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Hollywood’s Everyday Superheroes
In Captain America: The First Avenger, in theaters July 22nd, Steve Rogers is a WWII soldier who is transformed into the superhero Captain America by a top-secret government organization dedicated to defending American ideals against the Nazis. In most contemporary film, one must have either supernatural abilities (Superman, Green Lantern,Spider-man), super-secret government training (James Bond) or just superhuman levels of bad-assery (Batman, Jason Bourne) to be a hero. Hollywood seems to have forgotten that the everyman (or woman) who stands up for his or her rights and beliefs without having super-anything is just as capable of bringing down the baddies, saving lives and changing the world. As proof that we mere mortals are capable of extraordinary achievements, MM presents some cinematic average Joes and Janes who represent what it means to be a true American hero.
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Horrible Bosses Go Hollywood
Nobody wants to have a horrible boss. But everybody loves to watch a horrible boss. Inside everyone lives a tiny little sadist. Anyone who has ever laughed at a person stepping on a rake and hitting himself in the face, or giggled at a woman trying (and failing) to walk through a sliding glass door has a little part in his or her soul that enjoys watching other people get hurt. Watching someone suffer through a horrible boss is a different lyric in the same song. With Horrible Bosses hitting theaters, MovieMaker takes a look back at the head honchos that make us cry with laughter.
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Michael Tully Explores Septien
Septien, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, is the story of Cornelius Rawlings—played by the film's writer-director Michael Tully—a man who returns home to Tennessee after disappearing 18 years earlier. The film explores the dynamic between Cornelius and his brothers—Amos (Onur Tukel) and Ezra (Robert Longstreet)—and the roles (caretaker, artist and athlete) that each brother plays in their dysfunctional little family. As the story unfolds we learn why Cornelius left home and how his brothers and a mysterious drifter help him overcome the pain of his past.
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MM Remembers: Peter Falk
Legendary actor Peter Falk passed away last Thursday at the age of 83. Falk, who was born in New York City, left school to become a cook in the Merchant Marines. After his time in service, he studied political science at the New School and Syracuse University. While working at the State Budget Department in Connecticut, Falk--now a certified accountant--made the bold decision to change careers. He moved back to New York to study acting with Sanford Meisner.
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Midnight in Paris Is Woody Allen's Biggest Hit in 25 Years
As of June 23rd, 2011, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates and Marion Cotillard, has become the director’s highest-grossing film in 25 years. The critically-acclaimed film, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May and is still playing in wide release, has so far grossed $23.3 million, surpassing the box office gains of both Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Match Point (2005), the auteur’s two biggest commercial successes from recent years.
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Best Apps for Moviemakers 2011
From Pre-Production to Post, The Perfect Assistant Fits in the Palm of Your Hand
Ah, how things have changed in just one short year. When we published our first list of 25 must-have apps for moviemakers in last year’s Future of Moviemaking edition, the world of apps was still a relatively new one. Last year’s list included only one app exclusively for the then-brand-new iPad, and today’s newest technological toy du jour, the iPad 2, wasn’t even on the radar.
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Bad Teacher: Who Makes the Grade?
School’s out for the summer. And kids all over the country couldn’t be happier. Of course, their teachers are equally excited. Hitting theaters this weekend is the raunchy new comedy Bad Teacher, in which Cameron Diaz’s character wreaks all kinds of havoc—drinking, doing drugs, cursing at her students and participating in other kinds of debauchery. The cast also includes Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, John Michael Higgins and Eric Stonestreet. The premise behind Bad Teacher got us thinking of some of Hollywood's best and worst teachers. Give our list a a look. Who knows, you might even learn something!
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Bad Dads (10 Movie Dads Who Make You Celebrate Your Own)
If Father's Day reminds us to do anything besides send a card, it's to look back at the movie dads of yesteryear to see just how awful they really were. So, pretending Atticus Finch never existed, we bring you a list of bad dads, counting them down from Pretty Bad to Worst. Father. Ever.
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Hollywood’s Useless Parent Syndrome
In J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, out in theaters today, strange things start happening in a small Ohio town following a middle-of-the-night train wreck that no one seems to know anything about. Very little about the plot of Super 8 has been released, though certain aspects of the trailer (the train wreck was witnessed by a group of local kids, the strange events seem supernatural) are reminiscent of movies like E.T., wherein the adults are mostly useless and the heroes are children.
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Alien Encounters: The Super-Nice and the Ultra-Scary
Movie aliens typically come in one of two flavors: Super-nice or ultra-scary. The benevolent aliens spring from our desire to make contact with otherworldly creatures who mean us no harm and may have come to Earth for our benefit. The malevolent ones spring from our deepest darkest fears of the frightening unknown. The latest alien movie to beam down is J.J. Abrams’ much buzzed-about, highly secretive Super 8.
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The Funny Business of Comedy Sequels
It’s damn hard to make a worthy comedy sequel. This is especially true if the original was both a financial and critical success. Expectations are sky high for the sequel to be an uproariously funny smash—but, alas, the result is usually a film in which the humor feels forced and strained, as the moviemakers try too hard to capture what viewers loved about the effortless original. Moreso than other genres, it seems especially difficult for comedies to recapture lightning in a bottle. This week, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover: Part II, the much-anticipated sequel to the surprise 2009 summer hit, will be released. Whether it can capture the kinetic energy of the original remains to be seen, but in the meantime join us as we take a look back at some of the best—and worst—comedy sequels of all time.
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Paris, Je T’Aime: Americans in Paris
The art. The architecture. The food. It’s no wonder Paris is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. It’s also a city that has proven to be the ideal shooting location for many American moviemakers. Fish-out-of-water stories about Americans touring the historic city and (usually) finding love have been around for quite awhile. The latest film in this unique sub-genre is Woody Allen’s new romantic comedy Midnight in Paris, which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Here are some other "Americans in Paris" movies that every Francophile should see.
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Romantic Comedies Done Right
10 of the Most Original Romantic Comedies
Last weekend saw the release of the romantic comedy Something Borrowed, in which a single career woman falls in love with her best friend's fiancé. The romantic comedy genre as a whole gets a bad rap, but there have been some truly unique, clever rom-coms that don't just rely on the standard rom-com tropes. MM takes a look back at ten of romantic comedies, from the 1970s to the present, that have set the standard for the genre.
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MM Remembers: Jackie Cooper
Last Sunday “America’s Boy,” Jackie Cooper, passed away at age 88. The veteran actor began his 60-plus year career as an extra at age 3 before landing the role of the smart-aleck leader of a gang of neighborhood troublemakers in the first “talkie” episodes of the "Our Gang" series (better known as “The Little Rascals” to you young’ins). At 9 years old the charismatic Cooper became the youngest actor ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his brilliant performance in Skippy (1931).
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Susan Sarandon Pays Tribute with “110 Stories”
As we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11th, New York City will play host to a charity performance of Sarah Tuft's play "110 Stories," which includes more than thirty stories based on the personal accounts of people dealing with the aftermath of 9/11.
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Acting or Directing. Why Not Both?
For some actors the role of a lifetime is being a real-life director. The actor-turned-director is a fascinating Hollywood sub-species, of whom only a select few have been blazingly successful. In some cases, their directing work has equaled or even surpassed their acting careers. With Jodie Foster’s third directorial effort, the much talked-about The Beaver, arriving in theaters May 6, we thought it’d be a perfect time to take a look at some of the most notable actors-turned-directors working today.
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Perfectly Paranormal Investigators
Where would the world be without the paranormal investigators of cinema? Overrun with evil spirits, demons and various other unpleasant creatures, that’s for sure. It’s a messy, dangerous job to do battle with the undead, but, hey, someone’s gotta do it.
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Take 10: Danny McBride
Hollywood's Most Lovable Lout Gets the Royal Treatment in Your Highness
“Somewhere between Porky’s and Goodfellas” is when Danny McBride realized he wanted to be a moviemaker. Though he got his start in more serious-minded fare as a second unit director on fellow University of North Carolina School of the Arts alum David Gordon Green’s George Washington, the writing was on the wall for this would-be wiseass, whose first credited acting role is the character of “Bust-Ass” in Green’s All the Real Girls.
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A Brief History of the Unconventional Superhero
Hollywood loves its superhero movies, but they tend to all be pretty similar. James Gunn's Super, in theaters now, takes a non-traditional approach to the superhero genre. Rainn Wilson stars as Frank D’Arbo, a.k.a. The Crimson Bolt, who decides to don a costume and become a superhero after his wife leaves him for a drug dealer. The Crimson Bolt has no powers, a homemade costume and a sidekick who goes by the name “Boltie.” But Super’s not the first movie to take a less popular approach to the traditional superhero genre. With that in mind, MovieMaker presents A Brief History of the Unconventional Superhero.
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MM Remembers: Farley Granger
MovieMaker is sad to report that another star of the silver screen has passed away. Last Sunday veteran actor Farley Granger died of natural causes at the age of 85. MM pays tribute to this talented actor and admirable man. Farley Granger is most recognized for his appearances in Rope and Strangers on a Train, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In addition to Hitchcock, Granger worked with renowned directors Luchino Visconti, Charles Vidor, Vincente Minnelli and Nicholas Ray.
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MM Remembers: Elizabeth Taylor
Today marks a sad day in film history. This morning the legendary Elizabeth Taylor, surrounded by her family, succumbed to congestive heart failure at the age of 79. MovieMaker pays tribute to this remarkable, classic movie star, whose films helped define American cinema.
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Noel Fisher's Battle to the Top
You probably recognize Noel Fisher's face. The 25-year-old actor has appeared in numerous television shows including "Shameless," "Law & Order SVU," "Lie To Me" and "The Riches" (where he played Cal, the eldest son of Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver). But with his recent foray into blockbuster movie territory, it won't be long before Fisher is a household name. In Battle: Los Angeles, in theaters today, he fights aliens with co-star Aaron Eckhart. And in the upcoming Twilight: Breaking Dawn, he'll play Romanian vampire Vladimir. MovieMaker spoke with Fisher about his most recent roles and plans for the future.
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Fairytales for Adults
The classic fairytales we all know by heart have suddenly become Hollywood's hottest properties. Due in part to last year’s smash hit adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (not technically a “fairytale,” but close enough in Hollywood terms), a slew of big-budget, edgy reimaginings of fairytale staples are getting the big-screen treatment within the next few years.
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Indies (and Colin Firth) Reign At the Oscars
At last night’s Academy Awards, indies were king. Seven of the major awards, including Best Picture, were won by independent films; in the last 30 years, a non-studio film has received the Best Picture Oscar 19 times.
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Danny McBride and James Franco Want to Hang Out With You!
Calling all college students: How would you like the chance to bring a Hollywood premiere to your school? Thanks to Eventful’s “Demand It!” service, you have the opportunity to do just that, with the release of the upcoming comedy, Your Highness.
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Sequels Nobody Asked For
a.k.a. "The Six Most Awesomely Bad Sequels of All Time"
Perhaps Richard Roeper said it best: “Most sequels are like Frank Sinatra, Jr.—from conception there was just no chance of equaling the original.”
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The King's Speech Reigns Supreme at BAFTAs
Winners of the 2011 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards were announced yesterday, with very few surprises. The night's big winner was The King's Speech, which won seven awards, including those for Best Film and Best British Film, plus acting awards for Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. The British historical costume drama has been picking up steam heading towards Oscar night, focusing much awards speculation away from The Social Network, which was previously considered the frontrunner.
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Somebody’s Watching You: Cinema’s Creepiest Stalkers
The stalker sub-genre has a long-standing tradition at the movies. One of the classic examples, Clint Eastwood’s 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty For Me, revolves around a radio DJ (Eastwood), who is stalked by an obsessed female fan (Jessica Walter) with whom he has had a fling. This basic plot device—a jilted, mentally unstable lover becoming dangerous—would lead to many iterations over the years, most notably in Adrian Lyne’s stalker classic Fatal Attraction.
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We Wuz Robbed: Six Films That Should Have Won the Oscar—But Didn’t
Just in time for this year's Academy Awards ceremony, MM would like to remember and honor six movies that should of won the Best Picture Oscar but lost (five of these pictures at least received a nomination; one—Do the Right Thing—didn’t even receive that honor).
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King Rules 2011 Oscar Nominations
The nominees for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning—shortly thereafter followed the inevitable discussion of who was unjustly snubbed. Among those who didn't receive their expected nominations are Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) and Mila Kunis (Black Swan). Also snubbed was Christopher Nolan, who received nominations for writing and co-producing Inception, but not for directing it. He also missed out on a directing nod for 2008's The Dark Knight; did he kick Academy President Tom Sherak's dog or something?
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The Mechanic, Featuring... A Mechanic
Look, use a quote from a poem or classical piece of literature as your movie title if you want. Or spend tons of money on marketing guru who will determine that one title that will indisputably get people to see your movie. Or you could just use the one of the character's profession as your title, and spend the money you would have spent on focus groups for things like actually making your movie.
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Take 10: Melissa Leo
Conquering Hollywood for 25 years and counting...
One might expect a certain professional trajectory from an actress who landed her first role—that of Linda Warner on the soap “All My Children”—by beating out Julia Roberts for the part. But in the almost three decades since she first appeared on the small screen, Melissa Leo has gone the route of the consummate character actor.
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2011 BAFTA Nominees Announced
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominees for the 2011 Orange British Academy Film Awards. The King's Speech (incidentally, the only British film among those nominated for Best Film) leads the pack with 14 nominations, followed by Black Swan (with 12) and Inception (with nine). The BAFTA Awards (known as the British counterpart of the Oscars) will take place on Sunday, February 13 at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. The ceremony will be hosted for the fifth year by Jonathan Ross and will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK, as well as BBC America in the US.
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The Social Network Tops the Globes
The 2011 Golden Globes took place last night, and while most of the winners were fairly easy to predict and no one wore anything too ridiculous, Ricky Gervais did host, which was expected to provide some drama. He certainly didn't disappoint. We're now one step closer to the Academy Awards; nominations are announced on January 25th.
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The Quirky Career of Nicolas Cage
Few actors have risen as high or sunk as low as Nicolas Cage.
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