BENNETT MEDIA

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY FIVE

2011-05-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

CINETEXT -- part sixteen

appleJuice

2011-05-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz :: Part Four Winner

2011-04-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

After roughly six weeks when everyone'd forgotten & no one cared, Bennett Media reader Luke pulled a Jim Garrison/Robert Graysmith & reopened the case & succeeded where many, many have tried unsuccessfully.

But not for lack of trying - everyone, collectively, got all the right answers; just not singularly -- until now. You can view Luke's correct titles in the comments of the quiz. As usual, the winner must must contact us for the prize. Part Five coming soon.

BENNETT MEDIA SNACK BAR

2011-04-17T17:46:00.001-07:00

Film: Amadeus (1984)

Recipe: Chocolate Nipples

1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese, Softened

1 Package of Oreos

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips (variations can be substituted)

1. Grind up Oreos in a food processor or just smash them to small bits in a plastic bag. (the smaller the pieces the easier it stays together)

2. Take the softened cream cheese and knead the cookie bits together with your hands until fully mixed. When all mixed, pop into the freezer for about 30 minutes.

3. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips. Once the chocolate is melted, begin to make small bits of c.c./cookie mix. Dip the balls into the chocolate with a spoon, roll it around, and place on wax paper to harden. When finished, freeze or refrigerate. Serve cold.

Quick ones

2011-04-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

No one points out the surrealism of talking-animal movies.
Tell people you were an extra in Spiderman 3. They'll believe you.
Middle-Earth looks like New Zealand.
Movie theaters sell you a gallon of soda & offer you free refills. Clearly, they're inexplicably trying to find ways for you to miss the movie.
When does the decision come to put outtakes at the end of the movie? Are they in the script?
Aliens are always more advanced, & they always lose. Proof that intelligence is no match for violent aggression.
Remember Tom Hanks?
Whenever people remake a movie, they say it's because they "love the original." Does anyone buy this bullshit?
Deaf people have no aversion to foreign films.
I'm worried for Abe Froman. Why didn't he show? & what of the other two people in his party?
People often claim that they love "bad movies." Me, I hate bad movies. I wish there were less of them.
It would be easier if Spielberg's segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie came at the end so I didn't have to press fast forward every time.
No one talks about French Connection II.
I don't get excited by red band trailers -- I've heard the F-word.
New Zealand looks like Middle-Earth.
What exactly is the selling point of "From the Studio that brought you...?"
When you go to the movies, take the straw out of your drink & bend it in half so it has a pointy corner. 10 minutes after the movie starts, lean forward & hold it to the throat of the person sitting in front of you (make sure they don't see that it's a straw), & say, "if you turn around, I'll kill you." Then sit back in your seat; try to do it during a comedy, & see if they laugh at all during the movie.
I have no opinion of Molly Ringwald.
In my dreams, I can walk. My legs are strong.
Not to beat a dead horse, but does anyone really love 3-D? A lotta people complain about it, but no one seems to have any general excitement about it.

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

2011-04-16T18:14:00.001-07:00

DON'T FUCK WITH ME

2011-04-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

collage

2011-04-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

"JAWS"

2011-04-12T21:49:00.001-07:00

Easter Eggs

2011-04-12T19:47:00.001-07:00

Tiny Meryl Streep

2011-04-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

Gold Dust Woman

2011-04-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

STATIC SHOTS

2011-04-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Balls of Glass

2011-04-05T22:50:00.001-07:00

collage

2011-04-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Syncopated Style

2011-04-02T10:53:00.001-07:00

A 513

2011-03-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Quick ones

2011-03-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

True Romance is the perfect 16 year-old girl movie
Without the slo-mo, 300 would be 17 minutes long
Robert Zemeckis blew it
I will no longer let My Love Open The Door
Kate Winslet will be naked
Nic Cage is still good - it's the movies that got bad
I don't want to hear your thoughts on Mulholland Drive
If a movie is adapted from a reality show, is it a documentary? If so, does it become prestigious?
The problem may be the Hulk was never that cool of a super hero to begin with
I'm old enough to remember when Se7en had a "v" in the title
Sid Haig should play a police captain
A movie without credits seems really pure
Imagine Michael Caine saying, "Albuquerque will be obliterated."
Elias Koteas is better than your favorite actor
Why don't animals just use their real names in the movie?
555 phone numbers immediately take me out of the movie
Batman & Robin wasn't believable
If you cut the wrong wire on a bomb, it makes the time speed up. How does that happen?
It's impossible to make a cult movie
A photo gallery is a poor special feature

LOST.six

2011-03-24T22:17:00.001-07:00

HEADS :: Timothy Walter Burton

2011-03-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

- b. 1958 Burbank, CA, USA

- Director: 14 feature films (1985-2010)

Jess's favorite: Beetlejuice (1988)

Paul's favorite: Ed Wood (1994)

STATIC SHOTS

2011-03-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY FOUR

2011-03-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

CINETEXT -- part fifteen

School Night

2011-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

performed by Bodega Girls

BENNETT INVENTORY : The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz, Part Four

2011-03-06T16:09:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to all who participated in the previous quiz - you're all winners! (Not in terms of the quiz, but in a Charlie Sheen kinda way). Extra special congrats to Shaun, who truly had enough tiger's blood to get all the answers, thus receiving his Brando bounty.

The winner of this round will gratefully accept a Dick Tracy Giant Sticker-Poster Set from Panini ca. 1990. It's posters. It's stickers. It's early 90s Madonna. You need this.

1. A conflicted boxer must compete with a baseball pitcher for the affection of a woman.

2. An ordinary man is coerced into a wild road trip by a sexy woman, & must avoid the obstacles created by her mother along the way.

3. A woman in trouble learns the true identity of her father.

4. A botanist uses the unfortunate side effect of his freak accident to fend off a large alien in the Arctic.

5. In order for a suburban dad to overcome his midlife crisis, he must find true love in a young woman.

6. A Hollywood actress must protect her son from the man she thought had already been killed by her parents.

7. A drug kingpin is forced to swap identities with the man who killed his son.

8. A film company learns to make a technical leap with the help of a handicapped, long-lost relative.

9. A family being terrorized by an ex convict finds refuge in Sin City.

10. A space crew travels back in time to protect the planet from aliens... and the youngest is left behind.

collage

2011-03-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : episode 3

2011-02-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : episode 3 - watch more funny videos

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY THREE

2011-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

COOL RANCH 2.23.11

7Roulette - IMAGES

2011-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

I've always been drawn to art that explores the fragility of the human psyche. Especially the kind that begs you to look at yourself in the mirror & wonder what you're capable of if pushed to extremes. No one pushes you further than your own self. Robert Altman confronts us with mental illness in his film Images - a masterful psychological thriller about an intelligent woman who's painfully self-aware as she's coming apart. Altman uses cutaways & editing to envelope you into her delusions. Generally, Altman's style doesn't work. It's chaotic & heavy-handed. But disorganization works well in serving a story about a schitzo. John Williams's score coupled with usual sound design by Stomu Yamashta assist in painting her nightmare. Being someone that fears mental illness, this film touches a nerve with me. True horror at its best. A+

- Jess

Throughout his entire career, Altman had a nose for great stories & an ear for great sound design. But what I've always felt is that he didn't have a great eye for images (no pun), which is a grave misfortune for a moviemaker. I've felt this so much so, that I'd often wished that his films - my favorites of his in particular - had been made by someone else. Images helped me to realize - perhaps something I'd known all along - that my feelings were not entirely correct. He does, in fact, have a eye for startling static compositions; it's simply, maybe even solely, when the camera (or, more accurately in his case, the lens) is in motion that I tune out. Often noted & even praised for his aimless pans & loose zooms, I find those moments to be the blank bits of wall between paintings in a museum. Also noted & praised for attempting to tackle every possible genre (maybe even inventing some new ones along the way), I've always found he approached each one in exactly the same way, with the same aesthetic. All of that being said, Images is part of the small handful out of his thirty-plus years of work where his voyeuristic peeking & rigid directing-of-the-eye serves the story, rather than takes away from it. It's a Hitchy psychological thriller dealing with disorientation & personality crisis in the visual form of autoscopy; being removed from oneself. I'm glad Altman directed it. B

- Paul

THE EVIL DEAD - A review

2011-02-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Take5 : 003

2011-02-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

7Roulette - THE PARALLAX VIEW

2011-02-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

No 1970s movie marathon is complete without the political thriller. Or without Warren Beatty. Thanks to Alan Pakula for condensing these for us. The Parallax View is everything you would expect it to be. This is usually considered a positive statement in reviews, especially amongst modern film critics, but it's just nicer way of saying formulaic. If you're going to tackle a tired genre, show your audience something they've never seen before. Take risks. A few edgy dolly shots is not going to hold my interest any more than a dog taking a shit with its leg lifted. A mild forgotten amusement. Part of our job as artists is to be constantly challenging ourselves to move outside the box. This does not. B-

- Jess

One of the countlessly fascinating things about film in the 1970s was that, while the indies were taking over, mainstream Hollywood 'fluff' emerged in its own rebirth & managed to buoy as sharp entertainment. & the two genres that seemed to dominate were the disaster movie & the political thriller. (As an interesting side note, the 1990s would mirror this entire scenario exactly). The reason these otherwise mundane genres were able to sustain this sharpness is attributed to what seemed to be a unanimous technical craft. The Parallax View is incredibly straightforward as a movie-movie. It's rigidly simplistic (as opposed to refreshingly simple) in all aspects except the visual end - which is 97% of any movie. Pakula treats this particular piece of 'fluff' like a lead weight & creates a visual tension with wide angles, long lenses, & angular compositions in a world of flat, boxy architecture. He exhilarates when & where the movie itself does not. B-

- Paul

7Roulette - A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

2011-02-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

We need a dick statue. Actually, we would happily accept any of the art from A Clockwork Orange. Though I think the only way we'll be seeing that around is if I paper mache it or we win the lotto. I've always been very drawn to sexually confrontational art. Unfortunately, art of an erotic or sensual nature is usually very tasteful or comedic, like a Tony Scott sex scene. Everything is very blue. Now I'm digressing. The first time I saw this film I think I came in my pants. Forgive my lack of sophistication, but to describe this film as a 'powerhouse of american cinema' seems like a lackluster understatement. With each viewing, which I separate by several years at a time, I sit very close to the TV, turn off all of the lights, & absorb one of the greatest works of art ever created. & as always, drool over the art within the art. Art within art, how very existential of you, Stanley. A+

- Jess

There are some movies that, while you're watching them, or immediately after you've watched them & it's still fresh in your mind, seem to dwarf & belittle all other cinema. Then there are some movies - very few - that actually seem to trivialize everything else in life. A Clockwork Orange does this for me.

While it's not my favorite film, it is my favorite film by my favorite filmmaker. All other Kubrick films feel like heavy, deliberately-paced symphonies to me, while Clockwork is a shameless, synth-pop song - it's a loud, abrasive comedy, even more so than Strangelove. One of my favorite things about Kubrick (& that's a long-ass list) is his sense of humor - which was always predominantly satirical. This, among a countless number of other things, is the best example of that. A+

- Paul

7Roulette - PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

2011-02-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Woody Allen lies near the top of a very short list of my all-time favorite screenwriters. The writer part of Woody is a true soulmate, but he's always been a little flat as a director. Having Herbert Ross direct the film version of his play, Play It Again, Sam, robbed me of my standard bitter staginess after taste. The film was a beautiful reconnection with an old love & gave me just what I need -- a good conversation complete with belly laugh. So rarely do I see romances about intelligent people falling in love. It's usually Jennifer Aniston & some younger faggot in search of her adopted dead pet with Jonah Hill as the priest. & it's this garbage that breeders wanna see to reaffirm their own shallow lifeless relationships. I'm grateful to Woody Allen for always succeeding in articulating the excitement & complications of true love with such eloquence. Hundred list worthy. A+

- Jess

To be funny with the camera is a tricky thing. Comedy generally lies in the writing & the performances, but to "direct funny" seems like an abstract thing. Though, once upon a time, Woody was able to do that to some degree - actually using the frame to tell jokes beyond the physicality & the dialogue. But, alas, his strengths never really lied in his directing abilities (with the exception of Interiors), so we'll just say it's "okay" that my favorite Woody movie is Play it Again, Sam, even though the title of director goes to Herbert Ross.

The film is based upon Woody's play of the same name. So, for a guy who's made a film nearly every year for nearly forty years, one gets the sense of nurture with this film; he spent more time with this story & this character than any of the stories or characters that followed. & while most may argue that all those stories & characters are pretty similar to one another, I personally draw a straight line from this movie to Annie Hall - the one most consider to be his masterpiece. I've always found Annie Hall to be Play it Again-Lite - the slightly intellectualized version. Not that it's nearly as silly as Bananas or Love & Death -- for me, Play it Again has always been the perfect balance - right where he needed to be. A+

- Paul

7Roulette - STRAIGHT TIME

2011-02-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Character studies are generally boring when you're struck with a one-dimensional loser for two hours. It's even more tedious when the secondary & almost always more interesting character is only given the laundry to do. Granted, I could watch Theresa Russell do laundry for hours, but I'm sure that woman can do much more with her hands. Straight Time does have a few things going for it, one of those being Dustin Hoffman, who in my opinion is one of film's greatest chameleons. Hoffman succeeds in making it tolerable to watch the natural progression & decline of your run-of-the-mill criminal. This results in a refreshing & somewhat atypical conclusion. Take the stupid watch & come home to me, baby. C+

- Jess

The life & world of the thief is often glamorized - & by "often," I mean nearly always. & by "glamorized," I speak in terms of the dimmed glitz & excitement of the lifestyle, and/or the filmmaking style (usually one or the other, sometimes both). Straight Time paints a very stoic, believable picture of disorganized crime. It's truly relatable in that the characters are 9 to 5ers who simply want or need some extra money, & that they don't need to be an expert marksman, computer hacker, or trained ninja to go out & get it. They just need guts & a decent gun.

Ask me one day who my favorite actor is & there's usually a good chance 'll say Dustin Hoffman - a performer whose intensity could leave the likes of James Cagney & Daniel Day Lewis slapping their own respective faces in awe. Straight Time allows Dustin to direct that stern seriousness into a bit of a baddie - he's a tough guy - something I think I'd always longed for & never really got. He's done villains & outlandish caricatures, but never really the brooding, desperate loner he gives us in this picture. A-

- Paul

7Roulette - PERFORMANCE

2011-02-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's genuinely painful & perplexing when the most talented artists that are still living seldom work - especially the ones you idolize & find inspiration in. My most beloved filmmakers are the 'jack-of-all-trades' or auteurs. Performance sinks of Nicolas Roeg's sweat & I wanna roll around in it. Watching this film is a spiritual experience in its craft & storytelling delivering a love letter to its time with one of the 1970s greatest iconic symbols in a leading role. From the first scene the film is stroking you with its rich & disorienting editing & photography that never lapses, leading you to one of the greatest climaxes of your life. So grab some tissues & turn up your TV because you're in for an explosion of the senses. A+

- Jess

People like to throw around "dated" like it's a curse word. & maybe it is - maybe art should have no relevance to past, present, or future. Though, I think when people use it, it's born out of an insistence that all things must retain relevance to the present - something I find to be a sickening redundancy.

Something I've always found fascinating are films released upon the turn of a decade, because despite quality, genre, nationality, & any other particulars you can think of, the film, whatever it may be, encapsulates the ten years leading up to it, and the ten years to follow. Performance, released in 1970 (though produced in '68, which does tend to blur the lines a bit further) reaches back & grabs toppings & ingredients from French New Wave & Italian Neorealism, uses the current "relevant" incorporation of rock n' roll & experimental cinematography, & acts as a jumping-off point for the abstract narrative. Past. Present. Future. It's the American gangster picture, filtered through the French gangster picture. Who wouldn't like that? B+

- Paul

7Roulette - VANISHING POINT

2011-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

Though well shot in places, Vanishing Point severely lacks in story structure & character development with each scene more superficial & contrived than its last. You're left with a vague sense of its era rather than being able to observe it as a relic that it most certainly aimed at attempting to be. A film about a personally flaccid & smarmy ex-everything stereotypical whose scenes of righteousness are belabored. A boring addition to the anti-hero epic where the only thing going for it are the breathtaking scenic shots that make me angry to be a New Englander in the middle of winter. What more can you say about a film about some asshole & a car? C-

- Jess

The reason Easy Rider was such an "important film" was that it acted as a smooth segue from the poor & mediocre biker/drag race subgenre into a more artistic abstraction; paving the desert roads for films like Vanishing Point - a picture far less preachy than Easy Rider, & far less plot-heavy than films like Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry & White Lighting. These qualities make it superior in some ways - specifically & primarily in that abstraction; what little exposition there is is told with images, not spoken words, resulting in the hottest car porn I've ever seen, & starring the sexiest porn star there is: the Dodge Challenger. & like any porno, it leads you down this road for so long & so often, any time some 'plot crap' rears its head, you start to tune out. Skimming the milk a bit would have resulted in full-blown eye candy from start to finish. And to reflect the nature of the genre, it almost makes it... B+

- Paul

7Roulette :: February 2011

2011-02-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

In our first installment of the Bennett Media Movie Marathon, 7Roulette, we'll be watching seven films from the all-too-self-important decade of the 1970s. Beginning February 14th, we'll view one movie a night & share our own respective thoughts here on the site.

We invite you to actively join in & watch along with us (if you have the means). Be sure to visit us on Facebook & share your sentiments for the duration.

February 14th Vanishing Point (1971)
February 15th Performance (1970)
February 16th Straight Time (1978)
February 17th Play it Again, Sam (1972)
February 18th A Clockwork Orange (1971)
February 19th The Parallax View (1974)
February 20th Images (1972)

MUST GO FASTER

2011-02-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

Take5 : 002

2011-02-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY TWO

2011-02-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

villains : part three

BENNETT INVENTORY : Did You Know?

2011-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

A 17 year-old piece of gold

Paul Thomas Anderson's first choice for the role of Jack Horner in 1997's Boogie Nights was Warren Beatty. And, ironically, Warren was thrilled with the script & agreed to be in it! That's as far as it went...

Based upon the elements that Beatty found most intriguing & enthused by, Anderson quickly realized that Beatty wanted the role of Dirk Diggler. This, clearly, was problematic.

They're real, and they're spectacular

Speaking of first choices (and prosthetic sex organs), Karen Black had already been cast in the role of Bobbie in Mike Nichols' 1971 film Carnal Knowledge, when Nichols decided the story needed some... enhancing. He turned to makeup artist Dick Smith to potentially construct the most realistic pair of breasts possible for Ms. Black to wear in the film.

Of course, as anyone knows, fake boobs is fake boobs - according to Nichols, they simply didn't "move" correctly. Karen Black was let go as a result, and was replaced by the real thing.

I Know What You Read Last Summer

As a child, screenwriter Dan O'Bannon was a fan of the comic series Weird Science. A fan, so much so, that one issue in particular stayed with him up until adulthood. He once disclosed to fellow filmmaker John Carpenter that he lifted the idea for 1979's Alien from Weird Science #8, "Seeds of Jupiter."

Eerie, Indiana Pop. 16,661

So many great filmmakers have had their TV babies: Mann/Miami Vice, Spielberg/Amazing Stories, Lynch/Twin Peaks. Though there is one oft-overlooked series due to its very short run on NBC from 91 to 92 entitled Eerie, Indiana, with none other than Joe Dante in the role of creative consultant. He also popped up in the title of director on many occasions, & one can spot a few Dante regulars in guest spots, such as Dick Miller & Henry Gibson.

Keepin' it real

The haunting and iconic "stickmen" seen throughout 1999's The Blair Witch Project were not merely an invention of the filmmakers, but rather derives from an actual occult language known as Transitus Fluvii -- which, in Latin, means "passing through the river." This language also appears as the writing on the walls of the house in the film's climax.

You owe me awe

Contractually, David Lynch owed Dino De Laurentiis at least one Dune sequel. Understandably, and fortunately, this was decided against. So, to fulfill the bargain, Dino gave him Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon to adapt into a film. And Lynch accepted - though during the vague, preliminary creative process, Lynch found himself to be considerably disturbed by the subject matter, & didn't want to place himself "in that world."

Michael Mann eventually adapted the novel into Manhunter, & Lynch made Blue Velvet.

No one watches the Watchmen

After the now-standard Gilliam-esque disaster that was The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam decided to finally get himself a real life Hollywood agent, in the hopes of coming across a mildly successful project. The first to catch his eye was an adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen, penned by none other than Batman's Sam Hamm. Nevertheless, Gilliam felt the script didn't match the quality of the source material. After writing his own draft, he ultimately decided that it was all-in-all simply unfilmable.

The next script to be sent his way was a big-screen adaptation of The Addams Family, which Gilliam immediately dismissed as being unfunny & FX driven.

His next Project would eventually be The Fisher King in 1991.

Parking Lot

2011-01-29T23:06:00.001-08:00

STATIC SHOTS

2011-01-28T21:59:00.001-08:00

collage

2011-01-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

TAGLINES

2011-01-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Christopher Nolan

Take5 : 001

2011-01-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : episode 2

2011-01-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : episode 2 - watch more funny videos

TEXTURES

2011-01-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

BENNETT INVENTORY : Did You Know?

2011-01-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

For many of you cinephiles, the answer to this question is, "Yes!" The purpose: maybe there's a nugget you can take with you, so that in those late-night cinema brouhahas, you can unleash your mammoth movie dick & one-up that pretentious a-hole!

...What an a-hole...

Wiley Wiggins can't pitch

While shooting Richard Linklater's 1993 film Dazed and Confused, actor Wiley Wiggins needed to throw the game-winning pitch in what should have been a wide shot. Or even a medium shot. Instead, what we see is a slo-mo closeup, due to Wiggins' inability to throw like a man. After enduring days of ridicule from crew & extras alike, Linklater promised the actor that it would all be rectified in the editing process.

Burton vs. Elfman

It's hard to think of Tim Burton without thinking of Danny Elfman, & certainly vice versa. & one has to wonder, "What would Danny Elfman's score for a bio pic about Ed Wood sound like?" & we'll continue to wonder...

Burton turned to Howard Shore for this one-movie-break from his film score accomplice, due to a plain & simple "fight" that supposedly occurred due to "creative differences" during the development of Nightmare Before Christmas.

Hey, McFly?!

The "Cafe 80s" is one of the most memorable locations in the Back to the Future universe. All the over-the-top nostalgia aside, it also created its own nostalgia - revisiting the diner where it all started, back in good ol' 1955. In Part III, we revisit it yet again, this time as a saloon setting. So, the question remains: in the root of the story - 1985 - what kinda establishment is located in this saloon/diner/nostalgia restaurant?

According to the filmmakers, it's the aerobics studio that we get a very brief glimpse of during the opening of Part I during Marty's skateboard ride to school.

Miss Nude America is on tonight

Probably the most memorable, and best, part of Wes Craven's original A Nightmare on Elm Street is the incomprehensibly gory death of Glen Lantz. After being pulled down into the depths of his bed by the gloved hand, 500 gallons of blood spew forth into his bedroom.

There is a "deleted scene" floating around of an alternate take: Johnny's bloody corpse, slowly (and clumsily) rising out of the bed hole, & collapsing beside it. This take was presumably shot for the TV cut of the film. However, the original intention was to have Glen's skeleton emerge. Or, perhaps "shoot out" as the blood did. Either way, they were ridiculously ineffective in comparison.

Quentin gets help from Sean Penn's brother

In the gospel of The World According to Chris Penn: Penn, himself, wrote the end of Reservoir Dogs. Supposedly, Quentin couldn't get along with famously-eccentric actor Lawrence Tierney, & asked Chris to "make something up" to end the movie. This one's left for you to decide...

The Coens don't like to discuss works in progress

The Coens' 1991 film Barton Fink is a film that embodies the agony & impotence of writer's block; art imitates life. The film was written in the dead-middle of forcing out the screenplay of their Miller's Crossing, & we all benefitted.

Michael Mann does a remake... of Michael Mann

How does Michael Mann bury a project he's embarrassed with? Do it again! In 1989, Mann wrote & directed the made-for-TV film L.A. Takedown, which follows Detective Vincent Hannah as he tracks down a small gang of would-be bank robbers. Obviously, this was a first, underfunded attempt at what would eventually become Heat. Few have seen the film since its release, & it may be a while before you do. To paraphrase the writer/director, "Don't call it 'A Michael Mann Film.'"

Fincher gives credit where credit is due

Anyone with an interest in DVD commentary tracks will know: Andrew Kevin Walker, screenwriter of Fincher's Se7en, did a little polish work on 1999's Fight Club. Unfortunately, 'script polishing' doesn't warrant a credit (we'll never know just how many films Quentin or Mamet actually wrote). So, as a kinda homage, the character names of the three interrogating police officers in Fight Club's third act are: Det. Andrew, Det. Kevin, & Det. Walker.

STATIC SHOTS

2011-01-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

MY AWESOME MIX TAPE #4

ENTERTAINING WILDLY MESMERIZING

2011-01-21T22:22:00.001-08:00

TAGLINES

2011-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Quentin Tarantino

collage

2011-01-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 Premiere

2011-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 Premiere - watch more funny videos

Chow-Down In Chinatown

2011-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

TEXTURES

2011-01-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

BENNETT INVENTORY : That Moment

2011-01-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Antichrist -- Eden

Women are inherently evil. This being a thesis drawn from a character desperately trying to disprove her own mental instability. If the entire gender can be lumped together then she's merely accepting her fate. She's safe in her thoughts and decisions and completely and more than that, she's perfectly sane.

A man and his wife take refuge in the woods after experiencing the loss of their only child. The man, being a therapist, is posed with the challenge of curing his spouse of her grief. But with a man so weak in his understanding of his wife and a wife so tormented by her own guilt, it's like the blind leading the blind and they wind up leading each other straight to their own personal hells.

Lars Von Trier uses images that are naturally nightmarish such as a disemboweled animal to illustrate how cruel mother nature can be, but then gives these disturbing images a surreal quality that paralyzes you with its unpredictability. The man spends the entire film trying to be a step ahead , but remains two steps behind with each revelation coming as a greater trauma than its predecessor.

The human mind does not come apart in one quick move. Hell is experiencing pieces of it breaking off like the arms off of a ceramic figurine with no means to glue it back together. You're left with just a limbless shadow of its former self. The audience bears witness to the woman's irretrievable breakdown in a flashback as she witnesses her child jump out of a window and does nothing to stop him. This standalone scene separates this entire film from every film for the past two years giving it preeminence above the rest.

The woman ultimately proves that people are inherently insane. It's our responsibility to never cross that line and disappear. Most of the time, you can never come back. And in the case of this man and this woman, they're only peace is found in violence and cruelty.

-Jess

STATIC SHOTS

2011-01-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

2010: What, me worry?

2011-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

"The movie really heightens the lack of interest in the film."

- Crow T. Robot

In 2001, I walked into Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring with complete indifference. I'd always been aware of the books & was kinda fascinated with wizards & dragons & things of that nature when I was a child. That's as far as it went, though that little bit put images inside my head of what these things should look like.

This was still very early in the decade, & more than this distant interest in fantasy, I was still conditioned to go & pay money to see the next big Hollywood 'event.' I cherish my opening night memories of Secret of the Ooze, Back to the Future II, Batman Returns, Jurassic Park, & even Independence Day & Phantom Menace. Something that could be huge & inspire & dazzle me with movie magic, and to be able to share that with the people in that theater & potentially all over the world -- I needed to participate, & I thought maybe this movie would be that. I was half right.

Regarding the film itself, I remember very little - nearly nothing. However, the one thing I do remember - perhaps the only thing I remember, & always will - was a scene involving the principal characters battling some giant creature inside a cave. I remember this because, that was the moment - the moment that, when I look back on it now, I'm able to pinpoint when I was forcefully cast into my own personal Twilight Zone. I was immediately struck by the hokeyness, amplified by the amateur craftsmanship - so much in a way that I may have laughed out loud, or, LOLed. & it was at the moment I thought, "Well, this film & the two that follow it will be laughed into oblivion, or they'll acquire some small, strong cult following in the vein of films like Battlefield Earth.

So, my ultimate gripe was & is: in a film driven solely by FX (because it certainly wasn't acting, cinematography, or any of that other film crap), shouldn't said FX be tip-top? Like nothing you've ever seen? & certainly like nothing you've ever seen in a SciFi Original Movie? Independence Day stunk but the CGI was believably dimensional & exhilarating. & that was '96! Point is, the backpeddling of artistry in LOTR has echoed throughout these past 10 years into a painfully misguided direction. The reason it's "painfully" misguided is: at its core, film is headed in the right direction - a largely visual direction. Mildly familiar stories & strong acting performances are becoming outmoded as a substitute to what we see on the screen. I always laugh when I hear or read people criticize the "plot" of Avatar. I didn't see the film, but I can guess that all that money wasn't spent on "plot" - neither from the pockets of the filmmakers or the filmgoers. Nor should it! Bob Harris, my college film professor once said, "There are great stories in books. There is great acting on the stage. Film is about light & movement." Personally, I would add, to a lesser extent, color & sound. Though, mainstream film hasn't really been about that for over 100 years - not until the aforementioned "misguided" present. Expert craft & technique became After Effects & ILM. Light & movement became 3D & IMAX. Art became McDonald's, & McDonald's became Starbucks. Even Pop Art simply became Pop. Now, I like Pop; I like it as a snack. But when there's nothing on the menu but snacks, I'll eventually become fat & stupid. And in that state, yeah, a film like Inception will probably blow my mind.

Right now is the time when technology is playing the singular role of magnifying the ass-backwardness of the whole debacle - especially in our own homes. At our fingertips are Blu-Ray Hi Def Plasma THX Dolby Surround Sound Theater-Quality devices "giving you the best picture & sound like never before!" So we can watch Anchorman. Meanwhile, somebody's watching Close Encounters on their phone. Or a .wmv of True Grit with Korean subtitles they downloaded from Limewire. The home viewing experience has killed the theater-going experience; noisy audience members have been a problem since the introduction of talkies, but nowadays, Todd & Tucker can't tell the difference between a public setting & their own living room. & how could they? The movie is as big & loud as it is at home, they got their free-refill energy drink, their phone nearby, & a shitload of TV commercials peeing on their face.
/Film.com posted a telling article some time ago weighing the pros & cons of video rental-by-mail & various instant, on-demand methods of movie viewing. For those of you unfamiliar with /Film, it's a meticulously up-to-date news feed on the status of Spiderman, The Hobbit, & James Franco. That's not saying anything against /Film necessarily - the site has been very kind to Bennett Media over the years - David Chen in particular, who also happened to write the article mentioned. In it, Craig Kornblau from Universal is quoted saying, "We want to advantage methods that are more profitable... We don't have an obligation to give consumers what they want when they want it." Strong words from a guy selling live action comic book adaptations for a living. And, on a personal note, I'd like to point out that Chen goes on to say, "I'm actually somewhat sympathetic to this viewpoint. It might be best for the consumer to be able to purchase a digital copy of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen the day it comes out in theaters, but if that eliminates a huge revenue stream for the studios, it means they might not have as much money to make the next Transformers film." I can't be certain if he's speaking strictly objectively - but what I do know is: I drink alcohol solely for the purpose of keeping warm in my apartment during the winter months - much like your average hobo. The least of my concerns are whether or not studio execs have enough money to make Transformers movies.

I still optimistically consider film to be art, & with that same optimism, I believe, perhaps, we're due for a Renaissance - in the comparative sense - when people start asking, "How many more paintings of Jesus do we really need?"

There was a time when we members of Bennett Media would respectively see everything that was in the theater. And, speaking for myself, when Oscar nominations were announced & I hadn't seen all 5 films nominated in the Best Picture category, I would go to extreme lengths to make sure I did prior to the telecast. Coincidentally, the first year I decided to ignore this personal agenda was in 2003, when I skipped the film that actually took home the Award. (To this day I haven't seen Return of the King). And so, over the years, interest dwindled & tastes became more sharply defined. And more so, we welcome you to the first (and perhaps only) Bennett Media's Top 10 Films of the Year. Of course, that's a little unfair because we only saw 10 films released in 2010. So, it's hardly a "Top" list. How about, "Shit we saw."

-Paul

1. Shutter Island - If this man had made this film 15 years ago, it woulda been Cape Fear. But alas, it was made in the modern age. & so, it suffers from heavy-handed animation & forced color timing. Tech stuff aside for a moment, it has an ending we've seen 50 times in the past 60 years, which certainly hurts the supposed ambiguity throughout - faithful to the book or not.

Scorsese has his built-in audience - there's no need to reduce to crap to try to "appeal." It's like the Ghostbusters 3 thing -- does anyone want to see a younger cast take over? If you do, you must really hate Ghostbusters.

Its strengths, like any Scorsese movie, are clever camera moves, Thelma's cutting, a strong male lead, and rockin' soundtrack. B/B+

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street - & we thought the original was boring. D

3. Toy Story 3 - Pixar is consistently excellent - in particular, the Toy Story series. A perfect example of strong animation going in the right direction: cartoons. Here's a group of people utilizing the tools available to the furthest reaches of their capability, combined with some of the strongest scripts to come outta mainstream Hollywood. A

4. Predators - An action movie on par with, well, Predator. Action films, like the horror genre & the romantic comedy are dying an aching death, & the closest we generally come to "okay-ish" are with a lotta these "throwbacks" that mostly just point & laugh at what it used to be, in the hopes you'll laugh along with them. But if we want a comedy, we'll go to one - apprehensively. Predators is unapologetically what it is, as well as what they used to be: clever & interesting. A-

5. Inception - A bad movie is a bad movie, & there's no need to think twice on it. No one's gonna get on an apple box & cry about how Season of the Witch was such a disappointment. No, it only really hurts when heartbreak is involved. Chris Nolan should be the next great action director - & he kinda is. There are no real discernable cracks in the directing of anything. In fact, he may put in so much effort on the directing side that it results in his utter laziness as a screenwriter. We were sold on the teaser -- which was merely dazzling Nolan-specific images & moves with a startling Hans Zimmer score; possibly a horror film. If only the film itself could have sustained that sense of mystery and wonder. Instead, it knocks us down almost immediately in the first act, then proceeds to kick us for the remainder.

One blogger has said something along the lines of this: "There are 3 kinds of people. Those who got it & loved it. Those who didn't get it & hated it. And those who claim to get it, but hate it simply because it's so popular." We're proudly part of a 4th group - one that we know for a fact exists. A group who, unfortunately understood the movie only too well, which ultimately ruined it. Watching the movie was like watching The Making Of a cooler movie. Devices like title cards & voice over are often demonized for being "lazy storytelling." But, they're a hell of a lot more elegant & interesting than clumsy expository dialogue - & this film was the clumsiest in recent memory. So clumsy, in fact, that Nolan created an entire character - the Ellen Page character - simply for the purpose of pointing her finger towards this cool shit & asking flat-out, "What's that mean?" Thanks, Ellen. C/C-

6. Machete - Speaking of "throwbacks" that parody great cinema - as opposed to honor it - no one does it as shamelessly or as often as the head of Troublemaker Studios; the Rebel Without a Crew, Robert Rodriguez. The greatest crime is how much talent there is in this movie, & no one's given anything to do - they all just kinda stand around (sometimes literally) waiting for the audience to recognize them. [Kudos to Don Johnson, who did the most with the least amount of material]. Similar to Inception, they should have just released it as a trailer. Oh, wait. C+

7. Piranha 3D - Speaking of "throwbacks" -- oh, fuck it. D+

8. Dinner For Schmucks - Imagine if Plains, Trains, & Automobiles had an arbitrary, Gary Marshall-esque subplot about relationship problems. Wouldn't be quite the same movie. B-

9. The Social Network - Another movie that we left at the theater. It's strange - what can we really say about The Social Network? Virtually nothing; we can't even condemn it. That's the problem. What can you say about white bread? It never changes, there's not much to it, & leaves you wanting a sandwich. B

10. Black Swan - A great filmmaker uses metaphors. A mediocre filmmaker uses similes. Based on Natalie Portman's staggering performance, she didn't need any help from cartoon feathers. For a film trying so hard to be subversive and surreal, it's laughably literal, which, by definition, is incorrect. Aaronofsky loves flesh & skin texture, & this is his first film solely about that - or rather, he uses a story of personal transformation as an excuse to epitomize a physical one. At points throughout the film, he does this with chilling makeup FX. Conversely, further into the film, he swaps out makeup for animation, and miraculously Natalie turns into a Babylon 5 character! Didn't see that coming!

Strip it of its digital FX and shave off a few expository scenes, & you may very well end up with an A+. Instead, B+

-P&J

The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz :: Part Three WINNER

2011-01-09T10:05:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Mr Fist for successfully - and mercilessly - cracking all ten clues for Part Three.

And as usual, we congratulate everyone who guessed &, for the most part, guessed right.

For the correct titles, revert to the comments of the quiz. And as we tell all winners: contact us via email to claim your prize. Thank you all for playing & keep an eye out for Part Four.

Revved Up Like A Deuce

2011-01-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Some of you might be aware that Static Shots bears its own Tumblr page & has for several months. As recently as this morning (1.7.11) Total Film has nominated the site in their category for Best Single Serving Blog for their Total Film Movie Blog Awards 2011. Be a dear & vote here for Static Shots. & if you're a Tumblr user, follow now & reblog often!

polls close January 27th, 2011

BENNETT INVENTORY : The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz, Part Three

2011-01-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! (actually, 'time' is based on indeterminate intermittence). Before we get into it, we'd like to once again congratulate Tom's conquest of Round Two -- & now a proud owner of Topps non-sports nostalgia.

We hope that you confidently attempt to join Tom in child-like bliss & take a crack at Round Three. This time 'round, the winner will receive a Hologram Jor-El from Superman Returns by Mattel. & if you're not into the man of steel, you can pride yourself in owning your own Brando action figure; perhaps you can find some tiny orange peels & reenact the demise of Vito Corleone. Or, get a tub of Country Crock & perform a fat-free version of Last Tango (feel free to share all the details).

The rules are still the same -- in fact, they'll always be the same unless otherwise noted, so don't play dumb - we hate that.

1. A man forced to confess to a crime he didn't commit comes to terms with giving his daughter away on her wedding day.

2. A group of survivors barricade themselves in an abandoned home & fight off a pair of disturbed doctors.

3. A defense attorney uncovers one of the greatest cover-ups in the history of the American government.

4. A conservative family, anxious to meet their daughter's husband-to-be, are shocked when she brings an idiot home as a lark.

5. A rising female boxer must put her career on hold when she is suddenly burdened with the responsibility of raising a child.

6. Struggling to meet a deadline, a tabloid journalist must race to uncover the truth about a con man & his daughter.

7. A family is torn apart by desert-dwelling deformed cannibals, jealousy, & sexual obsession.

8. A couple of neurotic, out-of-work actors exact vengeance on the men who wronged them - one by one.

9. Galactic circus performers come to Earth to participate in a monumental basketball game.

10. A young man gets dangerously in over his head when he takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of a forgotten glam rock star.

TEXTURES

2011-01-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : SPOT #2

2011-01-03T16:01:00.001-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : SPOT #2 - watch more funny videos

collage

2011-01-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

STATIC SHOTS

2010-12-31T16:39:00.000-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : SPOT #1

2010-12-28T19:57:00.001-08:00

WOWMANWOW season 3 : SPOT #1 - watch more funny videos

Saved By The Bell

2010-12-28T19:16:00.001-08:00

HORRORSHOW

2010-12-25T22:02:00.001-08:00

TEXTURES

2010-12-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

- Klopek & poll winner The Ostrich Cowboy

STATIC SHOTS

2010-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY ONE

2010-12-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

CINETEXT -- part fourteen

Happy Festivus

2010-12-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter Two

2010-12-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Leonardo leads

2010-12-17T08:24:00.001-08:00

collage

2010-12-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

TEXTURES

2010-12-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

STATIC SHOTS

2010-12-02T20:23:00.001-08:00

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FIFTY

2010-11-30T21:31:00.001-08:00

But Daddy, it's not very comfortable!

2010-11-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hey misfits! In the constant battle of The War on Christmas, we're prepared to drop the bomb & ask for your input on your favorite Misfit Toy from the Rankin/Bass classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

& oh yeah -- what exactly was wrong with the doll? & why is Santa such a cock?

.eighty

2010-11-26T20:48:00.001-08:00

TEXTURES

2010-11-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

BENNETT INVENTORY : That Moment

2010-11-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

STAR WARS Episode VI : Return of the Jedi -- Death of Vader

I don't wanna get way into talking about the Prequel Trilogy -- if for no better reason than I'm as tired of hearing people bitch about it as you are, let alone write about it myself. But, when discussing this particular scene in this particular movie, it's necessary. It's necessary because, yes, in their heartbreaking inadequacy, they gave even more weight to the already heavy climax of Return of the Jedi - if only a teensy bit.

The death of a villain is a delicate thing, & should be as loud and theatrical as the characters they are; not audibly loud, but echo in the metaphorical sense. It's hard to think of the Wicked Witch or Hans Gruber without getting an image in your mind of their demise. Darth Vader is no exception, & rightly so, arguably being the greatest cinematic villain of all time (certainly top 5 for me). & on the long list of bad-guys-dying, I'd be comfortable placing his at the top of the list.

When I was little, I thought the coolest part of it was that we got to see the different parts of his helmet - or even that his helmet came in parts. Now that I'm older, well, that still is a pretty cool thing. But I'm now better able to appreciate the scene on several other levels. The first being that it's refreshing to see something other than a firey helicopter land on his head, or see him get sucked into some kinda super computer, or any other boring, faux-brutal manner. In fact, other than the out-and-out simplicity of it, there's also an ambiguity in its softness -- was it the force lighting that killed him, or the removal of his mask, or the exhaustion in the finality of bringing balance to the force like he was 'chosen' to do. & in this case, the showiness & theatricality of the villain's death is that very subtlety: he goes out with words. & even more so, it's not any kinda big, eye-rolling soliloquy -- it's written, performed, & directed with scrupulousness; the way a villain's death should be.

After the mechanics of the costume & the overall somber tone, the other great detail is the ultimate reveal -- much greater, to me, than what put him in the suit, or overthrowing the Emperor, or even the "I am your father" thing. Because, after 6 movies, it's the only surprise left: what's become of him under that mask. In addition to acquiring a vaguely European accent in A New Hope & losing a considerable amount of lightsaber skill, the one major difference we have to wait to see is what an aged, burnt Anakin looks like - & it pays off in full.

- Paul

STATIC SHOTS

2010-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

What do these five movies have in common?

BMAs 2010

2010-11-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Be prepared to make a difference! Bodega Girls are up for Electronic Act of the Year in the 2010 Boston Music Awards.

Equally as important: the Bennett Media co-produced event, "Cool Ranch", is nominated for Best DJ/Dance Night.

You yourself can go & vote for it/them/us. Polls close on Nov. 29 at 5pm ET, so spread the word & legs.

collage

2010-11-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

TEXTURES

2010-11-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz :: Part Two WINNER

2010-11-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Bennett Media reader Tom, who, while not the only one to guess every correct title, was the first.

We also extend our praise to all who participated & for sending in a lotta right answers -- despite a gaffe on our part that may have thrown one or two of you (though some of you saw right through it & still managed to prevail).

For Tom's list of correct answers, revert to the comments posted under the contest.

& to Tom, feel free to contact us via the email address provided in our Blogger profile to claim your prize.

Great job to all, & keep an eye out for Part Three.

EXCELLENT! EFFECTS!

2010-11-16T16:30:00.001-08:00

Raiders of the Lost Ark

BENNETT INVENTORY : The Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz, Part Two

2010-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

We're back, ready for round two!

Firstly, we want to congratulate all who participated in part one of the Movie Title Mash-Up Quiz. While no one was able to guess all ten titles, we have just as much admiration for those who took the time & effort to give what were collectively correct answers. & to once again reiterate the rules, we've published everyone's guesses for Part One, along with the correct answers.

For Part Two, the same rules apply. & for the winner (should there be one), we're offering a box of 36 sealed packs of Stadium Club 1992 Batman Returns Trading Cards.

So, let's get this show up & away, shall we?!

1. The spirits of two deceased teenagers make a deal to return to their bodies by exploring the depths of an Icelandic volcano.

2. A crooked cop shows the ropes to a young rookie on how to make a movie amid various setbacks.

3. A young documentary film crew ventures into the jungle to assassinate an army colonel gone mad.

4. A mild-mannered barber finds wealth in oil prospecting.

5. A retired gangster/gambler loses his way as the lines between fantasy & reality become blurred.

6. After the elderly caregiver passes away, the children seek spiritual guidance from an Indian in the wild west.

7. A con artist & his daughter work together to keep peace between humans & aliens.

8. A battered African American woman finds romance in a fictional movie character.

9. Two male musicians disguise themselves as women in this American Air Force parody.

10. While renovating an abandoned mental hospital, a man & a woman engage in a torrid love affair.

HEADS :: Paul Thomas Anderson

2010-11-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

- b. 1970 Los Angeles, CA, USA

- Director: 5 feature films (1996-2007)

Our favorite: Magnolia (1999)

STAR WARS-EPISODE VI :: RETURN OF THE JEDI - A review

2010-11-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

COOL RANCH 11.24.10

2010-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

featuring the FINAL East Coast performance of Bodega Girls for 2010

Bikini Open

2010-11-08T21:24:00.000-08:00

from Crimestopper Home Entertainment

STATIC SHOTS

2010-11-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

camera Amber

2010-11-03T19:42:00.001-07:00

TEXTURES

2010-11-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

I AM THE DEVIL

2010-10-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

BENNETT PLACE : SECTION FORTY NINE

2010-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume World -- Fitchburg, MA