In advance of the gathering buzz for this fall’s Atonement, Keira Knightley headlines the new campaign for Coco Mademoiselle, a fresh oriental scent created by Chanel master perfumer Jacques Polge in 2001. Starring in the same-named short film/advert, Knightley plays the role of a modern day Coco Chanel — a mysterious and independent woman who takes destiny into her own hands — and in doing so joins a list of iconic faces featured in Chanel fragrance campaigns, including Nicole Kidman, Ali McGraw and Catherine Deneuve.
Knightley and her Atonement director, Joe Wright, and thus a savvy, very smartly timed piece of flirty parallel promotion for a romance that is being described as devastatingly well-made, but still has to overcome certain period piece prejudices. The production was overseen by Chanel Artist Director Jacques Helleu, and it features a soundtrack tune performed by Grammy-winner Joss Stone. “Coco Chanel’s strong personality, bold temperament and charisma were impressive,” states Knightley in a press release on the matter. “There was no one like her in the world… her impact went beyond fashion and transformed society by liberating women in both a real and figurative sense.”
Daily Archives: September 12, 2007
Unholy
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes a cover says everything, and Unholy features one of the worst covers in recent memory. Starring legendary horror queen Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Swamp Thing, Creepshow)
and erstwhile stutterer and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer co-star Nicholas Brendon, Unholy is a story of supernatural
controversy and intrigue, a movie that tries to play up X-Files-type fears of grand conspiracy, spinning a story that spans
decades and continents out of a grab-bag of spooky and villainous elements (Nazis, witches, governmental
cover-up).
Following World War II, a classified
military document recounting the results of a Nazi occult experiment was
uncovered and smuggled into an underground facility in
suicide of her daughter Hope (Siri Baruc).
it upon herself to prove that someone had a hand in her death. Now, with the air-quote
assistance of her stoned, slacker son Lucas (Brendon), Martha throws
herself into unraveling the mystery that surrounds her daughter’s death. The
only person who really seems to care about Martha is her neighbor Charlie
(Merwin Goldsmith), whose ex-wife Gertrude (Susan Willis) peddles a convoluted theory
that occult-loving Nazis may have something to do with Martha’s personal
tragedies.
It turns out that Gertrude isn’t that nuts, as a bizarre cult plot is uncovered — one which involves the aforementioned Nazis, invisibility and other paranormal powers, brainwashing,
time travel and, of course, a federalized cover-up.
Lacking the sort of gore quotient that would satisfy diehard
genre fans, and grinding gears with its stultifying dialogue and inane characterizations, Unholy conforms to the easiest set-up
for dismissal: it’s an unholy mess. The plot is tangled seemingly only for effect’s sake — to make things as muddled and complicated as possible, feeding endless chatter. While in a very general sense it’s nice to see Barbeau (ahh, those Cannonball Run memories…) in a more front-and-center role than most of her recent work has afforded her the opportunity, Unholy isn’t a vehicle that lets her shine.
The film’s DVD, housed in a regular Amray case in turn
stored in the aforementioned cardboard slipcover, comes with an insert listing
chapter stops and a small clutch of bonus features, fronted by an audio commentary
track with writer-director Daryl Goldberg and co-writer-producer Sam Freeman. They good-naturedly share a few production anecdotes and talk about their own love of genre movies, but it’s never a good sign when a film’s makers cop to a bit of narrative confusion. The
movie’s trailer and a gallery of poster and still images is also included. The
film is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfter, with solid Dolby
digital 5.1 and Dolby surround 2.0 audio tracks. A lack of subtitles, though, means
that Unholy can’t translate itself to
other languages. And maybe that’s not a bad thing. To purchase the film via Amazon, click here. D (Movie) C+ (Disc)
Jon Stewart to Host Oscars
According to a report late Tuesday night on the New York Times web site, and picked up by Variety, The Daily Show funnyman Jon Stewart will host the 80th annual Academy Awards on February 24 — his second Oscars gig, and a return to the Kodak Theatre after a year’s absence. Ellen DeGeneres hosted last year’s ceremonies.
UPDATE 9/13: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed Stewart as the gig’s host, quoting him as saying, “I’m thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second
time because, as they say, the third time’s a charm.”
John McTiernan Pulls a Larry Craig
It seems disgraced Idaho Senator Larry “I Am Not Gay” Craig isn’t the only public figure seeking to amend public records. Per The Hollywood Reporter, director John McTiernan has filed court papers
seeking to withdraw his 2006 guilty plea of making false statements to an
FBI agent in the wiretapping investigation into former celebrity sleuth
Anthony Pellicano.
McTiernan (Die Hard) filed the motion Monday in Los Angeles
federal court, the same day he was scheduled to be sentenced in the matter, which has now been rolled over to September 24. McTiernan’s new attorney of three weeks, Milton Grimes, said his client should have never pleaded guilty. “We don’t think, based on our preliminary review, he
committed a crime and violated federal law,” Grimes said.
The most interesting part of all of this? Wait… McTiernan was wiretapping someone over Rollerball? Show of hands — who else remembers that movie actually exists?
Happy Birthday, Emmy Rossum
It’s a happy birthday to Emmy Rossum, who turns 21 today, and probably needs the well wishes.
the bizarre amount of hate out there for Rossum — everything from distorted Photoshop fun to several decently-trafficked forums dedicated to smearing everything from her singing to the way she comes across in interviews. I suppose it’s owing chiefly to her casting/performance in the screen version of The Phantom of the Opera (what’s to parse, really, about Poseidon?), a project about which there are deeply and passionately held opinions. Still, such “high negatives,” in the vernacular of the political arena, certainly don’t bode well for prospects of a sustained popular career. Young women seem particularly to resent Rossum, which is strange, because with Hollywood for the moment back in love with musicals, she should be taking off. Instead, that film career is on hold for the moment, and though I know Broadway is in the mix, peddling an Internet-only, self-described pop album (Inside Out, from Geffen) hardly seems like part of the most routinely prescribed regimen of effective recovery.
So, errr… drink up, Emmy! Legally, now.
George Carlin Unmasked on XM
Good news for those with XM satellite radio, as the company just
announced the launch of Unmasked, a
new original comedy series that will feature one-on-one interviews with some
of the most talked about names in comedy. Stand-up legend George Carlin will be
the inaugural guest when Unmasked
premieres exclusively on “XM Comedy” (XM 150), on Saturday, September 22 at
interview like this, I’m surprised that I learn things about myself and my work
I hadn’t realized before. It always opens my eyes,” said Carlin.
Recorded before a live studio audience in the Performance
Theater at XM’s
studios, Unmasked offers up candid, one-on-one interviews with both
established and emerging comedic talent, for an uncensored look into their
creative process and the lives that shape their comedy. In addition to being
the series premiere, the Carlin interview will also be featured in the upcoming
career retrospective DVD box set George Carlin: All My Stuff.
Spread out over 14 discs and including shows from 1977 to 2005, the collection will
be released September 25 from MPI Home Entertainment.
“We at XM are thrilled that George Carlin, celebrating
his 50th year in comedy, will be the first guest as we launch this new
thought-provoking show that offers an inside look into some of today’s most
compelling comedic minds,” said Eric Logan, executive vice president of
programming for XM. “Since XM became the first to offer the 24-hour
uncensored comedy format anywhere on radio, our comedy programming has grown
from mere concept to include original shows like Unmasked and five dedicated
comedy channels with some of the strongest listenership on the platform.”
future guests scheduled to include Jeff Garlin, Bob Saget, Brian Regan, Carlos
Mencia and others. Additional programming information and encore schedules are
available online by clicking here.