Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gif Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Stars in Rewind: Pee-Wee Herman Fights Crack Cocainehttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/pee-wee-herman-crack-cocaine/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/pee-wee-herman-crack-cocaine/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/pee-wee-herman-crack-cocaine/#comments
One of the strangest Public Service Announcements ever filmed has been making the rounds on the Internet over the course of the past few weeks, and we couldn't resist the urge to share it with you.

Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) stars in this 1992 PSA warning viewers against the dangers of crack cocaine while explaining exactly what crack is and how no one knows how much it takes to kill you. Pee-Wee then reminds everyone that it's okay to want to be cool, but doing it with crack isn't just wrong -- it could be dead wrong!

The clip is bizarre because Herman is a comedian who appealed to young children (who probably weren't quite ready to start smoking crack yet) and stoners (who'd already found their drug of choice) -- plus how hard is it to take Pee-Wee seriously about anything? I spent the whole time waiting for him to bust out his iconic laugh or start shouting, "I know you are but what am I?" when someone called him a crackhead.

Clearly, videos like this demonstrate why we pretty much lost the war on drugs -- the government guys authorizing these ads obviously had no idea who would get through to their target audience. In Herman's defense, he made the video as part of his plea deal after his arrest for indecent exposure inside a Florida porn theater. Under those circumstances, it seems unlikely that Pee-Wee got to make any suggestions or offer up any potential rewrites to punch up the dialogue a bit.

Check out the video after the jump -- then let us know what you thought of one the lesser films in Pee-Wee's filmography in the comments section below.

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]]>paul reubensPee-Wee HermanPSA videoPSA warningwar on drugsAlison NastasiThu, 02 Sep 2010 17:02:00 EST2010 Telluride Line-Up Includes Peter Weir, 'Never Let Me Go' and Morehttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/telluride-2010-peter-weir-never-let-me-go-and-mor/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/telluride-2010-peter-weir-never-let-me-go-and-mor/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/telluride-2010-peter-weir-never-let-me-go-and-mor/#comments The Telluride Film Festival, which takes place every Labor Day weekend in the mind-expandingly gorgeous San Juan Mountains, is the favorite film festival of anyone who's ever attended it. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. The four-day festival is neither hectic nor amped, but it nonetheless manages to showcase the best of each year's Cannes and Toronto line-ups, as well as invariably some rarities and older films to savor.

This year, Eric D. Snider and I will be bringing you the news and reviews from Colorado. (It's Eric's first trip, which is doubly exciting.) And the line-up, announced earlier today, looks excellent, showcasing Cannes favorites like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Biutiful, Mike Leigh's Another Year, and Stephen Frears' Tamara Drewe, as well as high-profile premieres like Mark Romanek's eagerly awaited Never Let Me Go (with superstar novelist Kazuo Ishiguro in attendance) and Tom Hooper's The King's Speech, which is getting major Oscar buzz for Colin Firth.

The title that really makes me tingle with anticipation is Peter Weir's POW flick The Way Back. Weir makes two movies a decade these days, if we're lucky, and they're always good. (I am maybe the world's biggest Peter Weir fan; two of his movies -- The Truman Show and Gallipoli -- would make my all-time top 20 if I were to construct one.) Weir is getting one of the festival's "Silver Medallion" awards, which is usually a bit of an exercise in who-can-we-get-to-come, but this is a great choice. The festival will also be screening Weir's long-lost 1979 horror film The Plumber, which I have never seen and will do my very best to catch.

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]]>biutifulnever let me gotamara drewertelluride film festivaltelluride film festival 2010the kings speechthe way backEugene NovikovThu, 02 Sep 2010 16:19:00 ESTScenes (Songs) We Love: "Saving the Day" from 'Ghostbusters'http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/scenes-songs-we-love-saving-the-day-from-ghostbusters/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/scenes-songs-we-love-saving-the-day-from-ghostbusters/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/scenes-songs-we-love-saving-the-day-from-ghostbusters/#comments

I know what you're thinking: how can I talk about the one and only Ghostbusters and not talk about that song. Well, today I thought I would honor all the unsung heroes of the soundtrack to one of the greatest comedies of all time by dedicating this Scenes (Songs) We Love to Alessi's Saving the Day in honor of all the other songs that never broke into the public consciousness quite like Ray Parker Jr.s musical question; Who You Gonna Call?

Alessi, or The Alessi Brothers, as they were sometimes known, were a twin singer-songwriting duo who were most famous for their contribution to Ivan Reitman's flick, although they had some success back in 1977 with the song Oh Lori. The brothers recorded five albums together, and worked with artists like Barry Gibb, Art Garfunkel, and for some reason, Debbie Gibson. After spending some time in the world of advertising, the duo reunited and are still touring to this day, but unfortunately relegated to the grand tradition of One Hit Wonders.

I may have loved the Ghostbusters theme song, but Saving the Day was the track I wore out on my soundtrack tape (although Magic was probably a close second) for a very specific reason: it was the moment that the good guys won. By the time Venkman an the gang were banged up in a holding cell and Walter Peck seemed to have won; our heroes managed to talk their way out of it. So when those opening bars to Alessi's track began, I was so emotionally invested in the triumph of my beloved Ghostbusters that this song was instantly burned into my brain -- what can I say? I was nine.

Watch the scene after the jump...






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]]>GhostbustersmusicSaving the DayScenes Songs We LoveScenes We LovesoundtrackJessica BarnesThu, 02 Sep 2010 15:45:00 ESTDo 3D Movies Deserve Higher Ratings?http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/do-3d-movies-deserve-higher-ratings/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/do-3d-movies-deserve-higher-ratings/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/do-3d-movies-deserve-higher-ratings/#commentsWe're all well aware of the subtle and subjective art of the cinematic rating system. Remove a word here, take out an innuendo or slip of the nip there, and suddenly that risque adult fare becomes palatable for familial audiences. But here's a new goodie to consider: With the rise of 3D, will we start seeing the same film receive different ratings between the second and third dimension, and what will that mean for the ever-important box office take?

It seems that overseas in Sweden, the country's Board of Film Censors doled out two different ratings for Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The 2D version was rated G, meaning everyone could see it without adult supervision, while the 3D version was rated PG, requiring adults to accompany tykes under the age of 7.

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]]>2D3DCats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty GaloreCinematicalfeaturedratingsMonika BartyzelThu, 02 Sep 2010 15:02:00 EST'Transformers 3' Extra Hurt and in Critical Conditionhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/transformers-3-extra-hurt-and-in-critical-condition/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/transformers-3-extra-hurt-and-in-critical-condition/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/transformers-3-extra-hurt-and-in-critical-condition/#comments

I've always assumed that the Transformers films were more painful to watch than to make, but apparently that may not be the case. CBS 2 Chicago is reporting that an extra on the set of Transformers 3 was seriously injured during a stunt on the film's Indiana set last night. Gabriela Cedillo - a 24 year-old Chicago resident - had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital after an object pierced the windshield of the car she was driving and struck her in the head. The car - Cedillo's personal 2006 Toyota - slammed into the road's median barrier after impact and then scraped along the concrete divide for almost a mile before finally coming to a stop.

The strange part of all of this is not that another person was injured during a Michael Bay shoot (his dialogue scenes tend to feature more explosions than some small wars), but that Cedillo is supposedly not a member of the production's stunt crew. The CBS report suggests that she was merely an extra, but why would an extra be participating in a vehicular stunt scene, and driving her own car no less? The accident was serious enough to shutter production for the day, but thus neither Bay nor Paramount have offered any comment (if Cedillo were a puppy, Bay would no doubt already be on the warpath.

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]]>Michael BayTransformers 3David EhrlichThu, 02 Sep 2010 14:15:00 ESTJon Hamm, Kristen Wiig and Anne Hathaway to Join 'Friends with Kids'?http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/jon-hamm-kristen-wiig-anne-hathaway-friends-with-kids/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/jon-hamm-kristen-wiig-anne-hathaway-friends-with-kids/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/jon-hamm-kristen-wiig-anne-hathaway-friends-with-kids/#commentsWatching the Emmys the other night, I saw George Clooney on the stage accepting his Bob Hope Humanitarian Award and then I saw Jon Hamm in the audience (they cut to him as Clooney left the stage) and wondered if he's that next TV star to transition to being an A-list film actor. Will he be back in 15 years to similarly win a special honor? Is he even big into causes? In any event, he's about to hit the big screen in next week's The Town and later this month in Howl, and now he's also eying a more prominent role in the indie comedy Friends with Kids, according to Showbiz 411.

The film was written by Hamm's girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt (maybe you saw her with him at the Emmys), who previously scripted and starred in the indie hit Kissing Jessica Stein and the cute, little seen rom-com Ira & Abby. Hamm had minor roles in both prior to becoming famous as Don Draper. This time he'll star, and I wonder if we'll get to see the real-life couple playing an onscreen couple presumably dealing with the fact that all their friends have kids and they don't (and maybe, like Hamm and Westfeldt, aren't even married).

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]]>adam scottanne hathawayfriends with kidsira abbyjennifer westfeldtjon hammkissing jessica steinkristen wiigrosemarie dewittChristopher CampbellThu, 02 Sep 2010 13:32:00 ESTCould Harvey Keitel Manage 'The Office'?http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/harvey-keitel-the-office/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/harvey-keitel-the-office/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/harvey-keitel-the-office/#commentsTelevision gets its share of replacement actors. When a series goes into one, two, or many years, not all of the cast is going to stick around. That might mean seeing David Tennant replace Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who, Kirstie Alley replacing Shelley Long on Cheers, or Cheryl Ladd taking over for Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels. There have been high points, low points, and shocking new faces ... but this new one might take the cake.

Why are we talking about television here? Because executive producer Paul Lieberstein really wants to cast Harvey Keitel as Steve Carell's replacement on The Office. Harvey. Keitel. Not a rumor, nor an example of random wild dreaming, Lieberstein hopes to replace The 40-Year-Old Virgin with The Bad Lieutenant.

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]]>CinematicalHarvey KeitelSteve CarellThe OfficeMonika BartyzelThu, 02 Sep 2010 12:45:00 ESTThe Best Songs That Are Inspired By Movieshttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/songs-inspired-by-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/songs-inspired-by-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/songs-inspired-by-movies/#comments

Usually when I talk about music around these parts, it's with an eye on the movies. But even though most of my inspirations come from movies -- with the music as a vital, but supporting player -- today I thought I would try to do things a little differently. Which is why today is all about music that was inspired by the movies.

Pop music is littered with movie references, and sometimes the references are a little more obscure, as is the case with the genesis of Bob Seger's classic Night Moves. Legend has it that the idea for the song was born as Seger walked out of the theater for George Lucas' American Graffiti and he realized that he had his own stories of a misspent youth to share. But other inspirations can be a little more obvious, like with Jay Z's tribute to Frank Lucas and American Gangster with his album of the same name.

We all know inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places (yes, even from within darkened movie theaters), and so here are five songs that could never have existed without a little inspiration from the silver screen.

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]]>American GangsterBad CompanyBilly IdolBladeRunnerfeaturedJay-ZJeff Bridgesmassive attackmusicmusic videoRidley Scotttaxi driverJessica BarnesThu, 02 Sep 2010 12:02:00 ESTAngelina Jolie Passes Up Awesome 3D Sci-Fi Epic 'Gravity' Because ...http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/angelina-jolie-gravity/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/angelina-jolie-gravity/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/angelina-jolie-gravity/#commentsThough there are five (or is it fifty?) projects Angelina Jolie is flirting with or prepping for right now -- from her directorial debut in Bosnia to Cleopatra -- there's one film she's definitely not doing. In fact, she's refused to sign on twice now, even after some salivating hard-core press from the studio, an intriguing premise, a great director, and big money.

Though Warner Bros. fought to bring her into the fold, and she was initially intrigued by the project when it was at Universal, Jolie refuses to headline Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's upcoming 3D sci-fi film, which would see her in a challenging Cast Away-type role set on a space station.

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]]>Alfonso CuaronAngelina JolieCinematicalfeaturedGravityMonika BartyzelThu, 02 Sep 2010 11:15:00 ESTGet Ready... Here's Your First Peek of Rihanna in 'Battleship'http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/rihanna-battleship/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/rihanna-battleship/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/rihanna-battleship/#commentsOh man... That insane gamble otherwise known as Battleship shows no signs of stopping, even though many of you agree that it's somewhat ridiculous and most likely doomed. Whether we like it or not, the future is bringing us a board-game finagling that will see Navy types battling aliens on the open seas. It stars the utterly baffling mix of Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard, Tom Arnold, Hamish Linklater, and Brooklyn Decker (a model).

At this point, it seems beyond our mental capacity to imagine how this will play out. But finally, we've got our first look at Rihanna on set, dressed in Navy duds and ready to kick some alien ass.

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]]>BattleshipCinematicalRihannaMonika BartyzelThu, 02 Sep 2010 10:32:00 ESTTyler Perry, Potential Oscar Nominee?http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/tyler-perry-potential-oscar-nominee/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/tyler-perry-potential-oscar-nominee/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/tyler-perry-potential-oscar-nominee/#commentsUntil a month or so ago, I didn't realize that Tyler Perry's next film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, was based on an acclaimed play. No, even with a cast that included Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Macy Gray and Janet Jackson among others, I had just assumed that we were looking at another tone-deaf gospel-laced melodrama. (To date, I've seen all but one of his feature films, so believe me when I say that they're identical in both content and execution.)

Colored Girls might be something to contend with, though. Left with little to push for awards this fall beyond maybe Ryan Reynolds in Buried (if they're feeling frisky, and I hope that they are), Lionsgate has moved the film's release up by two months, from January '11 to November 5 -- a vote of confidence if ever I saw one.

Then again, nobody's seen the thing yet, but maybe, just maybe, Perry leveled his direction out this time. If so, let's just hope that he doesn't let Madea accept any awards on his behalf...

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]]>For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbowjanet jacksonKerry Washingtonloretta devinemacy grayThandie Newtontyler perrywhoopi goldbergWilliam GossThu, 02 Sep 2010 09:45:00 ESTMichael Bay Offers $50,000 for Arrest of Girl Who Threw Puppies Into Riverhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/michael-bay-puppies-river/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/michael-bay-puppies-river/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/michael-bay-puppies-river/#commentsThere's a video circulating that I haven't had the stomach to watch, but it shows a girl throwing puppies into a river. Puppies, people. I know there are people who like to watch stuff like this -- I believe they're called sociopaths -- but Michael Bay is not one of them. And no, I'm not linking to it. You know how to use Google.

Bay might be Hitler on set according to Megan Fox, but he's a bleeding heart puppy-lover when it comes right down to it. Although I'm not sure it will put my butt in the seat to watch Transformers Take Chi-Town, it does make me feel a little warm and fuzzy towards him.

According to Gawker, the director "is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the woman in the red sweatshirt and the person who shot this act of cruelty."

The blog post has since been removed, but Gawker has thoughtfully taken a screen capture of the blog post from "Nelson," the person who runs Bay's site and sometimes posts for him when he's busy making stuff blow up. Nelson describes them as "squealing puppies." They're squealing. Squealing!

Whether or not it was removed because the girl has apparently issued an apology (complete with a frowny face!) via YouTube, or if the Bosnian police have solved the case, or if it was because the animal lovers at 4chan found her already is anyone's guess. 4chan recently found out pretty much everything there was to know about a woman who was seen on video throwing a live cat into a garbage can less than 24 hours after the video surfaced. Incidentally, she's now under police protection.

So, don't eff with 4chan, the Bosnian police, or with Michael Bay. Especially 4chan.

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]]>4chanMichael BayTransformers 3Jenni MillerThu, 02 Sep 2010 09:02:00 ESTCinematical Late Night: Paula Patton, Barry Levinson, Sam Levinsonhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/cinematical-late-night-paula-patton-barry-levinson-sam-levins/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/cinematical-late-night-paula-patton-barry-levinson-sam-levins/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/02/cinematical-late-night-paula-patton-barry-levinson-sam-levins/#comments

- Now we'll just paint a little happy Spartan over here. THIS...IS...PAINTING!

- Another operative is in place for Mission: Impossible IV (don't call it that). Paula Patton will join Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner for the reboot-or-whatever-it-is-exactly as a young agent. Now here's an idea so crazy it might just work: Patton's Precious co-star Gabourey Sidibe for the villain!

- Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson are expected to star in the Diablo Cody-adapted zom-rom-com Breathers: A Zombie's Lament. Suddenly this video tutorial on how to make ScarJo look like a zombie comes in handy.

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]]>300babaloo mandelbarry levinsonbilly crystalbob rossbreathers: a zombies lamentcinematical late nightdemi moorediablo codydisney villainsellen barkinellen burstynezra millerkate bosworthlowell ganzmission: impossible 4paranormal activitypaula pattonrepeaterssam levinsonscarlett johanssonthe baythomas haden churchus themzombiesChristopher CampbellThu, 02 Sep 2010 04:25:00 ESTWhy Video-On-Demand Might Save Movies (and Movie Theaters)http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/why-video-on-demand-might-save-movies-and-movie-theaters/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/why-video-on-demand-might-save-movies-and-movie-theaters/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/why-video-on-demand-might-save-movies-and-movie-theaters/#comments

My dad is old, and he kind of looks like W.C. Fields. He's old enough that there was a time in his life when people probably thought he actually was W.C. Fields. His favorite movie is Doctor Zhivago, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't enjoyed a movie since (he walked out of The Dark Knight in favor of Mamma Mia! And he walked out of Mamma Mia! in favor of a ham sandwich). He's not much of a movie-goer, but if you asked him which recent film is about "A swat team sent into a pitch black apartment building where a virus that turns people into demons is raging," he'd instantly be able to tell you that it's Rec 2, the plot of which he was intimately familiar with a month before its theatrical release. That's because my dad aimlessly watches a lot of television, and in his endless quest to find C-SPAN he rolls his eyes across the Magnolia Pictures "Early Screening" tab embedded in Time Warner Cable's VOD menus several dozen times a month.

In October of 2007 Magnolia inaugurated their "Ultra VOD" program by allowing cable subscribers to watch Brian De Palma's Redacted prior to its appearance in cinemas, and have since made approximately 75 films a year available to rent directly through VOD services. The vast majority of those titles have been made available day & date with their theatrical bows, but only a chosen few have received the "Ultra" service and been beamed exclusively into viewers living rooms for $10.99 a pop ($9.99 in standard definition). And my dad is a perfect example of why Magnolia would be interested in providing customers with early access to much-anticipated titles for less than the cost of a movie ticket.

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]]>Centurionhuman centipedeifc on demandMagnetMagnolia PicturesMap of the Sounds of TokyomonstersDavid EhrlichWed, 01 Sep 2010 22:32:00 ESTInterview: Michelle Rodriguez on 'Machete'http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/interview-michelle-rodriguez-on-machete/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/interview-michelle-rodriguez-on-machete/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/interview-michelle-rodriguez-on-machete/#comments

Michelle Rodriguez has literally fought her way to stardom, starting with Karyn Kusama's boxing drama Girlfight. Rodriguez came away with an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance and the start of a unique career as one of Hollywood's action heroines. In the past ten years, Rodriguez has driven with The Fast and the Furious, fought zombies in Resident Evil, rode the waves in Blue Crush, got Lost, and piloted one of James Cameron's futuristic ships in Avatar.

Rodriguez's latest role as Luz in Robert Rodriguez's Machete takes the action star to a whole new level of kicking ass. Deep in the heart of Texas, Luz runs a taco truck that feeds the local day laborers home-style food, comfort, and hope for a better future -- as well information about jobs, how to get papers, or even cash in a pinch. Luz's alter ego is Shé, a revolutionary, gun-totin' mama who runs an underground network that helps immigrants once they've crossed the border into the Texas. Luz ends up being a much-needed friend to Machete (Danny Trejo), a former Federales who escaped a Mexican drug lord by the skin of his teeth and keeps finding himself in increasingly messy situations on the Texan side of the border. He's got a machete, but Luz has got, well, a lot more than a taco truck on her side.

Rodriguez took some time out of her busy day to talk to Cinematical about self-stereotyping, playing with politics in Machete, and the outer space kind of aliens she'll be fighting in Battle: Los Angeles.

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]]>actionaction heroesaliensAvatarBattle: Los AngelesBlue CrushDanny TrejoGirlfightJames CameronLostMacheteMichelle RodriguezNaviRobert Rodriguezscience fictionThe Fast and the FuriousJenni MillerWed, 01 Sep 2010 21:48:00 ESTDoc Talk: On the Ropes, Kid Stays in the Picture, American Teenhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/doc-talk-on-the-ropes-kid-stays-in-the-picture-american-teen/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/doc-talk-on-the-ropes-kid-stays-in-the-picture-american-teen/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/doc-talk-on-the-ropes-kid-stays-in-the-picture-american-teen/#comments

Historically it's nothing new. Just look at Merian C. Cooper for a prime example. Or go back to the Lumiere brothers. But these days it's becoming more and more common for successful documentary filmmakers to jump ship, most of the time only temporarily, and give fiction a try. Michael Moore, Barbara Kopple and Errol Morris have all done it. Seth Gordon seems to be sticking with it. Werner Herzog has been balancing both mediums for a while. And now the latest documentarian to make the transition is Nanette Burstein, whose fiction debut, the raunchy yet sweet rom-com Going the Distance, opens this Friday.

Usually I'm disappointed with the filmmakers who try it, even while recognizing that maybe a cash-grab fiction project here will help finance a great non-fiction film there. The truth is few documentarians make good narrative features (see Canadian Bacon, Havoc, The Dark Wind, Four Christmases). Burstein is the exception, though. I revisited her three feature-length docs, two of them co-directed with Brett Morgen, and one made solo, and have to say she's better off doing stuff like Going the Distance, even with its faults. It's not that she's a bad documentarian, but her work in that medium is actually more pedestrian than this new Hollywood effort.

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]]>american teendoc talkgoing the distanceon the ropesthe kid stays in the pictureChristopher CampbellWed, 01 Sep 2010 21:02:00 ESTTheir Best Role: Jerry O'Connellhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/their-best-role-jerry-oconnell/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/their-best-role-jerry-oconnell/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/their-best-role-jerry-oconnell/#comments

Jerry O'Connell has a habit of portraying the most obnoxious characters the film industry has to offer. It's something I've grown quite numb to over the year's, but thanks to Piranha 3D that numbness has warn off and I'm aware more than ever of O'Connell's seemingly natural ability to bug the heck out of me.

For those of you who missed out on the boobs and blood fest, in Piranha, O'Connell plays Derrick, an over-the-top dirty film director with two things on his mind, himself and getting his shot. Okay, I can understand the necessity to include an excessive amount of nudity in order to draw in a crowd, but that in no way give writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg the right to include a character so damn annoying. Perhaps if O'Connell would have toned it down just a notch, Derrick could have been a little more than just a caricature and perhaps even the slightest bit likable. But no, we get a ranting and raving O'Connell making stinky faces and nearly causing those beautiful blues eye to pop right out of his head.

But as irritated as I am with his performance in Piranha, there's no denying that in his lengthy career, O'Connell has put on some very good shows; it's just too bad they're buried in outlandish garbage like Baby on Board, Obsessed, Kangaroo Jack, Tomcats and Joe's Apartment, just to name a few. In nearly all of those movies, he's really the same guy from Piranha, but with a different occupation and a non-fishy issue; he's loud and intolerable.

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]]>Baby on BoardBruce A EvansCorey FeldmanCrossing JordanJerry OConnellJoes ApartmentJosh StolbergKangaroo JackKiefer SutherlandObsessedPete GoldfingerPiranha 3DRaynold GideonRiver PhoenixSlidersStand By MeStephen KingTomcatsWil WheatonPerri NemiroffWed, 01 Sep 2010 20:15:00 ESTThis Week on "Between Two Ferns": Sean Penn Meets Zach Galifianakis' Twin Brotherhttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/this-week-on-between-two-ferns-sean-penn-meets-zach-galifiana/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/this-week-on-between-two-ferns-sean-penn-meets-zach-galifiana/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/this-week-on-between-two-ferns-sean-penn-meets-zach-galifiana/#commentsYou'd think a little thing like an absent host might prevent "Between Two Ferns" from truckin' forward, but luckily for us, Zach Galifianakis got his twin brother, Seth (pictured at right), to hold down the fort and this week, Sean Penn seats down amid a pair of potted plants for another hardly hard-hitting interview.

Seth's a bit of a sensitive soul, far more Southern than Zach and easily excitable. Sean, however, is just about the opposite of that. Maybe somebody told him that he'd get an award if he made it through this, I don't know. At the very least, he can chalk it up to another humanitarian effort.

We've embedded this latest video below, and if you need to catch up on earlier episodes, look no further. (I vouch for the Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm ones above the rest, but they're all in good, exceedingly awkward fun.)

Continue reading This Week on "Between Two Ferns": Sean Penn Meets Zach Galifianakis' Twin Brother

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]]>Between two fernsfunny or diesean pennZack GalifianakisWilliam GossWed, 01 Sep 2010 19:32:00 ESTThe New 'Back to the Future' is a Five-Chapter ... Video Game!http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/back-to-the-future-video-game/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/back-to-the-future-video-game/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/back-to-the-future-video-game/#comments

When Hollywood can't decide if they want to remake, reboot, or leave a popular franchise alone, they often turn to the video game designers to help keep a popular brand alive. Fortunately the folks at Universal have decided to entrust their Back to the Future and Jurassic Park properties to an outfit called Telltale Games. And gaming fans will be quick to remind you that this is the team the produced some really high-end games based on Wallace & Gromit and Homestar Runner, plus they have some very well-regarded original titles like Monkey Island and Sam & Max.

USA Today brings us the early word on what the Back to the Future game will look like, and personally ... I think it looks pretty cool. Turns out that producer / screenwriter Bob Gale will be working with Telltale on the five-episode game series, and it's always a good thing when the original filmmakers are involved with a video game design. The game company's website has a page covering the Universal projects right here, and (hat tip) Slashfilm has a lot more details on the nuts & bolts right here.

All I wanna know is this: will I be able to trick a Tannen into being covered with manure of some kind?

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]]>back to the futurejurassic parktelltale gamesuniversalvideo gamesScott WeinbergWed, 01 Sep 2010 18:45:00 ESTThe Best Ways to Save Money on Entertainmenthttp://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/the-best-ways-to-save-money-on-entertainment/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/the-best-ways-to-save-money-on-entertainment/http://www.cinematical.com/2010/09/01/the-best-ways-to-save-money-on-entertainment/#commentsThis may come as a surprise to you, but money's tight. I know! Why hasn't anyone mentioned this before? I'm as shocked as you are.

Okay, knee-jerk sarcasm aside, the financial gurus at Kiplinger's have put together a little slide-show presentation on ways that you and I can save a few of our precious entertainment dollars. Some are old news -- like last-minute "rush" tickets for live theater -- but most are just common sense stuff that we all should keep in mind.

For instance: Go to the library. Yes, they have books, but they also have DVDs. I recently told my hairstylist this, and it was news to him. Seriously -- I thought everyone knew that the library (and the entire library system, if you live in an area that allows inter-branch borrowing and online requests) is a ridiculously good resource for movies. They're free, people. Check it out.

Other tips: Keep an eye on discount days at your local theater. And trade babysitting nights with other parents, so you can save that extra money when you go out to the cineplex. Go to matinees! And, if you're a student, don't be shy about using your student ID for marked-down tickets.

Kiplinger also jumps on the Redbox bandwagon and tells you to skip the video store for their $1-per-night kiosks. In many cases, like if you want to watch a popular recent release, that's a good idea. But personally, I can't give up my local video rental store entirely -- Redbox has its advantages, but foreign films, classics and obscure horror aren't well stocked. Besides, I know people who own video stores, and they need your money.

You can check out the whole list of suggestions here. What are some ways you've managed to save on entertainment recently? Got any tips - leave them in the comments section.

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]]>dvddvdseconomyKiplingerlibrarymatineemovie ticketsRedBoxsaving moneyDawn TaylorWed, 01 Sep 2010 18:02:00 EST