The other day, I heard a couple of notes of Simple Minds' Don't You (Forget About Me). Of course, I immediately remembered the final scene in The Breakfast Club, when Judd Nelson walks away from the school. It was such a perfect match of film and song. It got me thinking, what are some of the best and worst uses of popular music in the movies?
It's Summer Blockbuster season, a time when it's easy (and perfectly understandable) to get completely mesmerized and distracted by the over-VFX'd, over-hyped, and over-budgeted tentpole franchise films.
Don't get me wrong, I lie awake at night in anticipation of The Dark Night Rises, Amazing Spider-Man, and Skyfall (not out until November), but there are a few other flicks flying under the radar amid the ridiculousness of the 3D trailers in theatres now that I'm loosing just as much (if not more) sleep waiting for.
John Huston’s adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Maltese Falcon is one of those Hollywood warhorses about which it is just about impossible to say anything original. So I’ll start with something someone else has said about it which is still of interest. In a retrospective look at the film in 1960, Dwight Macdonald wrote “I think John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon…
This is, of course, putting aside the question of whether the world even needs one sequel (let alone three) to the absolutely dreadful and inexplicably popular sci-fi blockbuster that was little more than “Dances with Wolves” in outer space. But it looks like we’re getting sequels whether we want them or not:
ComingSoon reports:
“Back in May, James Cameron was first quoted as saying that there might be four “Avatar” movies in total. With the first one having earned a record $2.782 billion at theaters worldwide, star Sigourney Weaver is now saying the next three will be filmed at the same time. Here are several quotes from an interview with Showbiz 411:
When “Political Animals” finishes shooting, see if you can follow Weaver’s schedule: she goes right into a new Christopher Durang play for a short run at Lincoln Center. Then she films “Avatar” 2, 3, and 4 with James Cameron. That’s right: they’re making three sequels to the blue 3D phenom all at the same time. Weaver says she has no idea how long it will take, or how it’s going to work. “I just show up,” she said.”
Read the full story here.
And the hype rises just another notch in the run-up to the July 20 release. This one ought to get the fanboys going nicely.
(h/t HeyUGuys)
I’m not even going to bother telling you who stars in the movie or who directs it. At this point, if you don’t know, then you are the last person on Earth to be unaffected by the hype-machine for this movie.
The writer/director famed for his “Madea” comedies, changes things up a bit, taking the lead role in author James Patterson’s series of books. Matthew Fox (“Lost“) also stars.
And the trailer:
(h/t HeyUGuys)
British actor Andrew Garfield has said that making the latest Spider-Man movie left him feeling disillusioned. The 28-year-old plays the superhero in the new film The Amazing Spider-Man.
Speaking to the Radio Times he said that during filming he dreamt of returning to "simpler times" of "struggling...auditioning and getting turned down (and) wondering if I'm ever going to get another job".
As is its custom, Brit film mag Empire comes up with yet another list of the greatest somethings-or-other ever. This time, it’s the 50 Greatest Film Comedies. This one was voted by the readers — so you know who to blame if you disagree.
The Zucker Brothers’ 1980 classic “Airplane” takes top honors — and I can’t say I disagree. Coming in at Nos. 2-5 are “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (which I’ll dispute mightily); “The Big Lebowski“; “The Life of Brian” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
The marketing blitz leading up to the July 20 release of “The Dark Knight Rises” continues unabated with this new billboard, which appeared over the weekend at the corner of Sunset and LaBrea in Hollywood.
Regardez:
(h/t HeyUGuys)
Good Monday Morning, Everyone.
A pair of animated features took the No. 1 and No.2 spot at the weekend box office. Pixar’s Celtic-themed “Brave” and its spunky princess Merida took the top spot. While the latest installment of the inexhaustible “Madagascar” franchise finished second. Coming in third was my must-see “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”
From Box Office Mojo, here’s the weekend, by the numbers:
| TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | N | Brave | BV | $66,739,000 | - | 4,164 | - | $16,028 | $66,739,000 | $185 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | P/DW | $20,200,000 | -40.7% | 3,920 | -343 | $5,153 | $157,574,000 | $145 | 3 |
| 3 | N | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Fox | $16,500,000 | - | 3,108 | - | $5,309 | $16,500,000 | $69 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Prometheus | Fox | $10,000,000 | -51.7% | 2,862 | -580 | $3,494 | $108,547,000 | $130 | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | Rock of Ages | WB (NL) | $8,000,000 | -44.6% | 3,470 | - | $2,305 | $28,763,000 | $75 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | Snow White and the Huntsman | Uni. | $8,000,000 | -39.7% | 2,919 | -782 | $2,741 | $137,100,000 | $170 | 4 |
| 7 | 4 | That’s My Boy | Sony | $7,900,000 | -41.3% | 3,030 | - | $2,607 | $28,180,000 | $70 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | Marvel’s The Avengers | BV | $7,040,000 | -20.9% | 2,230 | -352 | $3,157 | $598,300,000 | $220 | 8 |
| 9 | 6 | MIB 3 | Sony | $5,600,000 | -44.3% | 2,462 | -673 | $2,275 | $163,339,000 | $225 | 5 |
| 10 | N | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | Focus | $3,836,000 | - | 1,625 | - | $2,361 | $3,836,000 | $10 | 1 |
From The Observer:
With a new 50th anniversary James Bond retrospective set to open at The Barbican in London, The Observer picks its Top 10 Favorite Bond Outfits over the years.
Here’s my favorite — of course, it’s Connery:
Critic Jason Solomon’s View:
“Bond on the links (1964) Bond is a gentleman sportsman and Sean Connery looked the part in Goldfinger, taking on the eponymous villain in a round of golf. Connery sports a magnificent wine-coloured V-neck, with the yellow Slazenger panther logo to the fore, much like a young Seve Ballesteros. I like the light grey long-sleeve polo underneath and the grey straw trilby with white and red striped hat ribbon is, of course, a touch of genius.The golf scene introduced another classic outfit: that worn by Goldfinger’s caddy Oddjob, complete with a deadly hat.
