Over the weekend The Times of London jumped the gun by posting their list of the top 100 films of the decade. We agree with ArtsBeat’s Dave Itzkoff, who noted that their roundup, while diverse, feels “more provocative than definitive.” (In fact, if this kind of sweeping survey tends to get you worked up, you might be better off reading GreenCine’s list of the 25 most disturbing movies instead.) After the jump, we’ll reveal their top 10, along with a few films we think got the shaft.
Today at Flavorpill, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a copy of Nightlight, National Lampoon’s Twilight parody. We tried to imagine the Phantom of Phantom of the Opera living in Coney Island. Could Webber be punking us all? We went to a Chanel show where Lily Allen materialized out of the ground. We decided Banksy should run for office. We prepared ourselves to watch Ryan Gosling pretend to amputate his own arm in Danny Boyle’s new project. We teased our hair for the multiple remakes of Dallas currently in the works. And with that, we’re out. And we’re not having curry for dinner. Goodnight, moon.
Well it is for now, according to The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman, but there’s still plenty of time for Universal to tone things down in time for the July release. Per her post: “Among the objectionable scenes is one in which Bruno — a gay Austrian fashionista played by Baron Cohen — appears to have anal sex with a man on camera. In another, the actor goes on a hunting trip and sneaks naked into the tent of one of the fellow hunters, an unsuspecting non-actor.” Read More »
Audrey Hepburn’s legacy is not having a stellar week. First, this photo of Emma Roberts “channeling” the icon as part of Glamour magazine’s hit-or-miss anniversary portfolio made us wonder if the photographer had ever even heard of Hepburn. Then, the news of the My Fair Lady remake re-surfaced with Danny Boyle attached to the project, and rumors of Keira Knightley in the starring role — a predictable yet poor choice to reprise the role of Eliza Doolittle.
We were sitting around with friends after Slumdog Millionaire win Best Picture when someone who hadn’t seen the film said that he couldn’t wait because he wanted to learn more about the slums of India. His words made us wince because a. how could we not, and b. we think (and maybe we’re wrong here) that there are plenty of Americans who are going to check out Danny Boyle’s fantasy flick for the same reason: a bit of cultural tourism.
“The movie piles impossibility on impossibility.”
- Salman Rushdie weighs in on Slumdog Millionaire in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also had some choice things to say about other book-to-film Oscar nominees The Reader (“[a] leaden, lifeless movie killed by respectability”) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (“It doesn’t finally have anything to say.”). On a random note, his Wikipedia page claims: “Salman Rushdie says that he would have become an actor if his writing career had not been successful. Even from early childhood, he dreamed of appearing in Hollywood movies (which he would later realize in his frequent cameo appearances).”
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Regardless of whether you think Slumdog Millionaire deserves to be considered a masterpiece of pseudo-magical realism or an orientalist nod to middlebrow convention, there’s no denying that the performances by the two trios of young actors are pretty extraordinary. The young Latika, Jamal, and Salim carried the film to unconventional heights of pathos, and for this it’s no surprise that the film’s adventure through the award show circuit has been tainted by controversy over the treatment and compensation of the young actors who remain residents of the poorest parts of Mumbai.
Books: It’s the end of the book world as we know it.
Dance/Opera: Philip Glass charms the South.
Design: Will you be shopping the Mad Men line?
Film: Danny Boyle sez it ain’t so.
Music: Are we the only ones who find Rachael Ray + indie rock unacceptable?
Television: Jon Stewart’s stimulus package.
Theatre: It’s hard to be a theatre critic in LA.
Visual Arts: Charles Saatchi’s new art reality show.
Web: Early ’90s Apple concepts make us laugh.
Our favorite moments from last night’s Golden Globes (which we live blogged here in case you’d like more of a running commentary)? 1. Watching Kate Winslet go two for two, and then get so choked up about it that she couldn’t think. We hope this is finally her year for an Oscar. 2. Hearing Mickey Rourke thank his dogs. 3. Seeing Martin Scorsese — the same man who directed Mean Streets — cry over his protege, Steven Spielberg. 4. Witnessing Slumdog Millionaire producer Christian Colson drop a bleeped out F-bomb when they tried to cut his speech short. 5. Laughing over Tina Fey telling online detractors that they can “suck it.” Who else could get away with that?
If you didn’t watch yourself, get a complete list of winners after the jump; if you did, leave your own favorite moments in the comments area.
This year’s award picks by both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association are in, and while there aren’t any huge shockers to reveal, we think that the subtle differences between the two lists offers an interesting portrait of the coastal divide. Example: As subversive as it might be, can you imagine New Yorkers voting a heartwarming animated flick like Wall-E as Best Picture? Fuggedabouit.
Our stereotype-reinforcing analysis after the jump.
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