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4 Favorite Earth Day Films
// April 22, 2009 by jlichman[current 89984532]
You may be aware that today is the opening of the 7th annual Tribeca Film Festival Earth Day. For all your environmental needs, keep track with Current_Green on Twitter and at Current.com/Green throughout the day. But more importantly, it made us think about our favorite "green" films. So without further ado, we present to you a list of films you should consider while celebrating the opening of the Tribeca Film Festival Earth Day.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
[youtube E-3fvGHci5A]
Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno, the film is a hodge podge of hippie-dom when Godzilla (everyone's favorite foil for nuclear holocaust) must step up to battle the alien Hedorah who feeds off pollution and gives off all sorts of bad things. This somehow damages everyone's favorite nuclear monster, but the Big Green Guy wins in the end.
Famously, this features the only time when Godzilla actually flies; not to mention psychedelia and an anti-pollution march in the park that gets busted up by the bad guy.
Banno also has the honor of being labeled "the man who ruined Godzilla" by series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka.
WALL-E (2008)
[youtube NilPlVEo-bw]
A wondrous animated joint that takes place in the far-future where humanity has become fat and left Earth to the care of a square little box-bot whose sole purpose is to look cute and lightly bash our brains in using the timed-and-true Pixar motif of metaphor. Wall-E teaches us to care for our planet, our bodies and that even if you're the dumpy-looking thing, you can still score with the sleek and sexy Apple product if you like Hello Dolly.
Spirited Away (2001)
[youtube 6az9wGfeSgM]
It is almost impossible to think about environmental causes without Hayao Miyazaki's works, including Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. But his 2001 fantasy tale involving Chichiro, who loses her "name" in order to rescue her parents, takes a Miyazaki staple and "humanizes" the spirits that have been decimated by modernization and pollution.
The Happening (2008)
[youtube lt5e5axzKBA]
The Earth decides to kill everone using wind. So, stop being so dirty. Happy Earth Day. -
Not Not How A Song About Shade Tippin' Is Born
// April 22, 2009 by jlichman[current 89987761]
We won't tell you how we got our hands on this footage or where it's exactly from. But if you were to expect a song about the fine art of shade tipping at some point on The Rotten Tomatoes Show, then this would be how the magic starts: when Jonah Ray and Brett Erlich get together with an acoustic guitar and a flickr album. -
Back To Bloggin' On Wednesday
// April 20, 2009 by jlichman[youtube ntY01qoIdus]
Until then, give a gander at this trailer submitted by Pericles_Lewnes Current.com/Movies and Current.com/IndieFilm. The film takes a look at Ray Kurzweil, a noted futurist who believes we're at the dawning of the age of spiritual machines. It's even his book's title and was made into a concept album by Canadian alt arena rockers Our Lady Peace.
The film premieres later this week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
We've had a fun beta run with you all, but it's time to get serious on the web. We'll be bringing you more posts from The Rotten Tomatoes Show team, highlighting what users are talking about on the Movies Channel and bring you our own dash of perspective to it all.
After all, on the Internet, everyone is right! And wrong.
On that note, play me off Keyboard Cat!
[youtube 2ndx_IdlUQU]
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The Rotten Tomatoes Show, Episode 7: Observe and Report , Gigantic and Hannah Montana: The Movie
// April 17, 2009 by jlichman[current 89975176]
On this episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show, Brett and Ellen review Observe and Report, the indie film Gigantic and the not-so-indie-much-more-tweeny Hannah Montana: The Movie featuring webcam reviews from users, comedians and film writers like Karina Longworth, Alonzo Duralde, Tricia Olszewski and Vadim Rizov.
That aside:
- Brett explains why malls will kill you.
- Crank 2: High Voltage actress Bai Ling gives us her Top 5 favorite roles.
- Ellen has a secret movie confession.
- And we present the lost art of the spit take.
So watch and learn, Internet people! And if you really want to, watch the whole episode here. -
We're Watching: Robin Leach Beg.
// April 16, 2009 by jlichman[youtube 8c9W8MpMSnU]
Yes--that's Robin Leach. And yes, he reuses the old line from that TV show that made it possible for MTV Cribs to exist.
He is schilling for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine world premiere that Hugh Jackman offered on YouTube.
Yes, Virginia, you should mark your town with an X and maybe Hugh Jackman will appear.
And maybe you should tell him how much you loved the original cut of the movie. We hear he loves that. -
Why We Want A Phillips Flatscreen TV
// April 16, 2009 by jlichman -
We're Watching: Town Creek Footage
// April 15, 2009 by jlichman[vimeo 4168898]
It's hard to say what exactly is going on in these supposedly leaked dailies from Joel Schumacher's Town Creek, which IMDB has the plot as "A man and his brother on a mission of revenge become trapped in a harrowing occult experiment dating back to the Third Reich."
Which sounds awesome.
Both Movieline and /Film call shenanigans when it comes to exactly how these dailies wound up online. But we too are floored by the desolation, the framing and the fact that Dominic Purcell and Michael Fassbender are in this.
It's just too bad that Harry Knowles and Hugh Jackman are so anti-effective viral leaking these days. Well, now that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is getting positive word.
update: Agent Orange writes in below to remind us:
a) we are bad linkers and should've noted it started at Quiet Earth.
b) since he found them, it was not a planned leak. Right? Just lying around on the Internet waiting for someone to link to it.
update 2: it's been removed from the Internets! What a plesant way to whet our appetites, Joel. Send us a trailer soon! -
Great Moments in Internet Commenting: "this is for samcg."
// April 15, 2009 by jlichman
81 # SAMcq says:
April 15, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Okay, this is getting slightly ridiculous. Eric writes a brilliant review for a D+ movie (and that's definitely what it deserves) and people start bashing him for being mean to the children for telling them that Disney channel sucks.
Well surprise everyone, but the disney channel sucks. Even though it's definitely "made for kids," the writers at disney who are coming up with ridiculous shows like hannah montana are not positively contributing to society by providing this brainwashing trash.
I'm not saying people who watch hannah montana are stupid, i'm saying people who watch it are steadily becoming less intelligent. And what morals or values does it teach kids anyway? That adults are stupid? Even as a teenager, it was appalling to me to see how disney channel portrays grown-ups so idiotically in shows like hannah montana, the suite life of zack and cody, and so on. It's time to find better entertainment for the children in america. Though it might be entertaining to young children who don't actually care what's happening on the screen, it's imperative that children do NOT get the message that life is actually how it's portrayed by the disney channel. Adults aren't clowns in the real world and society isn't as idiotic as hollywood says so. If anything the disney channel is only portraying the faulty type of life that exists within the corrupt spheres of hollywood and the media, NOT real life.
Anyone who doesn't agree with me needs to watch one or two episodes and the movie and see if you can prove me otherwise.
Additionally, not only are the adults in hannah montana portrayed as stupid, but so is society. That, or Miley has a truly magical blond wig. Apparently the only people who are intelligent enough to think for themselves or consider multiple points of view are the teenagers and tweens, which is absolutely backwards. Now teenagers aren't exactly clueless, but the teen years are definitely a critical time for individual learning and development of character. Teenagers don't know everything about life yet because they haven't had enough time to experience it, which is why parents and other adults exist. Adults aren't ignorant of a teenager's feelings or problems, and society isn't as idiotic as the disney channel expects us to believe.
Again, i'm not trying to say that everyone who watches or enjoys hannah montana is stupid. That's not true. Children are perfectly entitled to watch a D+ movie like hannah montana and thoroughly enjoy it. However, when a kid is old enough and smart enough to interpret the plot and rhetorical purpose of their entertainment, it's time to switch to something a lot less superficial and shallow. Hannah montana may be great for small kids, but for tweens? One has to wonder.
82. # kacy says:
April 15, 2009 at 1:46 pm
this is for samcg.
i am 18 years old and i consider myself old anough and i think that the ****** you wrote is stupid i see mothing wrong with the script of hannah montana i find it very amousing and i have watched all episode of the show and the movie 3 times alraidy and i have not became less inteligent i did 3 years ONLY in high school and i attend chapel hill and is recieving all As in my class and i dont think you or anyone else in the world consider that to be not inteligent and iam more than a tween iam an adult.
[via @Eric D. Snider] -
Why We Like: Jason Statham
// April 15, 2009 by jlichman[youtube J1VZsOjN8Ok]
Most know Jason Statham for his ability to instantly make any film incredible, but few are aware the man can actually--when he wants to--act. The Reeler spoke to Statham a while back with the idea that maybe it was time for him to continue the break-out work that got him noticed in Snatch.
"It's nice to branch out...I don't want to put the same record on the record player. People get too tired of that; it's like eating the same food for dinner every day. It gets bland. For the sake of my own interests and the sake of expanding on my ability as an actor, I want to do roles like this and roles like London but not forget the bread and butter for me and the stuff that plays to a different strength of mine. That's the action genre, and I love that, and I've always loved it."
Of course, Statham was talking about his then-recent release The Bank Job. This was followed by clearly meaty thespian roles he found inDeath Race, Transporter 3 and now this Friday with the release of Crank: High Voltage. At the same time, he has made a complete mockery of his action roles by showing up as a bit cameo in The Pink Panther remake to simply be shot.
The shocking trick with Statham is that he is utterly captivating, whether it is running around shirtless covered in oil or--in the clip above--with a full head of hair as he comes to terms with being so "masculine." He has a keen eye and a sense of self that comes across in his roles that allow the viewer to understand that they are watching something horribly gaudy. But at the same time, it is earnest and clearly he is vested in the role--even as the overtly pushed Ladies Man of The Italian Job remake, Jason Statham is perfect driving in fast cars and charming those around him.
To be quite frank, we're the most excited about him participating in 13, Géla Babluani's remake of his 2005 film 13 Tzameti. Sure, it may involve a gun and countless games of Russian Roulette, but it'll bring us something even better: Statham's wild intensity that is usually wasted on over-the-top action sequences instead of the close-quarters sequences where he once dominated in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. -
Today's Triple Feature: Screw Seth Rogen, Lars and the real Anti Christ and Statham Embaressed 'Bout Nudity
// April 14, 2009 by jlichman
Screw Seth Rogen submitted by louistriker
Well. You read the title.
New Trailer for Lars Von Treier's Anti Christ submitted by JCollier:
Lars von Trier's horror film by way of so-called psychological thriller sure looks...formulaic.
[vimeo 4062069]
Yes, it looks weird. But not that weird from one of the co-founders of Dogme95.
Statham 'Embarrassed' Over Sex Scene submitted by Slick.
[youtube 6aYRwh6yf2M]
Less embarrassing than this? We thinks not, Jason. We thinks not.
(Ok, we can't tell who that bald muscle man dancing near-naked is. But you can dream, avid Internet reader. You can dream.]
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We're Watching: The Terminators
// April 14, 2009 by jlichmanIf you're not familiar with Asylum, boy are you missing out. The low-fi, "low-budget" crew gets most of its' profits from making straight-to-video and Sci-Fi SyFy Film premieres based off upcoming blockbusters. Maybe you've heard of a little ditty called Snakes on a Train or AVH: Alien vs. Hunter? Even H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds?
Of course you have.
The latest from our favorite crew that takes CGI-mastery to an all new (lower) level is...The Terminators.
[youtube MrImaVAWoAs]
via Twitch. -
Today's Triple Feature: Zac Efron is Jonny Quest , Mel Gibson and Zombies the New Vampires? (No.)
// April 13, 2009 by jlichmanWelcome to the Working Week!
Helping you to transition in, we look at three of the stories that happened across Current.com/Movies:
'Jonny Quest' Gets Zac Efron, but loses Name? submitted by Kid_Amy
Yet another childhood cartoon property may make the transition to the big screen, and yet again it is possibly riding on the back of Zac Efron. But eerily coming on the heels of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's comment that the film would take a "different direction," LA Times' Hero Complex reports that the Jonny Quest film may get a different title.
Which makes, uh, sense? We think?
Mel Gibson's Wife Wants a Divorce submitted by smurph25
Kinda self-explanatory. Of course, TMZ later updated their original post to mention the couple have been separated for two and a half years. In other BREAKING NEWS Fast & Furious made a lot of money on its' opening weekend and now has begun the slow climb down the charts.
Zombies Are The New Vampries submitted by Melk
To be fair, as Delia the Artist points out in a comment, "Aren't vampires technically a form of Zombie since they are 'undead'?"
Otherwise, it's the start of baseball season! And you should celebrate properly by watching The Rotten Tomatoes Show's Fantasy Baseball Movie All-Stars:
[current 89957867]
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We're Watching: The Water, Chapter One
// April 13, 2009 by jlichmanWe kind of have an obsessive crush when it comes to all things related to a Ms. Leslie Feist--it started with her appearence on Seasme Street--and it only continues now that she is the subject of a 15-minute(!!?!) short film based off her song The Water. In it, she comes back as a frozen water mummy to spend fleeting moments with her husband (David Fox) and son (Cillian Murphy).
Sure, it's directed by Kevin Drew (you know, Broken Social Scene?) and featured on Pitchfork, but this short film harkens back to the days of epic music videos that managed to create a sense of story and plot rather than just being a three-minute ode to Pepsi placement and an excuse to bring Serra Paylin back to the screen. Loosely, the father and son drag a body from a frozen lake, only to reveal it's in fact Feist! Then comes a lot of gazing across landscapes, wistful smoking and wearing those tiny jackets that can't really keep people warm but they get worn anyway.
That said--we can appreciate the bleakness of the Canadian woods or whatever, but 10 minutes is a long time to be watching this and expecting a Feist song. So clearly we're about to watch it again--this time the shorter 5 min version. But you should watch the full-length version at Pitchfork, which is only up for one week.
[youtube z0SgWujjStQ]
[via Vulture, Stereogum] -
Boom Boom Clap Battle!
// April 13, 2009 by jlichmanMaybe you saw Hannah Montana: The Movie this weekend, since it was the Number One Film after all. But if you're like our intrepid co-hosts Brett and Ellen, you came in to this office this morning forcing everyone to learn the opening to the Hoedown Throwdown--or, as I refer to it, the "BOOM BOOM CLAP" song.
This lead me on an intrepid search across the Internet for the video and full song, so I could have an excuse to watch this devil video all the way through.
And then I came across this:
[youtube C9ufkynxgNQ]
"Boom, Boom, Clap" by Crooked I.
Then a song-to-krump-by:
[youtube mK-SYLYLJJM]
from the Krump Kings.
So in closing: Miley Cyrus is just the latest in an already ongoing trend about booming, clapping and keeping our office crunk as a skunk.
[youtube m_aRYNHjFr4]
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Today's Triple Feature: Kal Penn switches House(s), Up Making Money and OMGSTARTREKOMG
// April 07, 2009 by jlichman[current 89941532]
Kal Penn Joins White House Staff submitted by Joshua Heller
All the Harold and Kumar jokes aside, Penn is joining the White House as associate director of the Public Liason. Basically acting as outreach, Penn will become the public face--well, one of many--for the new administration and it isn't a bad choice if we may say so, as we fondly remember Penn holding court this time last year at the White House Correspondents Dinner after-party.
(We, of course, were serving drinks and cocktail weenies.)
Pixar’s Art Leaves Profit Watchers Edgy submitted by St_Alia_10191
We are all excited for Pixar's next film, Up. But fiancers and economists are hoping the animated feature is as big a commercial success as it would be an artistic one.
The New Star Trek is a Corker! submitted by JakeWhiteman
If you hadn't heard already, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek screened last night during Fantastic Fest in Austin at what was supposed to be Star Trek II: Wraith Of Khan. Instead...well, here:
[youtube ScDgaZRR7i8]
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This Week's 3 Word Reviews and DVD Haiku Reviews: Fast & Furious , The Spirit and More!
// April 06, 2009 by jlichman[current 89941569]
Have you noticed that our segments for Three Word Reviews and Haiku Reviews tend to have submissions from people who don't work on the show?
That's because we need your ideas! Right now we need 3 Word Reviews for this week's Top 5 at the Box Office:
- Fast & Furious
- Monsters vs. Aliens
- The Haunting in Connecticut
- Knowing
- I Love You, Man
And to get a leg up, DVD Haiku Reviews for next week:
The Spirit
or
The Reader
Submit them to us via comments and twitter (@current_movies, @bretterlich or @ellenfox)! -
Today's Triple Feature: 50 Greatest Finishing Moves, Viggo Goes Bye Bye and new Rotten Tomatoes Show!
// April 03, 2009 by jlichmanThe 50 Greatest Movie Finishing Moves submitted by Jake Whiteman
Lists power and fuel the Internet, and this one is no exception from Empire Online. Capped off at #50 by Big Trouble in Little China we have to say, we totally didn't expect the Number One "Finisher" to be so...surprising for what it was. But if you're an action fan, or have seen most flicks in the last 30 years regarding violence, you'll know nearly every scene on here.
Viggo Mortensen Bids Farewell to the Big Screen submitted by BearGrylls
This is why you shouldn't want to make a sequel to Eastern Promises.
And finally, a brand new episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show!
[current 89939465]
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Today's Triple Feature: Red-Band Bruno, British Domestic Violence PSA and a (new) EVA Trailer
// April 02, 2009 by jlichmanWe're a few hours away from tonight's brand new episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show and it only seems appropriate that we mark our favorite posts of the day from Current Movies. Without further ado, our three favorite clips today:
Red Band Trailer for Bruno submitted by Nettle:
via FirstShowing, the latest from Sacha Baron Cohen is online and all set for making fun of homophobia, masculinity, America and the ancient art of dildo fighting. We admit, the trailer had a bit more down than up in terms of laughing out loud, but think about the Borat trailer when we first heard about it--it didn't even mention the bear in an ice cream truck.
But we're not looking forward the scores of kids running around major cities talking about dildo self-defense. Sorry, Sacha, but sometimes you're too effective for your own good.
Keira Knightley stars in domestic violence cinema ad submitted by smurph25:
Barely two minutes long, this clip is one of the most sobering things you'll watch for a long time.
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance trailers streamed by Yahoo submitted by Current89:
For the anime fan in all of us. If you're in the Los Angeles area, 1.0 will screen on April 10th.
And our geek favorite from Delia the Artist, who gives us her top 10 comic-to-film picks and the awesome debate that continues in the comments.
But there's so much more going on Current Movies, so remember to submit and make sure you're not entering any duplicates. Otherwise, tune in tonight for The Rotten Tomatoes Show at 10:30 pm and remember to submit your webcam reviews to us for Adventureland, Sugar and Fast & Furious! -
Rules of The Rotten Easter Egg Game
// March 31, 2009 by jlichmanSo, as you may have seen on our twitter, we're trying out a little trivia game for the next few weeks. Before each episode, we'll be updating all of our tweet-feeds and here on the blog with random hints that'll be scattered throughout--while some are blatantly obvious--others aren't.
We're looking for a specific director, film or actor that will be related to one of the three films we're reviewing on the show this week. But the majority of the clues will be found at @current_movies , and you should send your guesses there too. Or leave them in the comments if you're feeling particularly confident.
We give you delicious hints on Twitter & in the actual Rotten Tomatoes on Current TV show (Thursdays at 10:30pm on Current TV). Hints & references in the TV show will be sly, hidden, crafty. Our hosts Brett & Ellen are checking your TV viewing intellect, dammit.
So: check our tweets daily, look for clues in the show itself, tweet your guesses while watching, or anytime.
Each week's answer will be announced after the Rotten Tomatoes Show airs with a brief reason why we chose it, and we'll praise and laude whoever can figure it out before hand to make you the official "COOLEST FILM TRIVIA PERSON ON THE INTERNET EVER."
For this first game, we're looking for a specific FILM.
And to help, your third OBVIOUS HINT: It involves...a monster. Sort of. Technically it wouldn't be one, but they've been used before. -
Welcome to the Current Movies Blog!
// March 26, 2009 by jlichman
Hey, Internet! Welcome to the official blog for Current Movies, home of all things related to cinema, film, flicks and--of course--featuring The Rotten Tomatoes Show, which airs every Thursday night at 10:30 pm.
We're into all of the good stuff that goes into being a fan of the multiplex or a card-carrying member of the local restoration theater. But more than anything, we rely on what you think is the most important film-related news, lists, pics, videos or god knows what else happens to be floating around the Internet. And it's easy to share it with us!
First, go to Current.com/Movies and login (take a minute to register if you haven't). Then browse through the new and popular clips to get a sense of what's happening in the community. You can clip links, webcams or any image if you want to--and as long as it is film related--so the rest of us can see it, weigh in and start a discussion.
You can also find full episodes of The Rotten Tomatoes Show, submit webcam reviews, 3 Word Reviews, DVD Haikus and even follow us on twitter.
You can also keep track of Rotten Tomatoes Show hosts Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox, not to mention our friends at Rotten Tomatoes.
And if we like what you submit, we'll make sure to feature it so the rest of the Current community can see what's important in our little cinematic corner of the Internet.
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Each day, we ask the Current community one burning question to get your take on important, controversial or interesting topics. See what's there now. -
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