Category Archives: Ephemera

Paul McCartney Pens New Song for Everybody’s Fine

Ephemera, Trailer Watch

Make a note on your Golden Globe song ballot now; Paul McCartney has penned an original tune, “(I Want To) Come Home,” for the upcoming Everybody’s Fine, starring Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. Written and directed by Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine), the film tells the story of a widower who embarks on an impromptu holiday road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children, only to discover that their lives are far from the picture perfect ideals he’s been peddled in their infrequent updates.

Collaborating with composer Dario Marianelli on the orchestrations, McCartney tackled a song the evening he first viewed the film, and crafted an intimate tune that complements the themes of the movie and serves as a final grace note to its moving story, according to a Miramax press release. Reflecting on his reaction to the film, McCartney said, “I could
definitely identify with Robert De Niro’s character because I have
grown-up kids who have their own families.”

The film’s trailer hints at some melancholy, but the font for the title and credits — not to mention the preview’s closing song choice — ultimately convey that this isn’t awards-type fare, but rather peppy, Hallmark-sentiment, minor-chord, emotional string-plucking. No shame in that game… I’m just saying. Miramax Films releases Everybody’s Fine nationwide on December 4.

Definitive Proof of Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day’s Existence

Ephemera, Trailer Watch

Although I typically loathe anything that would give IGN any additional traffic, five minutes from the opening of the sequel to Troy Duffy’s 1999 shoot-’em-up The Boondock Saints is now online, definitively proving its actual existence. More later in the week regarding the movie, which is… something. Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day opens on October 30 in limited release.

 

My Hero Festival Spotlights Stories of Human Uplift

Ephemera, Screenings

For the Extreme Makeover set and other fans of human uplift in general, the world’s best hero-themed movies will be honored next month at the My Hero Short Film Festival. The fifth annual festival takes place November 21 at 7 p.m. at the University of Southern California’s Norris Theater. Finalists include narrative, documentary and animated films, as well as music videos. Among them are:

  • Biblioburro: The Donkey Library, an inspiring film by Valentina Canavesio about a Colombian teacher who brings books to rural communities that have no access to libraries
  • Home Is Where You Find It, a touching film by 16-year-old AIDS orphan Alcides Soares, who received a movie camera from an American television writer and movie director, and who journeys to find a family and make a new life in his native Mozambique, a country ravaged by AIDS
  • Iqra: Read, an eye-opening film by Fauzia Minallah, about the creation of a mural painted by Afghan and Pakistani boys in a settlement in Islamabad, which promotes the education of girls

For more information on the films and the festival in general, click here; to donate money, or otherwise help aid the festival, click here.

Paramount Finds $2 Million in Couch Cushions for Spec Pitch

Ephemera, Musings

So screenwriters Aline Brosh McKenna and Simon Kinberg have sold an untitled pitch to Paramount for a cool $2 million, through a first-look deal with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle, according to Variety. Mum’s the word on the plot, but the two scribes — who met on a production rewrite of the forthcoming Date Night, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey — are seemingly a weird fit, as even Abrams acknowledged. “These two writers couldn’t be more different; the genres they write seem almost diametrically opposed,” he said. “But they came to Bad Robot with a pitch that thrilled us.” So, given their respective filmographies, and the purchase price, it has to be a femme-centric spy thing, right? Probably not an Alias movie, but something in that vein, no? With comedic undertones. If there’s not at least a sizeable genre component, the cash register doesn’t ring for that amount.

Original G.I. Joe Series Gets 17-Disc Deluxe DVD Treatment

Ephemera

Good news G.I. Joe fans. For the first time ever, you can shortly own every episode of the original animated television show that was a pop-culture phenomenon for a generation of kids in the 1980s.

On November 10, the complete series streets in a tricked-out collector’s set, pitting the G.I. Joe team against the venomous COBRA organization, who’s bidding to rule the world. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero‘s limited edition collector’s set, released by Shout! Factory in collaboration with Hasbro, is spread out over 17 discs and loaded with over 36 hours of content. All 95 episodes — some never before available on DVD until now — are complemented with brand new bonus features celebrating G.I. Joe‘s rich history, including a special collectible book, an exclusive 1-GB “Dog Tag” Flash Drive (USB 2.0) with G.I. Joe silent comics, and special Arashikage and Cobra rub-on tattoos. A specially designed deluxe footlocker case stores everything, and even includes a special DVD placeholder for the G.I. Joe original animated movie when it becomes available next year. It’s a bit pricey, at a suggested retail price of just under $180, but now you know to start saving up. And knowing is half the battle, I’ve been told.

Capitalism Hits Los Angeles

Ephemera, Musings

I caught the Los Angeles premiere of Capitalism: A Love Story last night — documentarian Michael Moore‘s latest foray into the heart of American hypocrisy, greed and the thorny political considerations that protect the status quo.

More thoughts on the film will follow, but it will be interesting to see how this movie plays in the rural flat-lands. Will it somewhat tap into something similar to the type of righteous anger that helped propel Fahrenheit 9/11 to a record-smashing $119 million domestic gross, or will aggressive pre-release push-back from invested powers-that-be consign it to something along the lines of the relatively paltry $24 million gross that greeted 2007’s Sicko, Moore’s documentary on the American health care system? One of the interesting things about the movie, to me, is that it seems to stand a good chance of being fundamentally misread by the sort of angry, undereducated masses (“Birthers,” Tea Partiers and the like) who, after eight years of profligate spending, have suddenly embraced fiscal conservatism — or, in more knee-jerk fashion, a freeze on federal spending and action of almost any sort — as their wave-the-flag cause. In Capitalism, Moore underscores income disparity and advocates the infusion of more democratic principles and ideals into the workplace, but folks like Joe the Plumber will stand a good chance of looking at the movie — if they see it at all — seeing in the Wall Street bailouts a massive giveaway, turning red with rage, and then saying, “Yeah, no money for health care! Screw that entitlement!” Ironic, no?

Like I said, more thoughts soon. The event itself, meanwhile, was lovely. Overture Films CEO Chris McGurk, above left, provided a pre-screening introduction; Moore gave brief speeches before and after the film, introducing various crew and the family of Jonas Salk, who were special guests in attendance; and Bill Maher, Olivia Wilde, Larry King and others mingled with the plebians at a deliciously catered post-screening event in the lobby of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building.

File Under “Friends of the Program…”

Ephemera

The estimable Brad Schreiber takes a gander at Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County for the Huffington Post, while over at The 213 Telly Davidson explains circumstances that helped set the scene for The Jay Leno Show. Meanwhile, for East Coasters and those with private jets and/or the means, the award-winning Viral returns for a slate of curtain call performances at the SoHo Playhouse on Sunday, September 20 at 1 p.m.; Thursday, September 24, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, September 26, at 2 and 6 p.m.; for tickets, click here.

Time for President Obama to Invite Crazies to New Jack Swing…

Ephemera, Irritations, Politics

He probably won’t totally go Jeff Gillooly on some of the worst peddlers of fear-mongering and outright lies quite like he should (the office of the presidency seemingly impairs one’s ability to speak bluntly, at least for Democrats), but it’s (past) time for President Obama to get back some of the steely, chill-the-fuck-out confidence of the final leg of his presidential run last fall, and deliver another oratorical haymaker when it comes time for this Wednesday’s address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform. Newsweek‘s Eleanor Clift fairly eloquently asserts the same in a new op-ed piece, the key excerpt being:

“There are some things that only can do, or will do, and Obama should stop trying to appease his critics and take them on instead. The anti-government fervor that propels Republicans began with Ronald Reagan in 1980, when he proclaimed in his Inaugural Address that, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Obama’s election should have signaled the end of three decades of conservative dogma. Instead, he and too many Democrats have been intimidated into mimicking the GOP and accepting watered-down reform on the altar of bipartisanship. It’s time to call the bluff of the cheap-shot artists who demean government. The benefits of federal intervention touch every American — Social Security, Medicare, and fire and police services, which are all descendents of socialism.”

Of course, Obama could break out a brightly colored, merrily illustrated flow chart and none of this would probably register with Craig T. Nelson, who’s asserted that “no one helped [him] out when [he] was on food stamps and welfare,” or the people that have been showing up at Congressional town hall meetings and yelling “Keep your government hands off my Medicare!” at their representatives. These people, after all, are… idiots. Their opposition to reform and/or advocacy of the status quo isn’t rooted in reasoning, but rather tied up in a complicated emotional response to the fact that the United States of America is becoming less white, and more pluralistic.

Wall Street Journal Highlights LACMA Film Program Struggle

Ephemera

The continuing brouhaha over the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s attempt to shutter its film program, since stalled a bit with the donation of $150,000 that will serve as a bridge through next summer, again hits the East Coast, this time in the form of a piece in the Wall Street Journal by David Mermelstein. Again, the online petition in support of the film program can be accessed by clicking here.

A Few Words Regarding the LACMA Popcorn Summit Meeting

Ephemera, Musings

Much more on this soon, but Tuesday’s meeting with LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan shed a bit of light on the state of the museum’s film program moving forward. The most heartening thing from my perspective, and likely for those who have a vested interest in the sort of current classical programming that underscores cinema’s position as a primary art form, was Govan’s unequivocal statement of belief that film was and is an art on par with the other collected and curated works of the museum, and that there was no inter-organizational opposition toward establishing a separate curatorial department for film.

Attending on behalf of the Save Film at LACMA grassroots campaign were site/petition organizers Debra Levine and Doug Cummings (far right), along with, from left, former Los Angeles Film Critics Association president Lael Loewenstein; Oscar-winning costume designer James Acheson; American Cinematheque Director of Publicity and Promotions Margot Gerber; Sony repertory executive Jared Sapolin; Shannon Kelley (kneeling), Head of Public Programs at the UCLA Film & Television Archive; yours truly, current president of LAFCA; DocFilms Programming Chair emeritus Kyle Westphal, and Michael Schlesinger (in sunglasses), a veteran film distribution and repertory programming executive.

For Govan’s perspective, and more on the museum’s announced “CineClub” endeavor, a $50 LACMA membership add-on that would give members priority ticketing and help them support a program they value deeply, click here. There’s also an op-ed in today’s Los Angeles Times which ably sketches out many of the particulars of the situation, but perhaps misstates things when it concludes: “Looking at Govan’s original decision, it’s clear the program wasn’t being canceled because elitists at LACMA don’t take film seriously; the bigger problem was that attendance had fallen by 50 percent. Ultimately, if the program is to succeed, it must attract patrons.” Knowing the numbers, that figure is a bit of an overstatement. And yes, money is key. But this isn’t a fight over patrons; big donor money is what it’s about. Underline that.

Jennifer’s Body Hitches Prospects to Megan Fox’s Body

Ephemera

Jennifer’s Body, penned by Diablo Cody, has already started screening in Los Angeles in advance of its Toronto premiere and September 18 bow, and the advance word from three sources I’ve spoken to pegs it anywhere from the sort of bad that induces shrugs of dispirited disinterest to flat-out, aggressively terrible. Nevertheless, one can expect another surge of interest in star Megan Fox, and certainly a spike in internet searches for these sorts of photos. But will e-sex appeal translate to box office punch, when not paired with marauding robots? Hard to say, though Movieline’s Kyle Buchanan delivers a relative defense of Fox’s skills.

LACMA Nets $150,000 to Stave off Execution of Film Program

Ephemera

Some great news for those interested and invested in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s film program, which was given its death notice roughly a month ago. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Time Warner Cable, in partnership with Ovation TV, have each committed $75,000 to help LACMA extend continuous film programming through next summer. Says museum director Michael Govan in a press release: “In a tight budget year when many programs were reduced, we suspended the weekend film series in order to rebuild its foundations. We’ve been incredibly impressed by the public outcry of support for film at LACMA, and thrilled that just a few weeks later, the first new sponsors have stepped forward. We’re grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Time Warner Cable and Ovation TV for expressing their tangible support for the art of film at LACMA, and we’re very pleased that we can keep film rolling while we build for the future. Our goal is to create a field-leading film department that captures the ever-growing importance of film and moving images in the history of art.”

Spinal Tap Short Film Debuts on iTunes

Amusements, Ephemera

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap, Shorts International and INgrooves have today released Spinal Tap’s new short film, Stonehenge: ‘Tis a Magical Place, exclusively to iTunes. The seven-minute short marks iTunes’ first original film, wherein Spinal
Tap, having put Stonehenge on the map in their legendary song about the
world heritage site, pay their first visit to the monument. As if drawn
by some primal, magnetic force, Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and
Derek Smalls set out on a pilgrimage to this ancient site, the silent
song of these mysterious lithic Sirens inspiring the distinguished
artistes to make a trans-generational house call. Laughs ensue, one presumes.