Today, the Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston flick Wanderlust premiers in theaters. This film marks Aniston's 13th feature film in the post-Friends era. Believe it or not, Aniston's cinematic career spans all the way back to Leprechaun(1993).
Personally I think most of Aniston's films range from average to pretty terrible, with more films fitting in the latter category. However, this is just my own impression of her work. I have no data to back this up. What's more, in order to make an assertion about the quality of her work I would need a baseline to compare it to (e.g., average quality of all movies released, average quality of films released by former Friends cast members) and depending on the yardstick, Aniston could come out better or worse, so it's not really a question worth asking.
On the other hand, I can evaluate the quality of her body of work over time using data from critic and fan sites to determine if there are any interesting patterns in the data (e.g., trends in quality and box office revenue). That is what I aim to do with this post.
As a movie lover I look forward to February. The Oscars, as silly as they are, give me an opportunity to re-visit my movie going experience from the previous year.
With a few notable exceptions, many of the films that I liked did not get nominated by the academy. That's okay. I know that my tastes aren't as mainstream as most, but just to give these films a little more exposure I made my own top 10 list.
The films represented here weren't necessarily my favorites, but they were among my favorites. Many people haven't seen them (as evidenced by their small box office numbers).
To make it easier on the reader I have also given preference to movies that are already available on DVD and (most) are available on Netflix Streaming for immediate viewing*.
Assuming you didn't just skip all of this and go right to the list, you can do so now.
A recent study (yay for free downloads of scientific papers!) finds that piracy has a larger effect on box office revenues for Hollywood movies shown internationally than for those same movies shown domestically.
The researchers looked at data prior to and post the 2003 of BitTorrent, a popular method for pirating films and other media. They found that the longer the time period between the point where the film becomes available somewhere in the world and the point where it becomes available in the potential-pirate's backyard, the more likely it is to be pirated and lose money. Believe it or not, this is also true for television shows like Britain's Downton Abbey (first released in Britain and then some time later in the U.S.).
Long story short, people get excited about the product (movie or TV show) and will resort to less-than-legal means to get it if the studios take too long to bring it to them legally. Obviously there are still people out there who pirate films even when they are playing in their local cinema, but this study's results suggest that those people probably weren't ponying up the dough prior to BitTorrent anyway.
I love this very thorough quantitative analysis of Hollywood brought to us by a couple of gentleman at the blog Asymco. They address some very interesting Hollywood-related questions including 1.) drama / comedy vs. adventure / fantasy, 2.) the role of summer in movie releases, 3.) what happens to Hollywood startups, and 4.) the peculiar power of theaters in an age of television.
Their results are somewhat surprising. For instance, despite for making up about half of all films made, drama and comedy fall behind other genres when you examine box office results. Specifically, fantasy, action, and adventure account for more "blockbusters." You can see their graph below, and you can see much, much more if you check out the main article.
TopTenz has a list of 10 unknown documentaries that is worth a look. As it happens I had added their #1 documentary, F is for Fake, to my Netflix queue just one day prior to finding this list. Here's their description of the film:
Orson Welles is, of course, one of the most talented filmmakers to ever pick up a camera. Not to mention he’s a consummate liar. So when a self-admitted liar makes a documentary about a dissembling art forger, who himself is being profiled by a man who would later be revealed to be a hoaxster…you have a documentary less about the subject and more about the fakery behind talking about a subject. And it’s every bit as fascinating as you might think.
This is awesome. A collection of movie posters with altered, more honest, titles. For instance, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo becomes "All the Rape, No Subtitles" and The Help becomes "White People Solve Racism." Unfortunately, the main link to the whole collection isn't working currently, but this site has quite a few of them.
It seems that recently we are up to our ears in entertaining women. This summer Bridesmaids made huge waves at the box office. Back in November I commented on an article about the surplus of lady spy shows. This week I've found not one, but two interesting articles on women in entertainment, both from the Atlantic.
The first is on the "Rise of the female action film" inspired by the release of two female-headed action films on the same day: Underworld:Awakening and Haywire.
It's a little bit misleading to say that women starring on Television and in Movies is a recent phenomenon, because it ignores the contributions of women like Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore, and, more recently, Tina Fey. But it is also undeniable that women are starting to get starring roles more often and that they are playing more nuanced roles.
I, for one, say bring on the ladies. The buddy comedy is a tired, pathetic imitation of itself (see The Hangover 2) and the male action flick is even more so (see The Expendables). I'm even more heartened by the recent news that Kristen Wiig is refusing to star in a Bridesmaids sequel. It seems that some women, unlike their male counterparts, know when to leave a good thing alone.
I was all set to create my "Surprises and Snubs" post for the Oscars when I found out that SFGate had already beat me to it with a list that pretty clearly aligns with my thoughts. You can find it here.
I would add a few things:
Shailene Woodley should have received a nomination for best supporting actress because of her excellent work in The Descendants. She stole every scene in the film. Including those that she shared with George Clooney.
Though I haven't seen either film, I am surprised that Tilda Swinton didn't get a nod for her work in We Need to Talk About Kevin and that the film Young Adult received zero nominations as the buzz around that movie suggests to me that it was worthy of some acclaim.
This is a recurring series of posts where I recommend movies to watch on Netflix Streaming. All movies featured in these posts are available on streaming at the time of review, but may not be available indefinitely.
It's awards season. That means that over the next few weeks you are going to hear a awful lot about this year's favored movie: The Artist. The Artist has all the makings of a critical darling: It's a black and white silent film set in the late 1920's about a silent film actor whose career is being threatened by the invention of "Talkies." It's charming, well-made, and you should see it if you can. However, if you are like many people, The Artist is not readily available in your area for viewing.
Though it isn't a perfect substitution for actually seeing The Artist, it is possible to stream a movie by the same director (Michel Hazanavicius) starring the same two lead actors (Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo) in the comfort of your own home. How often does that happen? (Okay, so if you are Tim Burton, it happens a lot).
The film I am referring to is OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. OSS is a foreign (French) spy spoof that manages to be more successful as a satire than its American cousins (Get Smart, Austin Powers, etc.).
The story follows special agent OSS 117 as he investigates the disappearance of his colleague -- with whom he has er, an "interesting" relationship -- in Cairo in 1955. Agent 117 is just like James Bond, except he's dim, arrogant, misogynistic, and prejudiced. It is a testament to Dujardin's skill as an actor that he portrays Agent 117 as a likeable, if not wholly insightful individual. Durjardin's performance in this film is at least as enjoyable as it is in The Artist with the added bonus that in this film he actually speaks.
While in Cairo Agent 117 must work with his missing colleague's former assistant played by the elegant Berenice Bejo. And based on my description of Agent 117 and what you probably know about the James Bond films, I don't think I need to explain how that relationship works out.
The movie is a lot of fun, most of the jokes work, the chemistry between Durjadin and Bejo is infectious, and if you really enjoy it you can immediately watch the sequel -- OSS 117: Lost in Rio -- also streaming on Netflix. What's not to like about that?
It's January. That means we are now entering the winter movie doldrums where all the major studios agree to release the crap that has been sitting around on their shelves all year. So instead of forcing yourself to watch whatever pathetic excuse for a film is debuting tomorrow sit back and enjoy this cut of footage from 250 of the films released last year.
This link also appears on my Meta "best of" page. For more interesting best of lists, you can view that post here.
I don't have cable, but the one thing that I would absolutely pay a premium for is TCM. The channel has been nothing but consistent since its inception in 1994, showing only uncut films without interruption. It ranks right up there with the Criterion Collection as far as film fetishism goes. And the intros to many of the films, presented by a knowledgeable host (usually Robert Osborne) make it seem as if every film is worthy of your attention.
One of the annual traditions the channel has had for many years is a short musical segment called "TCM Remembers" which showcases the list of actors, actresses, writers, directors, producers and other personalities from the film industry who have died in the past year. Its pretty common for people to not know or recognize the names or faces of every single person in the montage but that's OK. I still appreciate that TCM takes the time to acknowledge their contribution to film history. In that way, a part of them lives on forever.
Break out the tissues: this is 2011's edition of TCM Remembers.
Released in 2003 and featuring the intertwining Christmas stories of love-seeking Londoners, Love Actually has become something of a modern holiday classic. Showcasing a vast line-up of Oscar winning and nominated actors, the film revolves around the thesis that "love actually is all around." Though it's debatable whether “love” is the emotion involved in each relationship, there is one storyline which should appall and offend any married or romantically-involved person watching. Not the Alan Rickman on the verge of an affair with his young, hot secretary story; that one is actually rather nicely developed and layered if one forgives the Emma Thompson public confrontation at their children's school. No, I refer to the unrequited love storyline – ah yes I know, there are several. Not the Laura Linney in love with her underwear model co-worker one, which goes wrong when Co-worker tries to play psychologist suggesting solutions for her institutionalized brother on the first date. Nor is it the one with the kid who's got a crush on the other kid, which completely works. Nope, this tale is the one involving a newlywed husband, his wife (Kiera Knightly) and the husband's best friend who hopelessly pines for Knightly.
This won't be the first foreign movie to have been successfully remade in the United States. Here is a list of a few other successful pond-jumping films.
Smarty nation, we want to know. What's on your mind this week? Sound off in the comments.
Stuff on my mind this week:
This week I am going to celebrate the birth of Nostradamus (12/14) by making abstract predictions that will be discovered by internet historians and interpreted as meaningful/clairvoyant in the distant future. I will also be doing as they (used to do) in Rome by celebrating the feast of Saturnalia (12/17).
The week in entertainment looks bleak. No new music looks promising -- though Cee Lo, The Foo Fighters, and Coldplay are releasing new singles -- and the two major movie releases this week are both sequels (The Chipmunks and Sherlock Holmes). In science, I am looking forward to the findings from CERN regarding the Higgs Boson (a.k.a., "The God Particle"), which are supposedly due Tuesday morning. Finally, in current events I am looking to see what will happen to the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) as it is going to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives on the 15th.
Oh sure, George Bailey, you have a nice house, some cute kids and a beautiful wife, but is that what you really wanted? It's not, according to a piece Wendell Jamieson wrote for the New York Times in 2008. You wanted adventure, excitement and education, but no - you had to fight for the common man lest "the Potters of this world" have their way. Not on your watch they won't. And what did it cost you? Just everything you've always wanted, that's all. Meanwhile you're little brother, Harry is running around being a war hero, going to college (on your dime, no less), and taking a job out of town. Aw, who needs this crummy little town anyway? Might just as well jump off a bridge...
It's nearing the end of the year folks and that means plenty of "Best of" lists. We want this to be your one-stop-shop for all your "Best of" needs. I am your "Best of" host and will update this post until the last "Best of" list has been written. Here's what we have so far broken down by topic.
Check out this trailer for the upcoming film Snow White and the Huntsman, then read my take in the section below:
My thoughts:
Yea: Re-imagining a children's tale with more edge and violence. What's not to like? It stars Oscar Winner Charlize Theron as the evil queen, the effects look better than those in recent fantasy epics (I'm looking at you Narnia films), has Chris Hemsworth of Thor fame as the anti-hero/romantic interest "The Huntsman," and some surprisingly great casting with regard to the "Dwarves," all of whom are actors that you might not recognize by name but surely would by face: Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost, Eddie Izzard, Ray Winstone, Eddie Marsan, Stephan Graham, and Toby Jones.
Nay: It's probably going to dodge the R rating in favor of reaching a wider audience. That means the edge and violence will likely be tempered. This is a first film for the director -- whose previous work seems to be limited to commercials. The "star" is Kristen Stewart of Twilight infamy, whose one-size-fits-all acting style is best reserved for angst-y teenager roles not total bad-ass female leads. Finally, the cast isn't as great as it first seems. I'm guessing the dwarves won't see the amount of screen time that their sheer awesomeness (on paper) deserves, Theron hasn't turned in a good performance since 2003, and despite seeming to be born to play dreamy, burly characters, Hemsworth was actually the fourth choice for "the Huntsman" because Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, and Hugh Jackman all turned the role down.
The Verdict: I always want fantasy films to be good. I harbor this hope because I'm worried that if enough fantasy films bomb in a row, producers will abandon making them for 5-10 years. That being said, Iexpect this film to be a huge Nay, like sub-35% on rottentomatoes nay, but if it gets good reviews I'll probably be the first in line for the midnight showing.
Please feel free to agree/disagree/leave predictions in the comments.
I was a high school student the last time that I intentionally watched Saturday Night Live. That being said, I'm disappointed I missed last night's episode with host Jason Segal (and the muppets) and musical guest Florence and the Machine. You can find a "greatest hits" summary here complete with video. My favorite bit was a segment on weekend update where Kermit the Frog and Seth Meyers ranted about Congress's recent re-classification of school lunch pizza as a vegetable:
This, of course, also means that The Muppets will soon be in theaters. I'm unabashedly a fan of their old-school, good-natured humor and I always will be. Certainly better than what poses as puppet entertainment these days.
