.5 million respectively during their domestic runs.
"I can't imagine too many people who could do what Spike did," said Dan Fellman, the head of distribution for Warner Bros. said. "He had always felt deeply about the book, and he delivered a movie that evokes those same feelings. »
- AceShowbiz.com
18 October 2009 11:36 AM, PDT | EW - Hollywood Insider.com | See recent EW.com - Hollywood Insider news »
After a long and troubled production, Warner Bros.' Where the Wild Things Are found its supper waiting, and it was hot to the tune of $32.5 million, according to early estimates by Hollywood.com Box Office. The movie was easily the best debut for acclaimed director Spike Jonze, whose two previous films, Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, ended their domestic runs at $22.9 million and $22.5 million, respectively. All eyes will be watching to see how much Wild Things, with its reported $80 million budget, drops next weekend. The film earned a relatively solid "B+" grade from CinemaScore moviegoers, but some families may »
- John Young
18 October 2009 8:23 AM, PDT | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »
*Warning: Contains mild spoilers*
Thought provoking, ambitious, confusing, disturbing. Four words that are very different and yet each one can be applied to screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut. The sheer scale and ambition of his masterpiece is both courageous and truly mind-boggling, however I was left with the distinct feeling that in the pursuit of art, Kaufman has created a film so complex and confusing that it could fail to reach a mainstream audience on any real emotional level.
Pronounced “si-neck-dockee”, Synecdoche New York was always expected to be a strange; some would say “zany” ride. Having written such trips as Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman’s first excursion into the world of film direction had high hopes all-round. While the director succeeds in confounding the audience, he fails to then provide a successful narrative on which the viewer can follow the »
- Craig Sharp
16 October 2009 1:49 PM, PDT | Vanity Fair | See recent Vanity Fair news »
Lance Mountain, Spike Jonze, and Mark Gonzales. Photograph by Fred Benenson. Ten years ago, following the release of the critically acclaimed, quirky comedy Being John Malkovich, New York City's Museum of Modern Art approached the film's director, Spike Jonze, about doing a retrospective at the museum. Shocked, Jonze rejected MoMA’s offer, saying that he had only had one feature film, surely not enough of a career to warrant an exhibition. Now Jonze has given in, and this Sunday, MoMA wraps up its two-week Filmmaker in Focus series “Spike Jonze: The First 80 Years.” (He’s 39). Last night, on the eve of one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Where the Wild Things Are, which Jonze co-wrote and directed, the filmmaker celebrated his retrospective with a screening of skateboarding videos from the 1980s to the present, and a question-and-answer session with skate-industry legends Lance Mountain, Jake Phelps, Greg Hunt, »
16 October 2009 11:22 AM, PDT | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »
Chicago – From the looks of things, you’d think “Where the Wild Things Are” director Spike Jonze is more than just Max Records’ director. You’d think Jonze was his 12-year-old star’s father, too.
Max Records, who briefly appeared in 2008’s “The Brothers Bloom” with Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, sat cuddled up beside Jonze in our interview. Chock full of pride, Jonze kissed Records on his cheek as the boy spoke surprisingly intelligently about his breakout role.
Director Spike Zonze (front) and Max Records on the set of “Where the Wild Things Are”.
Image credit: Sonny Geras
Rating: 4.0/5.0
In the HollywoodChicago.com interview with Jonze (“Adaptation,” “Being John Malkovich”), Records and star Catherine Keener, we discussed the film’s deft ability as one of the best films for how imagination can be used for more than escape. While fantasy films often have kids bouncing off walls and escaping reality, »
- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
16 October 2009 5:30 AM, PDT | E! Online | See recent E! Online news »
Review in a Hurry: Artfully oddball director Spike Jonze brings his aesthetic to the much-loved children's book about a rowdy kid who leaves home to become king of the monsters, only to find it's not easy being in charge. If you ever loved the book as a kid or parent (or both), you will cry. Yes you will. Don't fight it. The Bigger Picture: The director of quirky brain-teasers Being John Malkovich and Adaptation might not initially seem like a perfect fit to adapt a Maurice Sendak book, but his work on Beastie Boys videos and Jackass actually gives him the perfect understanding of a rowdy, 9-year-old sensibility. From the opening credits that appear to have been vandalized by a kid and a crayon, to the emotional... »
16 October 2009 5:30 AM, PDT | E! Online | See recent E! Online - Movies and Television news »
Review in a Hurry: Artfully oddball director Spike Jonze brings his aesthetic to the much-loved children's book about a rowdy kid who leaves home to become king of the monsters, only to find it's not easy being in charge. If you ever loved the book as a kid or parent (or both), you will cry. Yes you will. Don't fight it. The Bigger Picture: The director of quirky brain-teasers Being John Malkovich and Adaptation might not initially seem like a perfect fit to adapt a Maurice Sendak book, but his work on Beastie Boys videos and Jackass actually gives him the perfect understanding of a rowdy, 9-year-old sensibility. From the opening credits that appear to have been vandalized by a kid and a crayon, to the emotional... »
15 October 2009 12:49 AM, PDT | The Movie Fanatic | See recent The Movie Fanatic news »
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Director: Spike Jonze
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Running Time: 101 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village Pictures
Leave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse.
Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection »
- rlpolo04@aol.com (David DiMichele)
15 October 2009 12:49 AM, PDT | The Movie Fanatic | See recent The Movie Fanatic news »
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Director: Spike Jonze
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Running Time: 101 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village Pictures
Leave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse.
Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection »
- rlpolo04@aol.com (David DiMichele)
15 October 2009 12:49 AM, PDT | The Movie Fanatic | See recent The Movie Fanatic news »
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Director: Spike Jonze
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Running Time: 101 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village Pictures
Leave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse.
Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection »
- rlpolo04@aol.com (David DiMichele)
15 October 2009 12:49 AM, PDT | The Movie Fanatic | See recent The Movie Fanatic news »
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Director: Spike Jonze
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Running Time: 101 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village Pictures
Leave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse.
Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection »
- rlpolo04@aol.com (David DiMichele)
15 October 2009 12:49 AM, PDT | The Movie Fanatic | See recent The Movie Fanatic news »
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Director: Spike Jonze
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Running Time: 101 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village Pictures
Leave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse.
Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection »
- rlpolo04@aol.com (David DiMichele)
14 October 2009 1:00 PM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »
Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that 1999 was a definite turning point in cultural history. The music of '99 was truly excellent (the entire year was soundtracked by Tlc's "No Scrubs," Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba," 702's "Where My Girls At?" and Rage Against the Machine's "Guerilla Radio"), television saw the beginning of its new golden age ("The Sopranos," "Futurama," "SpongeBob Squarepants," "Angel," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The West Wing" and "WWF Smackdown! »
- Adam Rosenberg
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