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Movies and Life - by Tracy

'A good story should surprise you as it unfolds. Then afterwards it should seem the story could only have unfolded that way.’ Ken Loach

Eddie Izzard - British films verses American films

August 17th 2008 00:50

Eddie Izzard articulates the differences between American and British films. As always he does it with flamboyant zest and contagious humour:

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Film thoughts

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I missed out on being at the Indiana Jones premiere and red carpet experience (I was sick, but appreciated the invite from Paramount Pictures) last week, so I’m a bit miffed. But I am heartened at finding out that I’m not alone, there are others that were not involved either:

Tom ‘Moustache’ Selleck was almost Indiana. He was offered the role at the same time that CBS picked up the Magnum PI pilot Selleck had just made. Unfortunately the Magnum producers would not release him and he had to pass on the film role. In one of those awful ironic life twists, an actor's strike delayed the start of Magnum's filming. As Raiders was being shot in Europe far away from Union regulations, Selleck could have done the role after all. Selleck, showing generous sportsmanship, appeared in an episode of Magnum that parodied Raiders with the trademark accessories, riffs on the hat, the whip and booby traps.

Spielberg originally intended the role of Marion Ravenwood to be for his girlfriend Amy Irving, but they broke up during production. Other contenders were Sean Young and Barbara Hershe, while Debra Winger turned the role down. After seeing Karen Allen in National Lampoon's Animal House, Spielberg decided she was the one.

Spielberg originally wanted Danny Devito for the role of Sallah, Indiana’s sidekick and skilled Egyptian digger, but apparently he was too expensive. After seeing John Rhys-Davies in the '80s miniseries Shogun, he was chosen for the role.

Spielberg considered Jacques Dutronc (Ma Place au Soleil) and Giancarlo Giannini (Casino Royale) for the part of René Belloq before deciding on Paul Freeman. He spotted Freeman in Death of a Princess, his piercing eyes standing out. Belloq was supposed to appear in the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but for unknown reasons, he was written out.

And finally, Willie Scott. We could have seen Sharon Stone in this role. She was among the hundred and twenty actresses that Spielberg saw for the high maintenance chanteuse. He eventually settled on Kate Capshaw, then known for her role in daytime soap Edge of Night. Spielberg wanted Willie to be a complete contrast to Marion, both in personality and looks. So, upon Spielberg’s request, Capshaw dyed her brown hair blonde. Trivia-wise, Willie was named after Spielberg's dog and Spielberg married Capshaw in 1991.

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Cannes Film Festival 2008 begins tomorrow

May 13th 2008 06:56

Photograph by David Lynch, adapted by Pierre Collier. Image courtesy of http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/officalposter.html.

After celebrating its sixtieth birthday in 2007, Cannes Film Festival begins tomorrow. This year, the visual feast will feature 57 full-length films from 31 countries. Offerings include the new Indiana Jones movie, director Clint Eastwood's Changeling and the DreamWorks animated comedy Kung Fu Panda.

Cannes president Gilles Jacob stated:

Because cinema itself is constantly changing the boundaries, because the world it reflects is more indiscernible than ever, the Festival will not simply coast along on the prestige of its name, however strong that may be. This prestige is above all due to the quality of the films, the creativity of the artists, the fighting spirit of the professionals and the enthusiasm of the press. Cannes is a collective good that each of us, wherever we are and in our own individual way, builds stone by stone, year after year. It’s through never ceasing to question, through constantly evolving, and through inviting criticism, that we do it the most good. Although solidly rooted in its own history, Cannes is always open to newness. That which is dissimilar to it enriches it: and this is why this festival is our festival.

Wise words, how I would love to be there but I think my invite got lost in the post...will someone let Penelope know that I’ll meet her for a drink at the bar afterwards, thanks.

Here are the contenders:

Blindness - Fernando Meirelles (Brazil)

Entre Les Murs (Between the Walls) - Laurent Cantet (France)

Two Lovers - James Gray (United States)

Uc Maymun (Three Monkeys) - Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey)

Le Silence De Lorna (The Silence of Lorna) - Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium)

Un Conte De Noel (A Christmas Tale) - Arnaud Desplechin (France)

The Changeling - Clint Eastwood (United States)

Adoration - Atom Egoyan (Canada/Egypt)

Waltz With Bashir - Ari Folman (Israel)

La Frontiere De L'Aube (The Frontier of Dawn) - Philippe Garrel (France)

Gomorra (Gomorrah) - Matteo Garrone (Italy)

24 City - Jia Zhangke (China)

Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman (United States)

My Magic - Eric Khoo (Singapore)

La Mujer Sin Cabeza (The Headless Woman) - Lucrecia Martel (Argentina)

Serbis - Brillante Mendoza (Philippines)

Delta - Kornel Mundruczo (Hungary)

Linha De Passe (Line of Passage) - Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas (Brazil)

Che - Steven Soderbergh (United States)

Il Divo - Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Leonera - Pablo Trapero (Argentina)

and

The Palermo Shooting - Wim Wenders (Germany)

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Festivals

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Who should’ve kept their clothes on?

April 10th 2008 23:53

Having seen Before the Devil Knows You're Dead on the weekend, I feel more drawn to talk about my discovery of Paper magazine's 10 Worst Nude Film Scenes of all time.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Lists

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You should be dancing

March 27th 2008 21:10

After talking about the impending Fame remake over on Filmpeek, I started thinking about the combination of music and dancing in films. Costumes, music, vibrancy all mixed together can form a vivid, visual feast that sets those tootsies tapping. It’s a tenuous affair though; one dodgy pirouette and Cheese-Ville can call.

For me, when characters spontaneously cut a rug, it's more delectable if the film wasn't actually a musical. So, here are some films that sport an iconic, memorable dance sequence

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Film thoughts

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Top box office couples

March 1st 2008 05:23

Following the theme of my last post, films and predictability, I found an article on Forbes.com outlining Hollywood’s top box office film couples. Success is measured soley on the tangible element of how much money a film grossed, rather than film quality, characterisation, direction or any of those other ingredients that make up a fine film.

As you would imagine there are not many surprises in this list. In the drama genre we have Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in Spiderman. You know the scene, where Maguire's unmasked Spider-Man kissed Dunst's Mary Jane Watson upside down in the rain. Isn’t that the one where her headlights are on? Interesting coincidence

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Lists

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Gus Van Sant Festival at Dendy Cinemas

February 26th 2008 05:30

Film festivals give viewers the chance to indulge and immerse themselves in the world that is being offered. A Gus Van Sant visual feast is coming to Dendy cinemas from February 29 – March 12, 2008 and I’ll be there. I’m no Van Sant expert but from the films I’ve already seen, My Own Private Idaho, Gerry, Drugstore Cowboy and Elephant, I’m hoping to expand my experiences. It is also our first opportunity in Australia to see Van Sant’s latest piece, Paranoid Park.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Festivals

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Empire Magazine’s Top 10 Movie Haircuts

February 3rd 2008 21:57

I finally saw No Country for Old Men on the weekend and I was mesmerised by Javier Bardem’s immovable bowl cut. Hair isn’t usually a topic I’d normally write about but the combination of reading Empire Magazine’s Top 10 Film Haircuts article and Bardem’s dedicated tresses, made me think further about the role of hair in films.

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