[Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we're revisiting some of our most popular features of the year. This post was originally published August 10, 2011.] Earlier this summer, a shocking number of our readers flocked to read (and amend) our list of the harshest author-on-author insults in history. But you know who is even more childish, trifling, vindictive, and nasty than your favorite scribes? Your favorite filmmakers. These directors may not have quite the same precision with the written word as those rancorous authors, but when it comes to pettiness, they can’t be beat. After the jump, we’ll run down 30 of our favorite slights, slanders, and cheap shots from filmmakers both classic and contemporary; we’d love to hear yours in the comments.
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This week, we read about one of Rooney Mara’s first acting gigs, as a guest on Law & Order: SVU. She’s not proud of the moment, calling the role “ridiculous,” which, let’s be honest, it probably was. But there’s not necessarily any shame in that. After all, many great (or at least famous) actors started out doing bit parts in cheesy movies and TV shows, especially in horror flicks, crime procedurals and soap operas. Inspired by Mara, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the most notorious (and unknown) early roles of actors and actresses who have stood the test of time. Obviously, every actor has to start somewhere, so there are an unlimited number of these, but these are our personal favorites — be sure to chime in with your own in the comments! Read More »
There’s been talk about a possible updating of Mary Harron’s American Psycho — based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis — for some time now. Word has arrived that Lionsgate is actually pushing forward with a remake of the twisted classic. The studio has brought on screenwriting unknown Noble Jones to update the story about yuppie psychotic, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), who slaughters his way through the 1980s. The studio will be hard-pressed to find another actor that can fill Bale’s (very expensive) shoes for the now famous role that became the symbol of cultural narcissism, materialism, and greed. Bale’s performance embodies everything Ellis set forth in his novel so perfectly, we think it will be impossible to top. What other iconic movie roles can never be remade? Click through to check out our picks, and leave yours in the comments below. Read More »
Welcome to “Trailer Park,” our regular Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding. We’ve got ten new trailers this week, from biopics to historical epics to documentaries to thrillers; check ‘em out after the jump.
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Woodstock. McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Klute. Dirty Harry. A Clockwork Orange. What’s Up, Doc? The Candidate. Deliverance. Super Fly. Scarecrow. Enter the Dragon. Mean Streets. Badlands. The Exorcist. Blazing Saddles. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Uptown Saturday Night. Night Moves. Dog Day Afternoon. The Man Who Would Be King. All The President’s Men. The Outlaw Josey Wales. The Late Show. Oh God! The Goodbye Girl. Straight Time. Superman. Going In Style. The Great Santini. That astonishing list of 1970s films — iconic, intelligent, commercial yet daring — is much of the legacy of John Calley, who died Tuesday morning at age 81.
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Since the days of Andy Warhol, the art world has openly engaged with the cult of celebrity. It’s not uncommon for an artist to use celebrities’ likenesses in their pieces — Daniel Edwards has made a career out of sculpting public figures like Britney Spears in provocative positions — yet rarely does one see works as lifelike and simple as Carmen Ortiz’s illustrations. A self-taught artist, Ortiz creates pencil portraits that are remarkably detailed and beautifully shaded. With the increasing popularity of digital artwork, her hand-drawn portraits are a refreshing change. Click through to see some of our favorite portraits of actors and musicians, including Thom Yorke and Anne Hathaway. If you’re interested in seeing more of her work or purchasing a print, head over to Ortiz’s website.
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If you’re an artist, you often want to pay tribute to the people and places that have influenced your life, and if you’re a good artist, well, other people might enjoy it too. Alexey Kurbatov is a Russian photographer and illustrator who creates, among other things, lush angular portraits of his favorite celebrities, experimenting with layering techniques in different kinds of media. Since we love art about artists, and since we also love great illustration in general, we obviously think he’s pretty much the bee’s knees. Click through to see some of our favorite portraits, and visit Kurbatov’s website for more.
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1. After Harvey Weinstein personally argued his position at yesterday’s hearing, an MPAA board has unanimously overturned the NC-17 rating on Blue Valentine. The film will be given an R rating instead. [via Deadline]
2. The Winklevoss twins — who already walked away with a $65 million settlement — are suing Mark Zuckerberg again because they say that they didn’t get enough money the first time around. [via Gawker]
3. In related news, Armie Hammer, who played both twins in The Social Network, has been cast to play Leonardo DiCaprio’s lover in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming film Hoover. [via Just Jared]
4. This is the world we live in: Snooki will be placed inside a ball (mind you, not The Ball) that will drop in Time Square during MTV New Year’s Bash while the rest of the Jersey Shore cast tries to break the world record for fist pumping. [via THR]
5. HBO has passed on Alan Ball’s new pilot, All Signs of Death, which “follows a slacker suffering from PTSD as he works in crime-scene clean-up.” Sounds dark. Maybe it’s something that AMC would want to pick up? [via EW]
Bonus link: Jonathan Franzen’s Awkward Family Photo
Earlier this week Slate released their list of most influential octogenarians in America for 2010, highlighting men and women who are still culturally relevant in their 80s, 90s, and beyond (rock on, Wesley E. Brown). As with every year, there are plenty of “fresh old faces” (i.e. newly-qualified icons) as well as some veterans of the list. Assuming that most of you weren’t around for World War II, we’ve pulled together a cheat-sheet to Slate’s cultural relics in the arts — because while you might know who Maurice Sendak is, you probably didn’t realize that he was 4 months old when the stock market crashed in 1929.
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Clint Eastwood’s latest film is a bit of departure for him as a director. Hereafter, a supernatural thriller, follows three people and the impact of death on their lives. The script was penned by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon). Matt Damon plays a retired psychic named George who has the ability to commune with the dead. Marie (played by Cecile de France) is a French journalist who is shaken after a near death experience in a tsunami. A third storyline follows Marcus (George McLaren), a schoolboy in London looking for answers after losing his twin brother. As with any drama, its success will depend on how well the audience connects with the characters. Hopefully this one will resonate with us more than Eastwood and Damon’s previous collaboration, Invictus, which received mostly positive reviews, but we felt fell rather flat.
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