The Movie Thread

[RGMike]

Just came from seeing the terrific docu The Tillman Story. Powerful stuff.

[RGMike]

"At The Movies" returns from the dead -- on PBS:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/14/DDRG1FC2LG.DTL&type=entertainment

[RGMike]

last nite I saw the docu The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector at the Roxie. Damn, he is one wacky dude.



http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/07/10/the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-phil-spector/

 But seriously, it's pretty terriffic; it's a BBC thing, they interviewed him during the first murder trial (the one that ended in a hung jury) and there are many great old B&W clips of the Crystals, Ronnettes etc. Many of his classic records play during scenes of the trial. A bit surreal, but it works, IMHO. Worth checking out -- should be on DVD soon.  And speaking of, in a couple of weeks the Roxie will be showing the Harry Nilsson docu I mentioned recently. If you're at all a fan of the guy, definitely worth a look.

[Tinka Cat]

last nite I saw the docu The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector at the Roxie. Damn, he is one wacky dude.

http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/07/10/the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-phil-spector/

that was at the Roxie, right?  I thought about seeing that on Monday, but I saw The Two Escobars instead, a doc about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and Colombia soccer player Andres Escobar.  It's great.

http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-two-escobars.html

it will appear on ESPN next month.   Pablo put lots of money into the Colombian national team's development (and fixed many games along the way, but as a financier he kept the good players happy), which culminated in their appearance in the 94 US-hosted World Cup.  We all (might) know that Andres Escobar scored an own-goal in the game against the US, and he was eventually killed back in Colombia when he talked back to some goons who mocked his own-goal.  (Pablo the drug lord was dead himself by then.)  

what a world.

[Tinka Cat]

Like googlie moderne architecture?  then you should try to see this movie:

"INFINITE SPACE - The Architecture of John Lautner "
http://www.infinitespacethemovie.com/

I saw it at the SFPL last night.  John Lautner designed lots of cool futuristic stylin' homes, mostly in Socal.  Remember that scene in Diamonds Are Forever where James fights with Bambi and Thumper in that super-cool house?   He designed that house.

[RGMike]

Like googlie moderne architecture?  then you should try to see this movie:

"INFINITE SPACE - The Architecture of John Lautner "
http://www.infinitespacethemovie.com/

I prefer Taylor Lautner to John Lautner 

[Gazoo]

Ew, no Taylor Lautner.  That pug nose is such a turnoff.  It's like he walked into a wall and it stayed there.

[RGMike]

Ew, no Taylor Lautner.  That pug nose is such a turnoff.  It's like he walked into a wall and it stayed there.

dude, nobody's looking at his nose.

[RGMike]

Sacha Baron Choen *IS* Freddie Mercury!

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/is-this-the-real-life-borat-star-to-play-freddie-mercury-in-queen-movie/

[RGMike]

a too-hot-for-the-gym weekend led me to the movies twice: 

Yesterday, The Town, a very entertaining, absorbing and well-made Boston crime flick. Not as good (or as dark) as Affleck's previous directing job, Gone Baby Gone, but a fine bit of commercial American moviemaking.

Today, Wall Street 2, also quite entertaining, if a bit convoluted. Could be the last time we hear Michael Douglas speak on film, so worth it for that alone, but great supporting cast and terrific use of some David Byrne/Brian Eno songs from their LP of 2 years ago.

[princessofcairo]

Sacha Baron Choen *IS* Freddie Mercury!

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/is-this-the-real-life-borat-star-to-play-freddie-mercury-in-queen-movie/

For some reason this makes me sad.

[RGMike]

Meanwhile, there were displays in the lobby for a 3-D Yogi Bear 'toon opening at Xmas (Justin Timberlake *IS* Boo-Boo. Seriously). But...  Gayest. Tagline. EVAH: "Good Things Come in Bears". Uh, really?

turns out someone else noticed it first:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/05/yogi-bear-given-unintenti_n_672547.html

and if you think that Yogi Bear reboot looks bad, wait until Pepe le Pew -- starring Mike Meyers.  Christ on a cracker!

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/mike_myers_to_voice_pepe_le_pe.html?mid=twitter_vulture&_r=true

[RGMike]

TCM doing a Tony Curtis marathon today -- just watched Sweet Smell of Success, which amazingly I'd never seen. Helluva flick.

[RGMike]

last nite I saw the docu The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector at the Roxie. Damn, he is one wacky dude.



http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/07/10/the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-phil-spector/

 But seriously, it's pretty terriffic; it's a BBC thing, they interviewed him during the first murder trial (the one that ended in a hung jury) and there are many great old B&W clips of the Crystals, Ronnettes etc. Many of his classic records play during scenes of the trial. A bit surreal, but it works, IMHO. Worth checking out -- should be on DVD soon. 

OMFG! Al Pacino *IS* Phil Spector!

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/al-pacino-to-take-on-phil-spector-in-hbo-movie/

[RGMike]

HBO is showing Myra Breckenridge, another infamous film I'd never seen. And it is indeed quite awful. Rex Reed (!), Raquel Welch, very young Farrah Fawcett and Tom Selleck -- oh my stars. And an 80-something Mae West, asking some young stud how tall he is. He says: "6 feet 7 inches". Mae replies: "Well, never mind the six feet, and let's talk about the seven inches." Zing!  Jaw-droppingly bad.

ETA: OMFG, Mae West doing "Hard To Handle" surrounded by dancing black guys in tuxedos!