Pics of the Day

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Sometimes I convince myself that my history with the director Joe Wright is more sordid than it is - really I only disliked Atonement. But then, I really disliked Atonement. But I liked his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice very much and I really loved Hanna. (Like the rest of the world, I avoided The Soloist like the plague.) So when I find myself surprised over being excited about his next movie - an adaptation of Anna Karenina starring his muse Keira Knightley and my muses Jude Law and Aaron Johnson - it's nonsense and I just need to snap out of it. Somebody smack me hard across the face like Cher! The Playlist has the first batch of pictures from the film and besides that one up top being so lush I want to molest it, there are also glimpses of Law and Johnson and obviously I want to molest them. See all the shots at The Playlist.

Pics of the Day

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Sometimes I convince myself that my history with the director Joe Wright is more sordid than it is - really I only disliked Atonement. But then, I really disliked Atonement. But I liked his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice very much and I really loved Hanna. (Like the rest of the world, I avoided The Soloist like the plague.) So when I find myself surprised over being excited about his next movie - an adaptation of Anna Karenina starring his muse Keira Knightley and my muses Jude Law and Aaron Johnson - it's nonsense and I just need to snap out of it. Somebody smack me hard across the face like Cher! The Playlist has the first batch of pictures from the film and besides that one up top being so lush I want to molest it, there are also glimpses of Law and Johnson and obviously I want to molest them. See all the shots at The Playlist.

Germs Totally Suck, Y'all

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If I had my camera with me I would just post a picture of the giant bottle of Purell I bought on my way to work this morning and leave that as my entire review of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. It would speak the truth as I see it in absolute and succinct terms. But unfortunately I loaned my camera away this week - and sidenote, I feel so helpless without it! What if I bump into Jake Gyllenhaal again? Ahh! (And sidenote to that sidenote: didja hear I actually bumped into Jake this past weekend? I did! Spotting number three! - so I've got to try this whole "writing my thoughts out in words" thing again. Boo! Who wants that? 

Okay so... Contagion. Contagion pretty much gave me a full-on panic attack, and it's an unprofessional admission - although who the hell here's a professional anyway? - but the movie took me twice its running time to watch because I had to pause it every ten minutes or so and take a break. Not really the optimum way to view a movie, and Steven Soderbergh should probably slap me across the face with a single glove the next time we meet. But maybe he'd be impressed that his film had such an effect on me, and let it slide this time? because he should be. I certainly was impressed. 

When Haywire came out recently I threw a lot of love at it, and I maintain that love even though after I wrote that early review I read a bunch of other people's reviews that argued convincingly about its shortcomings, and the shortcomings in the current status of Soderbergh's mainstream-experimental filmmaking. Why yes indeed, his movies are cold and clinical and more concerned with messing with visual and aural and linear expectations than with necessarily devoting their cold heart and laser eyes to just telling a richly-told-on-all-levels story. At this point he's playing - he can get anybody he wants to show up for five seconds, why wouldn't he?

But oh such play! I could watch Steven Soderbergh play with a narrative for days. (I also expect to be able to watch Steven Soderbergh play with Matthew Bomer and Joe Manganiello in thongs for days as well, but that's for another set of days.) And as sleek and relentless as Contagion is, I found it surprisingly moving too. When you've got Kate Winslet tremulously greeting the on-set of those first few coughs while staring at her reflection or Marion Cotillard being confronted by the duplicity of her own government in the face of sick children, or Matt Damon finally breaking down after stumbling upon the last pictures of his dead wife, when you've got actors this good still being allowed to stand there and do their thing amongst all that sleek relentlessness, then I'm feeling the best of both worlds, personally.

Not that anybody should doubt my commitment to sleek relentlessness. As my undying love for Michael Haneke attests, I can tend to favor the impersonal touch. A Cinematic misanthropy can speak to me, I will admit. So Soderbergh works for me. His rhythms are first rate, and his eye is incontestable. And this movie wound me up into a frenzy of germ warfare. It felt authentic, a vérité I could hardly take. Take for instance the scene where Matt Damon and his daughter finally leave their house after a frightened period of mourning only to find the world outside collapsing into chaos - the way it builds, from the glimpse of a small fire to the looting and screaming and running (not to mention all all that horrible hacking), it's a dreadful showmanship I felt fortunate (and more than a little sick, blessedly) to be shown.
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Germs Totally Suck, Y'all

.
If I had my camera with me I would just post a picture of the giant bottle of Purell I bought on my way to work this morning and leave that as my entire review of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. It would speak the truth as I see it in absolute and succinct terms. But unfortunately I loaned my camera away this week - and sidenote, I feel so helpless without it! What if I bump into Jake Gyllenhaal again? Ahh! (And sidenote to that sidenote: didja hear I actually bumped into Jake this past weekend? I did! Spotting number three! - so I've got to try this whole "writing my thoughts out in words" thing again. Boo! Who wants that? 

Okay so... Contagion. Contagion pretty much gave me a full-on panic attack, and it's an unprofessional admission - although who the hell here's a professional anyway? - but the movie took me twice its running time to watch because I had to pause it every ten minutes or so and take a break. Not really the optimum way to view a movie, and Steven Soderbergh should probably slap me across the face with a single glove the next time we meet. But maybe he'd be impressed that his film had such an effect on me, and let it slide this time? because he should be. I certainly was impressed. 

When Haywire came out recently I threw a lot of love at it, and I maintain that love even though after I wrote that early review I read a bunch of other people's reviews that argued convincingly about its shortcomings, and the shortcomings in the current status of Soderbergh's mainstream-experimental filmmaking. Why yes indeed, his movies are cold and clinical and more concerned with messing with visual and aural and linear expectations than with necessarily devoting their cold heart and laser eyes to just telling a richly-told-on-all-levels story. At this point he's playing - he can get anybody he wants to show up for five seconds, why wouldn't he?

But oh such play! I could watch Steven Soderbergh play with a narrative for days. (I also expect to be able to watch Steven Soderbergh play with Matthew Bomer and Joe Manganiello in thongs for days as well, but that's for another set of days.) And as sleek and relentless as Contagion is, I found it surprisingly moving too. When you've got Kate Winslet tremulously greeting the on-set of those first few coughs while staring at her reflection or Marion Cotillard being confronted by the duplicity of her own government in the face of sick children, or Matt Damon finally breaking down after stumbling upon the last pictures of his dead wife, when you've got actors this good still being allowed to stand there and do their thing amongst all that sleek relentlessness, then I'm feeling the best of both worlds, personally.

Not that anybody should doubt my commitment to sleek relentlessness. As my undying love for Michael Haneke attests, I can tend to favor the impersonal touch. A Cinematic misanthropy can speak to me, I will admit. So Soderbergh works for me. His rhythms are first rate, and his eye is incontestable. And this movie wound me up into a frenzy of germ warfare. It felt authentic, a vérité I could hardly take. Take for instance the scene where Matt Damon and his daughter finally leave their house after a frightened period of mourning only to find the world outside collapsing into chaos - the way it builds, from the glimpse of a small fire to the looting and screaming and running (not to mention all all that horrible hacking), it's a dreadful showmanship I felt fortunate (and more than a little sick, blessedly) to be shown.
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I Am Link

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--- Hot Vamp - Finally some official confirmation of Jim Jarmusch's vampire movie with Tilda Swinton! Hooray! Not so hooray - unlike when we first heard about this movie, it doesn't look like Michael Fassbender's attached anymore. Boo. Okay, but he is being replaced with the awesome Tom Hiddleston, so hooray again! Mia Wasikowska's in there too, plus John Hurt. The thing is called Only Lovers Left Alive, which is a gorgeous title.

--- Setting Sail - Cinematographer Matthew Libatique says that Darren Aronofsky's Noah movie will start shooting in July, for a Fall 2013 release. Fingers crossed. And toes crossed that it's Michael Fassbender taking on the lead role!

--- And speaking of Fassy again, Brad Pitt told THR (via The Playlist) that his role in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave is a small one, a cameo, but that Fassy's role is a big one. This is helpful because until now we really had no idea how big a part anybody but Chiwetol Ejiofor had in the lead. More Fassy = good.

--- My Martha - Over at Stale Popcorn Glenn's praise-riddled review of Martha Marcy May Marlene worked me into a lather of "must see it again right this second" if only it were out on DVD already. It really seems like it should be by now, but it ain't out until February 21st. It should have come out sooner, maybe it could've rebuilt some buzz and gotten the Oscar nominations it deserved. Not that I can pretend to know how these things works. I mean, I can. I just did. Anyway. It is an excellent film, I concur!

--- Bagged A Baggins - I haven't really been too thorough keeping up with Hobbit news - at this point it's inevitable I'll be seeing the movie opening weekend, so dipping too deeply into all the pre-release stuff is only going to muddy that first viewing experience so it seems pointless, to me. But here's a new picture of Martin Freeman as Bilbo anyway, in case you don't feel that way.

--- Winter Folk - If you want to see the first real trailer for the second season of A Game of Thrones, click on over to EW to watch it. I watched it last night and when Dany starts getting all assertive-like I may have gotten erect.

--- Getting Stranger - The director of The Strangers, Bryan Bertino, is finally starting work on his second film - it's called Mockingbird, and it's a found footage flick about a couple that receive a video camera with the instructions to do as told or somebody dies. So kind of Saw meets The Strangers? Anyway he's talented and we were sick of waiting for him to do something new, so yay.

--- Mia May I - I need to thank Adam at Club Silencio for this week's banner from Rosemary's Baby - I stole the image from one of his invaluable Obscure Beauty posts. So lovely.

--- Loony Rooney - The world has made it clear to Blake Lively that we'd rather just say no, thanks very much, right? That's what this news of her getting replaced by Rooney Mara in Steven Soderbergh's next move called The Side Effects, about a drugged-up girl and co-starring Channing Tatum (I'm starting to think SS and Chan are an item) and Jude Law, should be telling her right? Let's hope so. Yay Rooney! And by the way, I know this shocks none of you, but the more stand-offish and weird and annoying things that spill out of Mara's mouth, the more I like her. 

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I Am Link

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--- Hot Vamp - Finally some official confirmation of Jim Jarmusch's vampire movie with Tilda Swinton! Hooray! Not so hooray - unlike when we first heard about this movie, it doesn't look like Michael Fassbender's attached anymore. Boo. Okay, but he is being replaced with the awesome Tom Hiddleston, so hooray again! Mia Wasikowska's in there too, plus John Hurt. The thing is called Only Lovers Left Alive, which is a gorgeous title.

--- Setting Sail - Cinematographer Matthew Libatique says that Darren Aronofsky's Noah movie will start shooting in July, for a Fall 2013 release. Fingers crossed. And toes crossed that it's Michael Fassbender taking on the lead role!

--- And speaking of Fassy again, Brad Pitt told THR (via The Playlist) that his role in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave is a small one, a cameo, but that Fassy's role is a big one. This is helpful because until now we really had no idea how big a part anybody but Chiwetol Ejiofor had in the lead. More Fassy = good.

--- My Martha - Over at Stale Popcorn Glenn's praise-riddled review of Martha Marcy May Marlene worked me into a lather of "must see it again right this second" if only it were out on DVD already. It really seems like it should be by now, but it ain't out until February 21st. It should have come out sooner, maybe it could've rebuilt some buzz and gotten the Oscar nominations it deserved. Not that I can pretend to know how these things works. I mean, I can. I just did. Anyway. It is an excellent film, I concur!

--- Bagged A Baggins - I haven't really been too thorough keeping up with Hobbit news - at this point it's inevitable I'll be seeing the movie opening weekend, so dipping too deeply into all the pre-release stuff is only going to muddy that first viewing experience so it seems pointless, to me. But here's a new picture of Martin Freeman as Bilbo anyway, in case you don't feel that way.

--- Winter Folk - If you want to see the first real trailer for the second season of A Game of Thrones, click on over to EW to watch it. I watched it last night and when Dany starts getting all assertive-like I may have gotten erect.

--- Getting Stranger - The director of The Strangers, Bryan Bertino, is finally starting work on his second film - it's called Mockingbird, and it's a found footage flick about a couple that receive a video camera with the instructions to do as told or somebody dies. So kind of Saw meets The Strangers? Anyway he's talented and we were sick of waiting for him to do something new, so yay.

--- Mia May I - I need to thank Adam at Club Silencio for this week's banner from Rosemary's Baby - I stole the image from one of his invaluable Obscure Beauty posts. So lovely.

--- Loony Rooney - The world has made it clear to Blake Lively that we'd rather just say no, thanks very much, right? That's what this news of her getting replaced by Rooney Mara in Steven Soderbergh's next move called The Side Effects, about a drugged-up girl and co-starring Channing Tatum (I'm starting to think SS and Chan are an item) and Jude Law, should be telling her right? Let's hope so. Yay Rooney! And by the way, I know this shocks none of you, but the more stand-offish and weird and annoying things that spill out of Mara's mouth, the more I like her. 

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Good Morning, World

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Some vintage pics of a very young Jude Law on the stage (via). He's 22 here, the play was called Indiscretions, and anybody who was there is an asshole. I say we demand a revival. I'm surprised I'd never posted any of these pictures before, though. Hrm. Anyway see a random assortment of a couple more pictures of Jude Law after the jump because why not he's Jude Law.

Good Morning, World

.

Some vintage pics of a very young Jude Law on the stage (via). He's 22 here, the play was called Indiscretions, and anybody who was there is an asshole. I say we demand a revival. I'm surprised I'd never posted any of these pictures before, though. Hrm. Anyway see a random assortment of a couple more pictures of Jude Law after the jump because why not he's Jude Law.