Welcome to The Morning Read.
I guess we can call this confirmed now? Maybe? CHUD actually first reported on Guy Pearce appearing in Ridley Scott’s upcoming sorta-“Alien”-prequel film “Prometheus,” but there was no official confirmation of any kind. I was reluctant to run a piece here about it because it seemed possible there was some sort of confusion from the original source. After all, Michael Fassbender, who is the same sort of angular leading-man type as Pearce, isn’t exactly a household name yet, and we haven’t seen his look in the film yet. I could see a casual observer making that mistake. The Playlist says they’ve got the story confirmed now, and while it’s not an announcement from the studio, it sounds like Pearce may well show up in what sounds like one of the coolest ensembles in recent blockbuster memory.
Speaking of CHUD, “Andre Dellamorte” is saying goodbye to the site, and his exit is a great example of “classing up the joint.”
And speaking of that cool “Prometheus” ensemble, I am thrilled to see Idris Elba getting all this work lately. I think I just don’t care about the race of characters unless that’s the point of the text, and while I understand that “Thor” is based on Norse mythology, I think the casting of Idris Elba is one of the film’s coolest moves, and his performance more than delivers on what is required of the role. He’s commanding, alien, and nails one of the film’s best jokes with a perfectly-timed line reading. I’m sorry, but if you’re still griping about Elba, you need to look past pre-conceptions to see the actual work. One day, I believe fans will get over the surface issues of skin color and realize that the more inclusive these fantasies are, the more people there are to share them with. To me, that’s one of the major pleasures of fandom.
People seem to be enjoying “Thor” by and large, and I saw it again on Saturday night with my sons. I’ll have a piece about that experience later, but I’ll say that seeing it in the Paramount Theater, on the lot, I didn’t have the same issue as many people who attended the Friday night screening in the same place, when they complained that the film was very dim and that the 3D pretty much muted the film’s visual impact. I think we’re starting to see some serious push-back from audiences who don’t want 3D. It goes well beyond indifference and has become active antagonism at this point. And one of the best examples of that is the fact that you can actually buy 2D glasses now.
If you love Wong Kar Wai and you love reading, and specifically you love reading about Wong Kar Wai, prepare to take a trip to Heaven.
This is a very clear-eyed look at the way this town works, and offers up a compelling reason to support “Bridesmaids” beyond the fact that the film is hysterically funny and sincerely well-crafted. People imitate success. it’s that simple, says the guy who has a script set in Rio about to go out to producing partners.
In the meantime, here’s Mandy Moore with a pickle in her cooter. Enjoy.
This is a great piece about David Fincher that finally focuses on something besides his impressive visual style.
This is for those of you who like watching s get f’ed up.
Intro Video from Barrier1 Systems, Inc. on Vimeo.
I’m installing one of those in my driveway just for kicks.
My wife has never seen “Blow Out,” but she’s a John Travolta fan. I’m excited to be able to show her the film on Blu-ray for the first time, and I agree with this reviewer that the film is above and beyond, an American classic.
I plan to steal each and every one of these for a novel of my own. And I will call it The Best Novel Ever Written, and so will you.
You know, the “you brought this on yourself” argument is not unique to the world of international politics. Personally, I am a big fan of my Playstation 3 and I’ve had nothing but good to say about the experience I’ve had with their online services until now. I think the services and apologies they’re offering to subscribers as they restore service are fine, but a mere band-aid on the larger issues of violated trust that now exist between Playstation Network and its users. And, look, things happen. Look at Amazon’s recent issues. People understand. But when you deal with people’s private data, you have to go above and beyond in your efforts to keep those things safe. Once someone loses that, it’s too late for “sorry.”
These days, tracing a story back to its source can be difficult, and some outlets genuinely don’t even seem to care. That’s why I’m impressed by this new initiative by MSNBC.
There are few fans that entertain me as much as “Star Trek” fans who are irritated by the JJ Abrams continuity, and this short film makes me flat out laugh:
I love that it’s Morgan Spurlock who pointed this story out to me via Twitter. Impressive how completely James Bond has been bought and sold.
Most of the disagreements I’ve had with other people about “Insidious” have focused on the film’s third act. I’m a fan, but I can see why someone else might no be. Me? I think that the third act is what really pushed me to love the movie. It’s all low-tech old-fashioned haunted house stuff, and I think it’s wildly effective.
I had no idea they were even filming this book:
Please be at Fantastic Fest. Please be at Fantastic Fest.
Wait a minute… seriously? No one got fired for this?
You know, I’m thinking a second promo for “Frankenstein’s Army” would be a nice way to kick off the week…
… and of course Twitch Film is there to help.
While we’re taking early peeks at horror films, how about the trailer for the new film by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who will be directing that reboot of “The Crow”?
Part of the reason I’ve been a lifelong fan of horror films is because of the craftsmanship involved in the effects work, something I fell in love with as a kid. I am head over heels for this new regular column over at FSR, and if you love practical make-up effects, I’ll bet you feel the same way.
It’s been too long since I’ve run a link to a Kim Morgan piece here, but this look back at Hedy Lamar’s “Ecstasy” is a perfect example of her greatest strength as a writer, the ability to turn her own private film fascinations into fodder for potent examinations of theme and stardom and our relationship with the imagery we see in these films.
Of course Christopher Hitchens wrote one of the best pieces about Bin Laden so far. Why wouldn’t he?
In the meantime, I like to remember last night’s press conference this way.
And on that note, I’m out, too, but we’ll have some great stuff for you this week, including “Thor” interviews and a Cannes count-down and the first Film Nerd 2.0 for a new release so far. With all of that to do, I should get to it.
The Morning Read appears here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, except when it doesn’t.