Daily Archives: June 21, 2007

MTV Makes Me Wanna Smoke Crack

Irritations

I know that the MTV Movie Awards are a complete joke, and I hate to play the role of fist-shaking elder, but I was flipping by the channel recently, saw a bit of a rebroadcast of the aforementioned show, and caught a brief snippet that struck me as especially goddamned stupid — Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel accepting an award on behalf of Transformers. The category — the “Best Film Not Yet Seen.” Seriously.

I think there were eight nominees… even Rush Hour 3, a movie I can’t yet bring myself to fathom really existing, was “honored,” for Chrissakes. Why didn’t they just keep the brief clips from the movies and retitle this segment “Four Minutes of Us Fellating Movie Studios While Moving Pictures Unfurl in the Background,” huh? Beck had it right, yo…

Rialto Screens Full Metal Jacket

Screenings

For those in Southern California, capping off a weekend of moviegoing
with a classic cinematic experience just got easier, with the Rialto Theatre‘s announcement of its slate of midnight summer screenings. One of the last remaining single-screen movie palaces in the
Los Angeles area, the beautiful and
historic Rialto is located in the heart of South
Pasadena, and has been operated by Landmark Theatres since 1976. Built in 1925 and sporting a unique blend
of Spanish Baroque and Egyptian stylings, the Rialto was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It has been
featured in many films and commercials, most notably Robert Altman’s The Player.

Screening this Saturday, June 23, will be Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, a brilliant examination of the Vietnam War and the dehumanizing process that turns people into trained killers. Ticket prices are $8.75. For tickets by phone,
call (626) 444-FILM; for regular engagement showtimes and other
information, call (626) 388-2122, or simply click here.

Indie Flick Animals Inks Final Cast

Casting About

Los Angeles-based Anonymous Content and T&C Pictures, a
division of T&C Holdings of Japan, have jointly announced the completion of
casting for the sexy horror flick Animals,
scheduled to begin production later this week in Salt Lake
City, Utah. Penned by Craig Spector (A
Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child) from an original novel co-written
with John Skipp, the film is being helmed by first-time director Doug
Aarniokoski, an assistant/second unit director on numerous projects for Robert
Rodriguez. The finalized cast includes Mark Blucas, Perfect Stranger’s
Nicki Aycox, Eva Amurri,
Andy Comeau and Naveen Andrews, of Lost and Grindhouse.

Described as blurring the line between civilized human and wild animal behavior,
the film follows Jarrett, a blue-collar Joe in a dying factory town, whose life
is given a jolt after meeting (and bedding) the magnetic, beautiful
Nora. As their relationship becomes increasingly intense — and complicated
by Jarrett’s feelings for a local bartender, Jane — an unconventional romantic
triangle ensues amid a spate of uncontrolled violence. I don’t know why, quite, but I really feel like this movie
is calling out for a C. Thomas Howell cameo…