Nitrate film - hot stuff!

One of the film collecting forums I frequent included a link to a fascinating training film that's been preserved via Google Video.

It was made in the mid-1960s in Luxemberg to demonstrate how firefighters might deal (or not deal) with flammable nitrate film.

It's fascinating to see them dipping the stuff in water or covering it with sand and chemicals and it just continues to burn - it sets off a chemical reaction that provides its own oxygen to fuel the fire.

video at Google video

There's also an interesting article by one of the forum members about a nitrate film fire that happened in one movie theater.

article at othercinema.com

Trapped in "The Room"

A strange thing is happening in movie theaters - it appears a new "cult" film is being born.

"The Room" is an indie produced little drama that is so bad that audiences are flocking to it at midnight showings, mocking it and turning the showings into one big party like "Rocky Horror".

article at EW

Warner Bros opens up the archives

Warner Brothers is starting up a long overdue website - an online store that lets you buy dvds of previously unreleased films from their archives.

The effort is aimed at fans who are looking for favorite films or beyond what's available at local retailers. They're expected to add around 20 titles a month to the site.

article at the AP

Former Our Gang actress passes

Shirley Jean Rickert, who appeared in five of the classic "Our Gang" comedies in the thirties has passed away.

She never really found stardom in Hollywood and wound up being a stripper in Burlesque in the 1950s, billed as "Gilda and Her Crowning Glory".

article at LA Times

Online guide to 3d movies

When digging a bit after my Arch Oboler movie post, I ran into this helpful list of 3d movies.

It includes technical details on the specific format used for each 3d movie release.

Arch Oboler, auteur

DVD Savant has a review of the newly-released, "Five", a 1950 post-nuclear apocalypse movie by Arch Oboler.

Oboler is best known today as the man behind "Bwana Devil", the movie that started the 1950s 3d craze. However, fans of old time radio know him for his work on "Lights Out", an influential radio mystery series.

Oboler's film work is mostly forgotten, but is certainly worth checking out - his parody of mass media, "The Twonky", from the early 1950s sounds very intriguing. Besides the subject matter and style of Oboler's movies, which used some radio techniques for sound, the movies are interesting technically. "Five" was the first movie to use magnetic sound recording and was the first movie to use television as promotion for the release. His later film, "Domo Arigato", was the first to use single-lens 3d projection, the format used for movies in the 1980's 3d revival.

You can read an overview of Oboler's film career at parallaxview.org (part one and part two).

Zarrrrrdoooozzzzz!!!!!

Now, what self-respecting person interested in art and culture wouldn't have a genuine Zardoz mask in their home?

auction at ebay

Mickey Rourke on WWE?

Mickey Rourke, who received kudos for his work in the film "The Wrestler", has told "Access Hollywood" that he's signing up for an appearance during Wrestlemania; he'll go up against Chris Jericho.

Publicity stunt? Mickey Rourke weirdness? Has he Punk'd us?

blog entry at Wired

(And, btw, why is such an item at Wired, anyway? What does that have to do with technology?)

Elementary, my dear Watson?

Guy Ritchie has directed a few film incarnation of one of the classic characters of the past century - Sherlock Holmes.

What might make it interesting is that Robert Downey, Jr. will be portraying Holmes and the script recasts him less as the reserved English gentleman and more as a brainy, moody, scruffy detective.

The NY Times has a peek.

article at NY Times

Huh?

According to the IMDB Studio Update, Jim Carrey (yeah, that Jim Carrey - the rubber-faced guy) and Ewan McGregor are co-starring in a new movie - a gay romantic comedy.

I can't believe I just typed in the words "Jim Carry" and "gay romantic comedy" in the sentence.

The movie premiered at Sundance to "glowing" reviews. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Cary's "comedic versatility and impersonations are amazing, but it's in his character's darkest recesses that he's truly powerful. As the steadfast Phillip, McGregor is sympathetic and vulnerable. His heart is always ready to be broken."

Daily Variety, of course, fretted that the gay subject matter would limit the market for the movie, but that audiences might be curious about Carrey's performance.

The piece at IMDB also notes:

At a news conference at the festival Carrey didn't hesitate to stoke the curiosity. When asked what it was like to kiss a man, he turned towards McGregor and quipped: "A dream come true. I mean, look at the guy."

The film's title? "I Love You Phillip Morris".

Hmph. Makes me think of the tobacco company, since I'm so used to hearing "Caaaalll for Phiiiilip Moorrrriss" in so many old radio shows.

And, by the way, is anyone associated with this production (the director, stars, writer) actually gay?

Seeing Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia", with Tom Hanks dancing around with an IV bottle humming opera like the worst stereotype of an old queen just really turned me against gay movies made by straight Hollywood. "Brokeback Mountain"'s rather twwwagic take on gay relationships irked me as well.

Update:
Straights trying out the whole "gay" thing seems to be a theme at Sundance this year. Another entry creating buzz (and already getting a distribution deal) is "Humpday", a story about two stright 30-something former college buddies who reconnect one weekend, drink lots of alcohol, and decide to make a porn movie of themselves. Salon has an article about it.

Colorado group now owns Bergman

The NY Times recounts a bizarre legal tale where a group of movie theater owners in Colorado have somehow wound up with the rights to 200 Swedish films, including the works of Ingmar Bergman.

It also notes that Bergman's works probably haven't been distributed in this country very much because of the legal battle.

article at NY Times

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema

In a new documentary, a philosopher looks at the relationship between dreams, desire and movies.

Sounds like a fun piece of work that's "spot on" in the observations.

movie review at NY Times

Lonnie Frisbee

Found an intriguing article at Wikipedia the other day as I was browsing through pages dealing with Evangelical Scandals. (And, yes, I do casually read Wikipedia to find odd things like this.)

It's a bio of the original Hippie Jesus Freak, Lonnie Frisbee, who, it turns out, was a practicing homosexual the entire time he was involved in ministry.

There's also a doc about him - it's played at some festivals and on PBS stations on the West Coast, but not here in the East or in the South. They're also offering up the doc for fundraising community showings.

Wow - another fascinating gay person for some straight Hollywood actor to portray as Oscar bait in a biopic. I can hardly wait.

article at Wikipedia

page on documentary

Marketing a movie

The New Yorker has a fascinating feature article this week about how movies are marketed at that strapping little up and coming studio Lionsgate.

It's an interesting peek behind the Hollywood curtain that's required reading for any aspiring screenwriter or director.

article at New Yorker

More on Hollywood and 3d

3D movies are poised to make a lot of money for studios.

The only problem is that there aren't enough screens to show them on.

The other problem, not really discussed in this NY Times article, is that Hollywood is trying to do big specticle films in the format that require a large number of screens to make their money back.

Maybe it's just me, but it would seem like lower-budget rom-coms, horror films and other kinds of teen pics would be the way to go to generate interest in 3d again. And, again maybe it's just me, but perhaps they need some better directors that understand how to set up and shoot in depth so it doesn't add so much to the total cost.

3D's easy if you know what you're doing.

article at NY Times

3D is back!

Dreamworks is giving away 3d glasses to promote their new film "Monsters versus Aliens".

The glasses aren't to watch the movie - they're for watching the trailer for the movie, which will be broadcast during the Super Bowl on February 1st.

The following day, NBC will broadcast an episode of "Chuck" in the format.

blog post at wired.com

Those strange people

According to the IMDB, "Mamma Mia", the atrocious movie "musical" (and I use that word loosely), has set a new record for DVD sales in the UK.

One in four people in the UK now own this movie.

Why????

Bigger than Life

Well, one of the top films on my list to see is showing in New York in a new print, Nicholas Ray's "Bigger Than Life" from 1956.

It's never been released on video here in the US (though it's out in Region 2 PAL).

I've seen a couple of clips from it and, yes, it looks like one of the most frightening films ever made.

brief piece at the New Yorker

Dustin Hoffman's "Tootsie" story

Dustin Hoffman was recently on the "Late Show" and told a wonderful story about working on "Tootsie" that had to be bleeped (but I think you'll get the idea)...

3d horror movies making a comeback?

Lionsgate is set to release "My Bloody Valentine 3D" in January. In recent months, there's been a resurgence of 3D movies, mostly geared to families.

Studios, seeing good response, are deciding to be more adventurous and aim for the adult market. Perhaps we'll see more releases in the format, similar to the 3D craze that run its course in the 1980s.

article at NY Times