Oct 27 2009 'Green Zone' Trailer: Shaky Matt Damon Thriller Gets Political
From Paul Greengrass, the Billy Connolly-looking man who brought you Matt Damon Kicks People's Asses in Shaky-Cam Parts 2 & 3 (known formally as the latter thirds of the Bourne trilogy), I present you with Matt Damon Kicks People's Asses in Shaky-Cam in the Middle East, Green Zone (with political overtones by Talk Soup's Greg Kinnear!):
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Dec 24 2008 'State of Play' Sure is a Political Thriller!
Just in time for your Yuletide celebrations, here's the trailer for State of Play. Can you and your guests catch all the political thrills? You might have to watch more than once to get them all. There are thirty-two.
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Oct 23 2008 Either Starsky or Hutch Directing 'Chicago 7'?
Well, DreamWorks, looks like you aren't going to get Spielberg to direct The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin's script about the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention. Time to move on to plan B. Has anyone directed Robert Downey Jr. in blackface for a popular comedy spoofing Hollywood? Yes? That's perfect, second only to Steven Spielberg. Get that person. That's your man. Thusly:
"The Trial of the Chicago 7," the DreamWorks project about the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention and their aftermath, is a high priority for the newly configured studio and is moving forward quickly.The latest well-known director who has met on the project is Ben Stiller; while the discussions for Stiller to helm the film are very much at the exploratory stage, the actor and DreamWorks are mulling whether such a pairing would work for both parties. A "Chicago" gig would mark a departure for Stiller, who has directed such successful comedies as "Tropic Thunder" and "Zoolander," but has not helmed a serious political picture of this kind before.
Despite all of the horrible comedies he's been in, Stiller isn't a bad director, and could probably do a very competent job with this. But at the same time, when I hear Ben Stiller is directing a serious film, all I can think is when he directed a war drama on Extras. Regardless of how well he might direct The Trial of the Chicago 7, the real disappointment is going to be if we don't hear that he quoted Meet the Fockers box office figures on set.
Jul 17 2008 'Body of Lies' Trailer is Made of Oscar Nominations
Here's the trailer to Body of Lies, a Ridley Scott political thriller starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. In other words, the narration might as well say, "to be nominated for at least six Academy Awards for sure, even though Crowe is sort of playing this like a dramatic Skipper from Gilligan's Island."
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May 1 2008 'My Girl' Starring in New, Non-'My Girl' Movie
Around 1991, I couldn't have been the only one with a massive crush on My Girl star Anna Chlumsky. Someone is with me on this, right? Looking back at pictures of the then ten-year-old, I'm not entirely sure what I saw in that gap-toothed grin (aside from someone closer to my age than Debbie Gibson and Vanna White, and someone willing to kiss Macauley Culkin's all-too-familiar nebbish, bee-phobic character), but we were definitely in love. And it was real.
Anyway, after a nearly ten-year hiatus, it seems she's back, looking again crush-worthy and getting bit parts on various NBC series. And now she's starring in BBC Films' In the Loop with James Gandolfini and Steve Coogan. It's not quite My Girl 3: Remembering the Bee Attack, but it's something:
Gandolfini will play a U.S. general in the unofficial adaptation of the BBC series "The Thick of It," which parodies the inner workings of U.S. and British government agencies and their international relations in a tale of war-hungry politicians. Chlumsky plays a State Department assistant and Rache ("United 93") is an undersecretary of state, and Coogan ("Hamlet 2") plays a disgruntled U.S. citizen.
Look below the cut for the original My Girl trailer, and let Chlumsky remind you why you fell in love with her as she seductively sashays across her porch. Warning: it will make you feel sort of dirty if you're no longer nine.
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Jul 25 2007 Michael Moore Hates Homos. Er, HMOs
Michael Moore was on Hardball the other day, and, surprise surprise, he wore a hat. He also had some interesting advice for people having trouble with their health insurance providers:
MATTHEWS: If they're right now having a problem with their HMO, and they're not getting treatment for something they think is important, is it best to call their congressperson? What do they do to make sure the kind of thing that happened in your movie happens to them?
MOORE: Actually, what I tell people is, if you're having trouble right now with your insurance company, and they won't pay for something, go ahead and use my name, just say...
MATTHEWS: Say Michael Moore has been talking to me?
MOORE: Say that I'm coming, that you have talked to me personally. You have my permission to do that. In fact, at the end of this week, on my Web site, I'm going have a little like Sicko insurance card you can download, print it out, laminate it, and take it in and say that you're now part of my team, and that we're going to put you on the DVD if you don't help my child. And, so, I give blanket permission to anybody who wants to do that. Carry your Sicko card with you. And, actually, I got this idea because a number of people have already gone ahead and done it.
MATTHEWS: The guy did it in the movie.
MOORE: He did it in the movie.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Without your permission.
MOORE: And he just said, 'Michael Moore is coming'. I never met the guy. The guy just went ahead and said, 'Michael Moore is doing this film.' And, like a week later, the insurance company said, 'OK, we will pay for your daughter's ear operation.'
MATTHEWS: God, there's nothing like a little blackmail. (LAUGHTER)
I offer a similar service to anyone who's in an argument with someone who likes Entourage. They'll be all like, "But dude, it's got hot chicks on it and it's hella tight!" Instead of trying to argue with them, just hand them a card with my picture on it and say "Watch your back, motherf***er." Then let me know where they live and I will take a dump on their lawn.
Jul 17 2007 A Truce - Michael Moore/CNN Update
USA Today is running this story under the headline "Moore calls truce with CNN over 'Sicko'". The rest of the story makes it sound more like it was "agree to disagree" than a truce, persay, but it does point out a few errors in CNN's fact-checking of Moore's movie that I posted last week. See also the YouTube clip of the incident above.
In Gupta's report, CNN had said that Moore had reported that Cuba spends $25 per person for health care. In fact, the movie estimates Cuba's spending at $251 per person. CNN blamed a transcription error for its mistake and apologized for it on and off the air.
Oops. Take that CNN, smarmy jerks. Think they're "real journalists" because they wear pants and leave the house even when they're not out of disposable wet wipes. There are a couple other points of contention regarding the report, but the difference between $25 and $251 was easiest to wrap my booze addled brain around. Hope you understand.
Jul 13 2007 Bill Maher Makes the Baby Jesus Cry
Original Onion caption probably says it best, "Bill Maher spends all night arguing with Republican hooker"
In keeping with the heated political discussions we've recently been having in the iwatchstuff.com comments section, today I bring you the news that Lionsgate will be releasing Bill Maher and Larry Charles' anti-religion documentary, A Spiritual Journey.
The film is said to “examine the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim riots over cartoons to the Ten Commandments in front of courthouses, a born-again Christian in the White House and Scientology in the birthing room," and director Charles describes it as “Bill Maher vs. the Anti-Christ (or is Bill Maher the Anti-Christ?)”
I have no knowledge of whether he's the anti-Christ, but I do know that he's banged Ann Coulter, and if Joaquin Phoenix has taught me anything, it's that, "You dance with the devil, the devil don't change - the devil changes you."
He also taught me that hairlips can be sexy. No trailer for this yet, but stay tuned.
Jul 11 2007 Michael Moore Blitzes Wolf
Michael Moore was on Wolf Blitzer's show yesterday, and CNN made the mistake of showing a piece by Sanjay Gupta where he attempts to refute some of the facts Moore makes in Sicko with Moore sitting there the whole time. And I must say, Gupta does somewhat of a lame job of it - pointing out that Americans spend $6,096 on health care a year rather than the $7,000 Moore claims, among other things. Ooh, hard hitting.
Anyway, by the time Moore got on he was all full of piss and vinegar and basically berated Wolf Blitzer for being a p**** for fifteen minutes.
Jul 3 2007 Oliver Stone Officially Part of Great Satan
"...and then the zionists will be consumed by the fires of Allah. Okay, next question - you with the ponytail, sugartits."
Iranian President Mahmoud Nahassapeemapoopypants has rejected a proposal by Oliver Stone to make a documentary about him, because Stone is part of the "Great Satan".
"I sent a negative answer by Ahmadinejad to Oliver Stone," said Medi Kalhof, the Iranian president's media advisor. "It is right that this person is considered part of the opposition in the U.S., but opposition in the U.S. is a part of the Great Satan."
In his defense, Ahmedinejad had just seen Alexander. For his part, Stone was upset, reportedly telling friends that the President's blue carpet and gold curtain rods would have looked really sharp on camera.
Jun 8 2007 Films to Convince World America Not Evil
"I rove American firm!"
Representative Diane Watson (D-California) has introduced a bill that would provide funding to screen Hollywood classics in U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide, in the hopes that the flicks will convince people that the American way of life is not evil.
"My legislation is designed to stock libraries of U.S. embassies and consulates with films that promote the American way of life and then loosen current restrictions so that the public can have greater access," Watson said. "Many of us have forgotten that we didn't win the Cold War just because our military and economy were superior, but also because the Warsaw Pact countries bought into our ideals and beliefs in democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the free flow of information."
Hey, it worked in North Korea, right? Oh wait...
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