60http://shareddarkness.comThu, 18 Mar 2010 02:24:11 GMTThu, 18 Mar 2010 02:24:11 GMTen bsimon@artnet.netnohttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/17/ign-bleeds.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonNot explicitly film-related, per se, but Joystiq is reporting -- complete with a leaked inter-office memo from IGN president Roy Bahat that describes part of the company's core mission as "serving advertisers looking to reach men" -- that entertainment site IGN is laying off staffers across all its divisions, despite a 40 percent growth in audience over the last year. Bad news for some good people, and good news, unfortunately, for some bad people... or at least undeserving people. ...IrritationsEphemerahttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/17/ign-bleeds.aspx#Comments4128c029-a024-4742-a42c-fc3e30511933Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/11/late-night-shopping-dvd.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonI couldn't sleep a couple nights ago, so I dug up a screener from the gi-normous "pleasure pile" instead of something more pressing, and fired up Late Night Shopping, an entirely enjoyable British import of chatty twentysomething angst from 2001. More after the jump... DVD Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/11/late-night-shopping-dvd.aspx#Commentsbd9313b0-eaec-41bd-805b-83f241900e1bThu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/shes-out-of-my-league.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonYes, it's another hot-chick-with-schlubby-and-or-otherwise-outclassed-guy comedy, but She's Out of My League nearly scrapes the bottom of this already familiar barrel in its quest for laughs. There's an interesting and most likely quietly devastating movie to be made from the basic idea at this film's core — that of an average, working-class guy who's so convinced of his general unworthiness that he subconsciously sabotages the golden romantic opportunity that falls into his lap — but this overly broad exercise in set-piece histrionics surely isn't it. More after the jump...Film Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/shes-out-of-my-league.aspx#Comments120d30e4-cd64-449c-ae1d-be18f4684579Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/salon-on-armond-white-noah-baumbach.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonOver at Salon, Andrew O'Hehir weighs in on the Armond White-Noah Baumbach imbroglio. Inside baseball? You betcha, which O'Hehir freely admits. ...Ephemerahttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/salon-on-armond-white-noah-baumbach.aspx#Comments51bf101b-75b8-4dc0-bc06-e2bae9a0f1f4Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:55:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/perfect-story-huh.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonMuch was made in the summer of 2000 over The Perfect Storm's unexpectedly robust $41 million-plus opening weekend, in which it rode a wave of popular appeal over the grand reveal of that massive, swelling wave effects shot, and trounced Roland Emmerich and Mel Gibson's The Patriot by a considerable margin. (Emmerich in turn dove headlong into masturbatory FX destruction, perhaps never to return again to anything not involving the destruction of humankind, or at the very least a half dozen national landmarks.) But how significant can a film truly be, in terms of lasting appeal, if it's misspelled in a studio Blu-ray/home video sell-thru email, as above? No simple typo, either. That means the graphic design intern flubbed it, and no one else caught it. Quiet volumes. ...Amusementshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/perfect-story-huh.aspx#Commentsb04a0784-e4f8-4499-8923-bec977c52b99Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:10:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/noah-baumbach-returns-armond-whites-dislike-by-proxy.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonGreenberg director Noah Baumbach and critic Armond White do not like each other... partly because the latter suggested in a review that Baumbach's mom should've had an abortion? Sweet Christ I'm glad I'm not involved in shenanigans like this. Writing with vitriolic flair (when deserved) is one thing, but ad hominem attacks of that sort make clear that the critic's chief interest is really himself, which shouldn't be the case. The closest I've come to being the subject of a filmmaker vendetta, to my knowledge, is Troy Duffy, who threatened me over the phone and helped orchestrate a campaign of minor harassment on occasion of the original release of The Boondock Saints. ...AmusementsEphemerahttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/noah-baumbach-returns-armond-whites-dislike-by-proxy.aspx#Comments638b0e5f-2409-40e2-a2c9-419712ce1f24Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:05:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/house-of-fears-dvd.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonThe DVD cover, with a fanged, bulbous-nosed ghoul (evoking either memories of Stephen King's It or perhaps former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, depending on how you passed your time in the 1980s) superimposed over a rickety mansion, doesn't necessarily do wonders for one's expectations regarding low-budget horror flick House of Fears. And the inferred shortcomings come to fruition, don't you know, unfolding almost in lockstep with a familiar trapped-kids-being-tormented-by-their-fears plot that sadly does not feature the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. More after the jump... DVD Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/10/house-of-fears-dvd.aspx#Comments147bc2d7-c56a-4a2b-a506-084457e93033Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/09/zooey-deschanel-hipster-porn-overload.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonI dig the blogosphere, broadly speaking (viva variety), but one thing that's wearying is how the utterly mindless pursuit of traffic ends up reinforcing this herd mentality, wherein a single new photo or trailer or happening MUST BE POSTED, even if there's no particularly pronounced tie-in/connection with said host site, or even any attendant commentary beyond the most titillating, rib-nudging headline. (See above.) So that means there's like 15 or 20 movie, music and entertainment-adjacent sites today with Zooey Deschanel's She & Him hipster porn, a new music video involving hula hoops and dainty skips. (You're welcome, L.A. Weekly -- I picked your link at random.) The overload is such that you sometimes just get the feeling the Internet is the same 5,000 people reading the same 500 sites, circle-jerking to the same rotating menu of 50 topics. When is someone going to deliver a 700-word treatise on the hatwear ...IrritationsMusingshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/09/zooey-deschanel-hipster-porn-overload.aspx#Comments0c700c2c-acb9-4f60-ac3f-2c62629b7450Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/09/todd-mccarthy-axed-by-variety.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonIn what's been deemed a cost-cutting measure, three-decade veteran Todd McCarthy has been axed by Variety, the latest in a series of critic cappings that recall not so much an industry struggling to find its way in the era of New Media, but a mob movie montage of calculated extinguishings. The reaction from the critical community has been fairly harsh, if somewhat predictable, with Kim Voynar and others lashing out at the myopia of Variety's decision, not entirely without reason.Still, can anyone legitimately claim this a surprise? It's shocking merely in the way that the culmination of a grand, unsettling event is shocking -- like a breakaway dunk in a big basketball upset. It's an undisputed fact that arts journalism is a devalued brand, and criticism especially so. So Variety played the short money game, because previous cutbacks haven't worked, and other bold strokes (executive bloodletting, a divestment of office ...EphemeraMusingshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/09/todd-mccarthy-axed-by-variety.aspx#Comments8edacffa-329d-49d0-a5da-dd01fde5de61Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/06/death-in-tehran-dvd.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonFollowing Iran's disputed presidential election this past summer, Neda Soltani was shot and killed on the streets of Tehran -- an awful incident captured on a 90-second cell phone camera video that ripped across the blogosphere over the next 24 hours. In an instant, she became the face of a powerful movement that threatened President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the hard-line theocratic government's hold on power. More after the jump... DVD Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/06/death-in-tehran-dvd.aspx#Commentsa25df067-7bfd-4369-ae8c-7d54f8c7e9d3Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:30:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/06/one-night-stand-trailer.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonA decidedly NSFW trailer for Gorman Bechard's micro-budget indie horror flick One Night Stand, which likely won't be confused with Mike Figgis' film. Good concept, but will it have enough psychological heft to make it truly unnerving? I had deeply held problems with Hard Candy, but at least it also had the benefit of some strong, committed performances, in particular Ellen Page's turn. ...Trailer Watchhttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/06/one-night-stand-trailer.aspx#Commentsbe85c406-33f4-4579-8798-d9151fc6889bSat, 06 Mar 2010 17:15:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/05/eva-mendes-hot-sprawl.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonIt's a happy birthday to Eva Mendes, who turns 36 today, much to the delight of Latina Mole Enthusiasts subscribers. Mendes is at her core innately va-voomish, but has also shown flashes of something deeper in movies like Trust the Man and We Own the Night, and even some goofball charm in stuff like Hitch and Stuck on You. (Let's not talk about Ghost Rider, meanwhile). One senses there could be something meatier and truly substantive out there for her, if she wanted to work for it, though.Oh, and it's Aasif Mandvi's birthday, too. He turns 44, but looks considerably less interesting in a bikini bottom, so there you have it. ...Birthdayshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/05/eva-mendes-hot-sprawl.aspx#Comments1d02e547-41f4-4db2-b134-bd61433661c8Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:10:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/05/mother.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonPart murder mystery, part domestic melodrama, part dark comedy, Mother is also a wholly original treat that confirms writer-director Bong Joon-ho's touch with multiple tonalities, as well as his status as South Korea's preeminent modern auteur. More after the jump...Film Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/05/mother.aspx#Commentsb7d83f17-7b7c-4d28-a406-a6c6db6a5a75Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/04/lafca-jafar-panahi.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association issues a statement in support of recently arrested Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. It's an unfortunate reminder that freedom isn't oxygen -- existing stably and in equal measure around the globe. Well worth checking out The White Balloon and Offside, for those who haven't. ...IrritationsEphemerahttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/04/lafca-jafar-panahi.aspx#Commentsdddfc1aa-0160-482b-9606-4c4806624380Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:30:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/04/brooklyns-finest.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonMovies detailing the lives of corrupt, disinterested and/or tempted New York police officers could and probably should constitute their own subgenre Netflix listing, and that’s where Brooklyn's Finest slots. Those inclined to like this sort of thing -- less discriminating fans of Training Day, We Own the Night and Pride and Glory -- will find enough about it to like; others will likely shrug. More after the jump... Film Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/04/brooklyns-finest.aspx#Commentsd2be9def-22b1-444b-b07a-76ed50e22c47Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:15:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/03/funny-or-die-prez-reunion.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonFunny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell ...PoliticsAmusementshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/03/funny-or-die-prez-reunion.aspx#Comments88a71dbb-b3cc-46bf-9fc4-16ad00d6822aWed, 03 Mar 2010 20:45:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/03/jessica-biel-28.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonIt's a happy birthday to Jessica Biel, who turns 28 today, and perhaps celebrates by squeezing into the same bra-and-panty set that she rocked a couple years back in the trailers for the execrable I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Or maybe she waxes nostalgic about at one time wanting to be Whitney Houston. Then again, maybe she just takes her animals to a dog park, eats some edmame, does some tae bo and cracks walnuts between her ass cheeks, I don't know... ...Birthdayshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/03/jessica-biel-28.aspx#Comments196984b0-721e-423b-a226-d3f62509e630Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:05:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/02/art-of-the-steal.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonIf ever confirmation was needed that the American legal system, as it pertains to non-criminal matters, is basically just a gamed system for moneyed interests to eventually win out, it arrives definitively in the form of The Art of the Steal, Don Argott's absorbing documentary investigation into the decades-long tug-of-war over the late Albert Barnes' $30 billion dollar art collection. More after the jump... Film Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/02/art-of-the-steal.aspx#Comments5224a281-edfe-42d7-befb-0481d0d263a4Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:30:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/01/ninja-dvd.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonAs long as there are strip-mall dojos and martial arts fans who wish to see their kick-fantasy shenanigans acted out on celluloid, there will be movies like Ninja, in which a loose revenge-and-defense plot serves as a framework upon which to hang the opportunity for much balletic foot-to-jaw action. More after the jump... DVD Reviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/03/01/ninja-dvd.aspx#Comments7210e847-8ec8-4d74-b619-6f6cf1ea6e18Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMThttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/02/26/william-hurt.aspx?ref=rssBrent SimonThe acclaim surrounding Jeff Bridges' turn in Crazy Heart — in which everyone seemingly slaps their foreheads in remembrance of how talented the guy is — also recalls William Hurt, another actor with a penchant for blending seamlessly into his surroundings. In The Yellow Handkerchief, Hurt plays a recently paroled convict who, beset with inner conflict about whether to try to reach out to a past love, crosses paths with a young duo (Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne) on a post-Katrina road trip through Louisiana. I caught up with a bearded Hurt in a Beverly Hills hotel suite recently to talk about his career, shrinking IQs and what Sally Field said to him when he won his Oscar. For the Q&A, with New York Magazine's Vulture, click here. ...Interviewshttp://shareddarkness.com/2010/02/26/william-hurt.aspx#Comments5252fd66-3857-4169-8145-de0d59c6415fFri, 26 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT