Top 20 Movies of the 00s

I'm chiming in for Seagazing's Top 20 Movies of the 00s vote by the Greek blogosphere.

20. In Her Shoes
the chick flick of the 00s.
sibling rivalry, Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, shoes
and the classic Hollywood recipe.


19. Shrek
because I just had to choose one CGI film, and this was it.
without it we'd still be watching Disney princesses locked in a tower
and putting out for some fresh air.
Oh, and Cameron Diaz again.


18. Battle Royale
because I'm a reality TV junkie at heart.
what could possibly make for better television than high school kids,
stranded on an island filled with cameras and weapons,
hunting down and killing each other for survival?


17. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
... a failed transexual, with an inch of remaining wood
(six inches forward and five inches back),
starring in the musical of her life.


16. Oldboy
because it still haunts me.
the less said about it, the better.


15. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
because I deserve one REALLY guilty pleasure in my 20s.
the epitomy of fluffy Hollywood comedy and Greekness.


14. The Nines
because there's no way Ryan Reynolds could be missing from my list.
life as a MMORPG, and so meta it comes back to bite its own tail.
John August, you're my hero.


13. Sin City
beautiful, splattery, contrived, over-the-top,
black and white and bloody red fluff.
the ultimate noir, times X.


12. Memento
impeccably structured puzzle of a forgotten life.
and because I forget things too.


11. Donnie Darko
the ultimate cult.


10. The Royal Tenenbaums
so quirky, it feels like home.


9. Shortbus
I'd spend my days and nights there if it was real.


8. Volver
A picture-perfect portrait of an Almodovar woman,
about daughters and their mothers,
and ghosts that cry.


7. Strella / A Woman's Way
the ultimate modern Greek tragedy
and the revival of Greek cinema,
with a deafening beating heart.




6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
fate, memory and love.


5. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Spirited Away
Miyazaki's own Alice in trippy Wonderland.
and pot noodle well spent.


4. Chicago
the ultimate musical stage adaptation.
Crime and punishment reward, and all that jazz.


3. Kill Bill
violence was never before so beautiful,
and revenge so sweet.


2. X2: X-Men United
the best super-hero movie of all time.
why can't anyone else get it this right again?
because I'll never really outgrow the X-Men.


1. Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain / Amelie
because I still remember the sound a spoon makes
as it cracks the crust of a crème brûlée.

Read more!

Frank Miller's The Spirit - new featurette

THE SPIRIT - Exclusive Featurette


Producer: "It looks like nothing you've ever seen"

Weeeell, if you want to get technical, it looks an awful lot like Sin City. As in, exactly.

It bothered me to no end that Miller has come in and put his stamp all over this, completely erasing the Eisner feeling from the characters and feel of the thing. Even the comics artwork shown in this trailer is Miller's artwork, not Eisner. If he is so dead set on doing every movie in the same style (one I did dig to no end where it belonged, in the Sin City movie), why not do a sequel to that instead of forcing his stamp on Eisner's seminal work, and creating what will undoubtedly be the flop of the year?


Read more!

Leaked Wolverine Movie Trailer

Thanks to the boys from Comic-Con for spreading the love!



This could actually turn into a decent movie, as I see they decided to stay away from spandex OR leather uniforms. The trailer features:

SPOILERS:

Deadpool
Blob
Gambit
and...

Emma Frost?
Read more!

Watchmen Trailer - Finally

The Watchmen trailer has been (of course) leaked a day early online through various sources. Check it out while you can (with the official release tomorrow before Dark Knight in the cinemas).

Do pay close attention for Snyder's signature direct panel-to-screen adaptation, and Rorshach's animated mask (!). Plus, you know, finally: Dr Manhattan!


Read more!

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film
Read more!

REPO the Genetic Opera

Trailer for 'Repo! The Genetic Opera' starring Alexa Verga, Paris Hilton, Paul Sorvino and Buffy's Anthony Head. More info on the movie Wiki. I'm smelling a goth/indie cult hit the likes of Sweeney Todd :)
Read more!

Eye Of The Tiger - Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi sings Eye of the Tiger in the most ridiculously ludicrous scene of Persepolis.

Oh, yeah, and here's the proper trailer:



with a LYSAD rating of 10/10: a must see movie, and the pinnacle of stylish animation.
Read more!

Watchmen Movie Designs: Schumacher Would Be Proud

So, the Watchmen movie character photos have been released. Was there anyone out there who wasn't scared from the odd parallels to Schumacher's Batman movies?

I mean we do have it all:

-Plastic domino masks with black painted eye shadow underneath for that extra 'brooding avenger of the night' feel



-Anatomically impossible fake kevlar abs chiseled on the costume



-Ill-fitting masks that just look ridiculous



-- and of course... NIPPLES, shaped on the costume


Effing up the Watchmen designs for the screen must have really taken some effort. These are super-heroes who were dressed in actual fabrics instead of spandex! It takes some imagination to get from A to B in this fashion.

Ozymandias is the worst example. A fairly simple and elegant costume, turned into a malformed muscle-freak. The sheer width of the chest and shoulders compared to the actor's puny neck and head looks ridiculous. Could we cover it up with some fabric please?

And then you have Nite-Owl. Supposed to be an out-of-form super-hero getting back on the game, Dan was never supposed to be Batman, he had a belly and a lot of extra pounds on him when he put the costume back on. He looked somewhat sad in it, and that was precisely the point. Now we get a different kind of sad, a sad attempt to copy the Batman costume, with a nod to Dr Mid-Nite. Thankfully Warner owns all of the above characters so at least they don't have to fear any lawsuits.

The Comedian and Rorschach are the only ones who look decent, but then a fedora and trenchcoat are even hard to screw up. Fearfully waiting the first look at Smurfy-blue Dr Manhattan for final verdict now.

Seems to me they're more interested in selling action figures to kids than making a worthwhile adaptation of the most famous and beloved super-hero story. It's a shame. If we don't see some worthwhile changes in the next releases, I'm giving this movie a miss, and I'm predicting a flop the size of Schumacher's Batman & Robin.
Read more!

Shortbus, cos we all get it in the end

Justin Bond and the Hungry Marching Band - In the end

we all bear the scars
yes, we all feign a laugh
we all sigh in the dark
get cut off before we start

and as the first act begins
you realise they're all waiting
for a fall, for a flaw, for the end

there's a past stained with tears
could you talk to quiet my fears
could you pull me aside
just to acknowledge that i've tried

and as your last breath begins
contently take it in
cause we all get it in
the end

and as your last breath begins
you find your demon's your best friend
and we all get it in
the end

Source: Closing Scene - SHORTBUS
Read more!

Shortbus

Read more!

School of Rock

Baby we was making straight A's,
But we were stuck in a dumb daze.
Don’t take much to memorize your lies.
I feel like I've been hypnotisized.
And then that magic man; he come to town.
Whoo wee!
He done spun my head around.
He said, "Recess is in session.
Two and two make five."
And now baby, oh, I’m alive.
Oh yeah!
I’m alive

(Chorus:)
And if you want to be the teacher's pet,
Well baby you just better forget it.
Rock got no reason. Rock got no rhyme.
You better get me to school on time.

Oh you know I was on an honor roll.
Got good grades and got no soul.
Raised my hand before I could speak my mind.
I been biting my tongue too many times.
And then that magic man said to obey…..uh-huh
"Do what magic man do, not what magic man say."
Now can I please have the attention of the class.
Today's assignment... a hem... kick some ass!

This is my final exam.
Now you all know who I am .
I might not be that perfect son.
But ya'll be rockin' when I'm done.
Read more!

Be Kind Rewind and Rewind and Rewind and...

It's the new movie by Michel Godry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), about two guys reshooting every movie in the video store themselves after they were accidentally magnetically erased.

Here is the movie's excellent trailer, starring Jack Black

and here is Michel Gondry reshooting the trailer by himself after the original copy was destroyed:

Can you actually make a meta comment on meta comments? Won't this affect the worldwide psychic balance of the population?

Read more!

Greetings Citizens...

...we are living
in the age in which
the pursuit of all values
other than:

Money
Success
Fame
Glamour

has either been discredited or destroyed

for we are living
in the age of the thing



From the movie 'Party Monster'
Read more!

I Got Soul, But I'm Not a Soldier

Justin Timberlake covering the Killers, from 'Southland Tales', the Richard Kelly movie
Read more!

This is Halloween

Before I head out to the Halloween party, here is the quintessential song of the day, from my all-time favourite movie



Source: The Nightmare Before Christmas

[SHADOW]
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

[SIAMESE SHADOW]
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

[PUMPKIN PATCH CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

[GHOSTS]
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody screm
In this town of Halloween

[CREATURE UNDER THE BED]
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red

[MAN UNDER THE STAIRS]
I am the one hiding under yours stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair

[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween

[VAMPIRES]
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

[MAYOR]
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise

[CORPSE CHORUS]
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash cam
Something's waiting no to pounce, and how you'll...

[HARLEQUIN DEMON, WEREWOLF & MELTING MAN]
Scream! This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, slimy green

[WEREWOLF]
Aren't you scared?

[WITCHES]
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night

[HANGING TREE]
Everybody scream, everbody scream

[HANGED MEN]
In our town of Halloween!

[CLOWN]
I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace

[SECOND GHOUL]
I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair

[OOGIE BOOGIE SHADOW]
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween!

[CHILD CORPSE TRIO]
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare

[PARENT CORPSES]
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween

[CORPSE CHORUS]
In this town

[MAYOR]
Don't we love it now?

[CORPSE CHORUS]
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everyone scream
Wont' ya please make way for a very special guy

Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King

[EVERYONE]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

[CORPSE CHILD TRIO]
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

[EVERYONE]
La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween! [Repeat]
Read more!

WSAD: The Goonies sequel

WSAD (World Sean Astin Day) continues with news of a sequel to the sexy actor's first famous feature, the Goonies!

“Steven [Spielberg] and Dick [Donner] and all the powers that be … they really feel like the thing that made the movie strong was that it was about kids, so they really want to make the next movie about kids…the next generation of Goonies. And they’ve had a hard time tackling that.”

Like Feldman, Astin sees the passing of the torch concept to be a logical progression for the franchise. “I have three children,” he said, “and Corey’s got a kid now [too]. So as we now all have kids who are coming into the age that we were when we made the movie, it’s more likely to me that they’ll figure out how to design a story that will satisfy the older audience in terms of connecting with the original 1985 Goonies, and then [also] create this new thing.”

The original cast return as grown-ups, passing he torch to their kids, under the same writer and director as the classic feature. I'm still unconvinced. When has this sort of nostalgia+DVD sales sequel notion ever proven succesful? Has Bewitched taught us nothing?
Source: MTV blog
Read more!

Speaking of Sean Astin...

I declare today World Sean Astin Day (W-SAD).

How could I have been so blind all these years! I never really made the connection till I wiki'ed him today for the week's O.W. entry.

So, Sean Astin got from this cute 'aww' thing (the Goonies):


to this adorable short-pint mug (Lord of the Rings)


Ok, interesting growth, but still only cute.

Until this:


(adding fuel to my growing belief that everyone looks 10 times hotter in a beard, and that there ought to be a pro-facial hair law protecting against close shaves)

This photo has ignited an intense interest in Mr Astin's 'artistic career' here at LYSAD central. He will heretofore be in such esteemed company, as mr Seth Rogen and mr Ryan Reynolds.

Stay tuned for more as the story develops. Meanwhile:

Sexy beardiness!

Read more!

Orange Wednesdays: Sean Astin

The fourth in our regular Wednesday series of specials, starring Sean Astin, of Lord of the Ring(tone)s and Goonies fame.



If you're lucky enough not to live in the UK, you have been deprived of one of the greatest movie theater inventions since buttered pop corn:

the ORANGE FILM FUNDING COMMITTEE short clips.

These are sponsored by the Orange mobile company and feature a different actor every few months trying to pitch their movie idea to the committee, only to have them -- well, you just watch.
Read more!

Kevin Smith on Gay Bears

Is it really just a gay thing? Isn't Kevin Smith just adorable to the opposite sex? It's really true if he ever entered a gay bear bar he would have a ton of guys drooling after him (yeah, me included)

btw:

cubs: younger bears.

Guys who like bears: chasers.

Twinks? hairless young slim guys, not really into bears.

Kevin should totally remake Cachorro/Bearcub for an American audience
Read more!

Orange Wednesdays: Spike Lee

The third in our regular Wednesday series of specials

If you're lucky enough not to live in the UK, you have been deprived of one of the greatest movie theater inventions since buttered pop corn:

the ORANGE FILM FUNDING COMMITTEE short clips.

These are sponsored by the Orange mobile company and feature a different actor every few months trying to pitch their movie idea to the committee, only to have them -- well, you just watch.

This week, the unfortunate guest-star is Spike Lee:


Read more!