Honda Does Ferris Bueller Redux For Super Bowl

The Official Trailer For The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Released

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the Hollywood take):



Note that the browser might freeze for a moment while the video loads, but it doesn't seem to have any issues after. The trailer soundtrack includes Trent Reznor's take on the Led Zeppelin classic Immigrant Song, and we get quick glances at Mara Rooney's take on Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig playing Mikail Blomquist.

Earlier videos purporting to be the trailer have been pulled and differ slightly in content from this version. (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk)

RIP: Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Elizabeth Taylor passed away today at the age of 79. She was one of the last links to the glamorous Hollywood of decades long ago and made her reputation in such movies as Cleopatra and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf but her promising career took off after appearing in National Velvet as a 12-year-old in 1944.

From Cleopatra:


Taylor had long been fodder for the tabloids because of her multiple marriages to everyone from Richard Burton (twice) to Conrad Hilton and Eddie Fischer.

She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress. One was for her performance in Butterfield 8 in 1960, and the other was for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966.

A video tribute.

One thing I didn't know about her was that she had converted to Judaism in 1959.

While health issues slowed her in her later years, she became an ardent spokesperson for AIDS research, and counted Rock Hudson among her close friends.

Entertainers Now Realize Taking Money From Khadafi Was a Bad Thing?

It only takes a revolution and the deaths of thousands of Libyans at the hands of Mumar Khadafi's loyalists and mercenaries to get some Hollywood types to realize that taking money to perform for Khadafi and his family was a bad thing?

Carey accepted $1 million to perform for Qaddafi's son, Muatassim, Libya's national-security adviser, at a lavish New Year's Eve party on the Caribbean island of St. Barts in 2008; Beyoncé and Usher performed for an undisclosed sum on the island the following year. 50 Cent gave a performance before Muatassim at a 2005 film festival in Venice. Managers for Usher, 50 Cent and Carey declined comment, and Beyoncé's management, run by her father, Mathew Knowles, did not return phone calls. "They've done it for tons of artists," says a music-business source, referring to Muatassim's parties, which are often jammed with supermodels. "Those guys are all over the world."

Qaddafi’s record of brutality and terrorism during his 40-year reign is well-documented – his regime was linked to a 1986 Berlin disco bombing, causing the deaths of two American soldiers, and the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270. Late last month, Libya’s former justice minister told a Swedish newspaper that Qaddafi himself ordered the Pan Am bombing. Muatassim’s brother Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi recently warned Libyan protesters on state television to abandon the streets or face "rivers of blood."

All these entertainers knew full well that Khadafi was linked to terrorism, including the murder of 270 people in the Pan Am 103 bombing, and yet they saw a paycheck at the end of the day and took it.

They could have skipped the Khadafi entertainment parties without suffering any kind of repercussion on their careers, but instead took money from a totalitarian dictator.

Now, years later, they're facing calls to donate the money, and some are stepping forward to attempt to make amends. Nelly Furtado is saying that she's going to donate money since she performed for Khadafi and his clan in Italy and received $1 million for the 45 minute show.

They should never have taken the money in the first place, but the least they can do now is make sure that the money goes to humanitarian relief to assist those who are now being displaced by the fighting in Libya.

Now, some are going to defend these entertainers as not knowing who they were going to be performing for and that they find out about who was behind the concerts after the fact. I'm not sure that excuse quite cuts it - not when there are indications that at least some of those entertainers knew full well who was in the crowd and who was paying for the concerts.

Peter Jackson To Helm Hobbit Movies

The Hobbit, the JRR Tolkien novels that precede the timeline of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, continues to be held up because of ongoing trouble with MGM's possible sale (and which is also holding up the production of the next James Bond movie starring David Craig). Yet, Peter Jackson, the director who brought the Rings trilogy to the big screen to tremendous acclaim now looks like he's going to direct the Hobbit after all. (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk)

The delay meant that Guillermo del Toro couldn't stick around for the demanding two year movie shoot in New Zeeland.

Almost one month after Guillermo del Toro dropped out of directing The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is in talks to helm the two films in the franchise. While we wait for the studios involved or Jackson’s manager to confirm, there are lots of questions that remain before The Hobbit can actually begin production, let alone reach the big screen.

First, MGM, the debt-laden studio that owns 50 percent of the rights to the classic tale, is facing an uncertain future. The studio failed to attract bids high enough to satisfy its creditors during an auction earlier this year, and the latest plan may see Spyglass Entertainment running the studio in a prepackaged bankruptcy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Talks are continuing and no decision has yet been made, though some resolution is needed before the studio’s debt waiver expires in mid-July. Some Hollywood insiders question whether production could actually proceed if there’s a chance that those rights could wind up in bankruptcy court along with the rest of MGM’s assets (it’s the same reason why the Bond franchise is tied up since MGM owns half of those rights, too), but sources close to the Hobbit project insist that MGM’s financial woes aren’t a factor in this production.

A Heavy Metal Movie Review - Iron Man 2

The trailer is great, but it doesn't do justice to Iron Man 2. Movie critics have been mixed about the movie, and I'm not quite sure what they're watching.

This is a popcorn flick and a very enjoyable one at that. The story is more than sufficient to move things along and Robert Downey Jr., is just as manic as he was in the initial movie. While Don Cheadle steps into the role of Col. Rhodes for Terrence Howard, it is a pretty seamless transition. It was pretty big shoes to fill, but he manages to wear the War Hammer suit more than capably.

There's plenty of eye candy in the movie, and I'm not just talking the special effects as Scarlett Johansson doesn't disappoint. Her mysterious character has a real kick, while Samuel L. Jackson drops in for what amounts to more than a modest cameo appearance, but one that sets the stage for a whole load of sequels and spinoffs.

In fact, I'd suggest staying through to the end of the movie past the credit to ensure you catch the true ending.

Finally, Mickey Rourke does a great job as Whiplash and Tony Stark's nemesis in the movie, while Sam Rockwell plays a sleazy arms dealer who thinks that he can outwit Whiplash and Tony Stark all while getting what he wants.

New Oliver Stone Flick "W" Limps Into Fourth Place

So, how do you want your biased bio-pic served up? You want it served up as good news as "edged out for first place" or do you want the cold hard reality "fourth place behind Secret Life of Bees".

The cold hard reality is where the movie is stuck, and it's not going to get any better. It's heading towards oblivion as the fourth place movie in a soft week.

Movie-goers elected a "W,'' but it was Mark Wahlberg, not George W. Bush.

Wahlberg's action flick "Max Payne'' debuted with $18 million to outdo Oliver Stone's film biography of George W. Bush, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Stone's "W.'' actually ran fourth, opening with $10.6 million to finish behind the family comedy ``Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' (No. 2 with $11.2 million) and the chick flick "The Secret Life of Bees'' (No. 3 with $11.1 million).

"For me, an Oliver Stone film about George Bush doesn't necessarily scream big box office,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "A film like this is very tough to gauge, but this is exactly what I thought it would do.''

Lionsgate's "W.,'' starring Josh Brolin as Bush, came in well behind the $18.7 million debut of Stone's last movie, 2006's Sept. 11 saga "World Trade Center.'' That movie opened in nearly 3,000 theaters, about 900 more than "W.,'' however.

The movie is going to be heading towards oblivion, although I'm sure the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will be sending nominations towards the movie. It's pretty much inevitable.

Promises They Wont Keep: UPDATE: Joke On Us

Yet another Hollywood actor has come forward promising to leave the country if their preferred politician doesn't become President in November. This time, it's Alec Baldwin's brother Stephen who claims he'll leave if Sen. Barack Obama wins in November.

Well, his actor brother Stephen is a Republican. He says he doesn't understand why Americans care about celebrity endorsements.

But today he did make the same self-exile vow if Democrat Barack Obama is elected. The Ticket would never point out there are certain tax advantages to living abroad, not that that would ever figure into a wealthy celebrity's residential decisions.

Recall that Alec said he'd leave if President Bush won. He didn't. He wasn't the only Hollywood actor or actress to make that claim. And all of them still managed to stick around the States.

When will these Hollywood types learn that we simply don't care about their politics. Shut up and act (if they can). (HT: anonymous emailer)

UPDATE:
Here's the video in question. Note the video about 1:15 left. Baldwin crosses his finger. This is clearly a joke. And it's on all those other Hollywood types who complain that they'll leave the US if they don't have their politician elected.

Stan Winston Dies of Cancer at 62

If that's not a name that sounds familiar to you, then perhaps his work does.

The Wiz. Predator. Terminator. Jurassic Park. Aliens.

He was the man behind the special makeup effects that gave Arnold Schwarzenegger his menace in Terminator and brought all manner of creature to life in countless movies. For his achievements and advancements in technology, he won four Academy Awards.

"The entertainment industry has lost a genius, and I lost one of my best friends with the death Sunday night of Stan Winston," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Stan's work and four Oscars speak for themselves and will live on forever. What will live forever in my heart is the way that Stan loved everyone and treated each of his friends like they were family."

Winston won visual effects Oscars for 1986's "Aliens," 1992's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and 1993's "Jurassic Park." He also won a makeup Oscar for 1992's "Batman Returns."

Winston was nominated for his work on "Heartbeeps," "Predator," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman Returns," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "A.I." He last worked with director Jon Favreau on "Iron Man."

At the time of his death, Winston was in the process of transforming his physical makeup and effects studio into the new Winston Effects Group with a team of senior effects supervisors. Winton's most recent projects included "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," "G.I. Joe," "Shutter Island" and Cameron's "Avatar."

His lasting legacy in the industry is perhaps matched by the great Ray Harryhausen, who was a great source of inspiration.

Giddy For Che in Cannes

This is a surprisingly fair and balanced report from the Cannes Film Festival regarding the long awaited new Steven Soderbergh movie Che. It's in the New York Times no less:

The expectations surrounding “Che” could hardly have been higher. Mr. Soderbergh, surprise winner of the Palme d’Or in 1989 for “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” has emerged since then as one of the most protean and interesting of American filmmakers, exploring an astonishing range of genres and styles with consistent skill, intelligence and audacity. Not every movie has been great, but they have all been different. And not many directors would follow commercial froth like “Oceans Thirteen” with a digitally shot, Spanish-language epic about a Marxist militant.

In the weeks before this year’s competition slate was announced, “Che” was the center of much speculation. It was in; it was out; it wasn’t finished; it was two pictures; it was one. The version shown in the Lumière was a single movie, without opening titles or closing credits (so maybe not quite finished). There was an intermission, during which sandwiches were passed out to the hungry audience.

The halves of “Che” are mirror images. The first, though it flashes back to Guevara’s early acquaintance with Mr. Castro in Mexico and forward to his visit to New York for an appearance at the United Nations in 1964, is essentially the chronicle of a successful insurgency. It follows Mr. Castro, Guevara and their comrades from 1956 to 1959, through the stages of their war to overthrow the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, and it dwells less on their motives and personalities than on matters of military procedure. With impressive coherence and attention to tactical detail, Mr. Soderbergh shows how Mr. Castro’s initially tiny army fought its way down from the mountains of the Sierra Maestra and ultimately routed Batista’s forces.

The second half, devoted to the guerrilla campaign in Bolivia in 1967 that ended in Guevara’s death, is equally rigorous in its depiction of a failed revolt. Though Guevara tried, in a new context, to apply the strategic lessons of the Cuban revolution — concentrate on the countryside; cultivate popular support; maintain discipline and cohesion in the ranks — everything went wrong. And it turned out that Guevara’s adversaries, the Bolivian army and its American advisers, had learned a thing or two about how to wage an effective counterinsurgency.

There is a lot, however, that the audience will not learn from this big movie, which has some big problems as well as major virtues. In between the two periods covered in “Che,” Guevara was an important player in the Castro government, but his brutal role in turning a revolutionary movement into a dictatorship goes virtually unmentioned. This, along with Benicio Del Toro’s soulful and charismatic performance, allows Mr. Soderbergh to preserve the romantic notion of Guevara as a martyr and an iconic figure, an idealistic champion of the poor and oppressed. By now, though, this image seems at best naïve and incomplete, at worst sentimental and dishonest. More to the point, perhaps, it is not very interesting.

Once again, Hollywood looks to cash in on the Marxist murderous bastard who aided Castro in his takeover of Cuba, and who sought to overthrow the Bolivian government. In between, he was responsible for murdering hundreds of people, and brought misery to much of Latin America in the process.

The fascination and glamorization of Che is a blot on Hollywood, if they cared about such things.

Hollywood Hypocrites

None of this is shocking to say the least, as a Daily Mail report notes the Hollywood hypocrites who say that they're out to save the planet, but whose jet-setting ways spew forth thousands of times the amount of greenhouse gases as the average Joe.

I'd suggest that the Daily Mail piece doesn't go nearly far enough. For people like Leonardo DiCaprio, who claims to have gone green with his home purchases, one has to wonder just how green it is to have multiple homes - and multiple vehicles. To produce those homes it takes a whole lot of carbon emissions, and the carbon tithing offsets are nothing so much as a scam to make it appear that they're doing something to save the planet when they in actuality do nothing more than line the pockets of the shysters who run those scams - and that includes none other than Al Gore.

Speaking of the former Vice President, he was no where on that list, despite his own jet setting ways. He's taken private jets to fly to Bali and to receive his Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo when he could have just as easily teleconferenced to participate. If he really thought the problem was so serious, he should start making real sacrifices, but that isn't going to happen because there's a trip to exotic and remote destinations to be had.

Off Key

Once again, a Hollywood entertainer decides that they're convinced that a government conspiracy is out to get a group of people. In this case, Alicia Keys had decided that the government is behind gangsta rap in order to kill blacks.

Keys told Blender magazine, "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. 'Gangsta rap' didn't exist."

Keys also said that the feud between Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. was fueled "by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing."

Keys said that she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead."

(The Blender article is only partially available and her comments about rap aren't included in the free area.) Never mind that gang violence was a massive problem in the African American community well before gangsta rap was even around. Gangsta rap developed as a result of gang members in those already affected communities writing and rapping about their experiences. It resonated with many in the African American community much to the chagrin of family groups that saw it as yet another manifestation of the degradations and disintegration imposed on African American families by fellow African Americans. The East-West coast battles between competing rap group affiliations didn't need government intervention. They were extensions of the gang affiliations of the various individuals and groups involved, combined with business interests in expanding their power base in Hollywood.

None of that matters much to Keys, who will continue to believe what she wants to believe, regardless of its veracity. It's so much easier for her (like many) to blame the government for what ails the African American community rather than to see that many of the problems are self-inflicted and the government programs that were initially meant to help people have been counterproductive.

A Can't Miss Movie?

Since the first trailer for the movie Ironman premiered, I thought this movie would be good. My opinion has changed.

It's going to seriously rock. Each new trailer builds on the earlier one with another glimpse into the world of Tony Stark, ably played by Robert Downey Jr., who appears to be a natural for the role.

Dr. Jones Returns

The latest teaser trailer is out for the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The movie hits theaters May 22.

UPDATE:
This fan-made trailer echoes many of the same themes, including revisiting the earlier movies.

Heath Ledger Found Dead in SoHo At Age 28

Another young actor lost way too early. Heath Ledger was found dead earlier today at the age of 28 in a New York City apartment in SoHo. Some reports indicated he was found with sleeping pills at his bedside and others suggest suicide, although the latest reports suggest he was suffering from pneumonia. I'm going to wait on the toxicology and pathology reports. The NYC Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy tomorrow.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends, who apparently found out about his death from media reports.

He's most famous role to date was in Brokeback Mountain, which won him tremendous acclaim. However, his last role is one that had him take the iconic Joker to places never before seen in the Batman sequel The Dark Knight:

Academy Award Nominations Made But Does Anyone Care?

After the Golden Globes went missing in action as a result of the WGA strike, is anyone outside of Hollywood actually following the nominations or looking forward to the Academy Awards show (if there even is one?)

Of the movies up for awards, I can say that I've seen only one:

Ratatouille.

That's it. I haven't seen any of the best picture nominees. I don't think I have any interest in seeing them either. I've heard that Atonement is pretty good as is Sweeney Todd. Okay. Fine. I like Johnny Depp's acting chops, so if he wins fine. If Daniel Day Lewis wins I wouldn't be shocked.

I guess there was one surprise though - an Israeli movie, Beaufort, got chosen as a Best Foreign Film nominee.

Star Trek Teaser Released

JJ Abrams is going to have one heck of a year. He's starting the year with a bang. Cloverfield, which opens today, is an Abrams production and the reviews have been pretty good so far.

He's going to end it with a new Star Trek movie, which includes some of the characters we've come to love, including Kirk, Spock and the gang on the original series - with new actors assuming those roles. I'm sure a whole lot of Trekkies out there are looking forward to it and a built in fanbase is sure to come out for it given it has been a few years since a good Trek movie came out - First Contact being the last.

The teaser itself isn't exactly one to rave about, so I hope that the later releases bring it.

Steroids: Not Just For Baseball Players

As a result of Albany County District Attorney David Soares investigations into the illegal sales of steroids and human growth hormones, he's figured prominently in shaping the Mitchell Report that outlines steroid use in Major League Baseball. However, it wasn't just baseball players who were busy pumping up.

Apparently, the need was quite apparent for several entertainers, including Sylvester Stallone, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef John, Timbaland, 50 Cent, and Tyler Perry.

The need to show off rock hard abs and toned bodies is pervasive in the entertainment industy, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that some are looking to find shortcuts or enhancements to their daily regimes.

What McCain-Feingold Has Wrought

It has meant that judges now get to determine what is political speech and what isn't. Here, they've decided that a film about Hillary Clinton is campaign advertising subject to McCain Feingold. The film happens to be anti-Hillary.

The early reviews are in, and three federal judges appeared in agreement Wednesday that a movie lambasting Hillary Clinton seemed an awful lot like a 90-minute campaign advertisement.

Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group, is challenging the nation's campaign finance laws, which require disclaimers on political advertisements and restrict when they can be broadcast. The group argues "Hillary: The Movie" and related television advertisements are not political advertising even though the New York senator is in the presidential race.

Attorney James Bopp argued that they should be considered "issue- oriented" speech because viewers aren't urged to vote for or against the Democrat.

"What's the issue?" asked Judge A. Raymond Randolph, a federal appeals judge sitting on a mixed panel to review the case.

"That Hillary Clinton is a European Socialist," Bopp replied. "That is an issue."

"Which has nothing to do with her campaign?" U.S District Judge Royce C. Lamberth interjected.

"Not specifically, no," Bopp replied.

"Once you say, 'Hillary Clinton is a European Socialist,' aren't you saying vote against her?"

Bopp disagreed because the movie did not use the word "vote."

"Oh, that's ridic...," Lamberth said, trailing off and ending the line of questioning.

Under campaign finance laws, Citizens United would be required to disclose its funding for the ads. It would also have to disclose donors and pay the costs of airing it on cable television from a political fund.

The movie is scheduled for two screenings in theaters, once each in California and Washington. It is also being sold on DVD. Neither of those methods are regulated under campaign laws. The advertisements, however, are scheduled to run during the peak presidential primary season and would be regulated.

Of course, you remember that Michael Moore purposefully released Farenheit 9/11 right before the 2004 elections, and yet that was okay. I'd say that there's a double standard if this film gets restricted, but that's the court system for you - it's all about your venue. That too is a flaw in McCain Feingold, which places far too much power in the courts and tramples all over the First Amendment.

You do remember the First Amendment, don't you? It is straight forward with respect to what Congress can or cannot do:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

What part of Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech did McCain and all the other lemmings who approved this bill not understand?

McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform, which has done nothing to actually reduce the amount of money in politics, has created an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. The First Amendment was specifically written by the Founding Fathers with political speech in mind, and yet Congress approved it, President Bush signed it into law, and the Courts approved it. Just because they approved the law doesn't make it right - just look at how the Courts had no problem approving Dred Scott and separate but equal laws until Brown v. Board of Education and its progeny.

The fact that the courts get to decide whether something is political speech or not is abhorrent to the US Constitution and should be abhorrent to anyone who seeks to uphold the Constitution and the First Amendment.

We now have to live with the repercussions of this abomination, and I hope that the courts realize that they're supposed to uphold the Constitution of the United States and strike down this repellant law.

Peter Jackson To Produce Hobbit Movies

Peter Jackson, the celebrated director of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, has reconciled with New Line Cinemas and will serve as executive producer for a pair of movies based on JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.

No director has been named for the project, but this means that the movies will get done and Tolkien fans will get their dose of Bilbo Baggins after all.