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Archive: August 2009 (381-386 of 386)

Aug 3 2009 08:21 AM ET

Clip du jour: Rachel Alexandra crushes the boys (again)!

Okay, Monday, give me your worst! Because, to quote the philosopher Matthew Wilder, “ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride…nobody’s gonna slow me down.” And what’s got me in such a Teflon mood, you might ask? Well, yesterday, I traveled down to Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., to see superfilly Rachel Alexandra overcome a sloppy track and annihilate a top-class field of colts (including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird) in the Haskell Invitational, making her 2 for 2 against the boys, 7 for 7 in 2009, and 10 for 13 lifetime. Press play below to see why the dark bay 3-year-old filly is racing’s one singular sensation. I can almost guarantee her combination of grace and horsepower will leave you pumping your fist like her ebullient jockey Calvin Borel, and make you impervious to the heinousness of the workday ahead!

Aug 2 2009 04:31 PM ET

Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, and Spike Jonze: What happens when Hollywood's dark and edgy auteurs mine childhood for its tragi-comic absurdity?

by Christine Spines

Tags: Kids' Corner, Movies, Waiting, Movies

The-Mad-Hatter Last week at Comic-con, audiences got their first glimpse of footage from director Spike Jonze’s big screen adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak’s bedtime staple about a naughty boy who travels to a land of hairy-toed beasts when he’s sent to his room with no dinner. The images were fierce and fanciful at the same time, and they drew gasps of joy and horror both in person and virtually once the stuff hit the web. Then, two days ago, the trailer for Wes Anderson’s stop-motion version of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox debuted, full of characters probing the nature of whether it’s okay to be the wild animals they are. The response was a similar chorus of rage and rhapsody. The same thing happened when Tim Burton revealed the first gothic and gruesome images (like this one, above, of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter) from his take on Alice in Wonderland. Step aside Disney, the outlaws are taking over childhood.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the juice-box set responds to such de-Disneyfied approaches to kids’ entertainment. I suspect — and hope — that kids will be excited and relieved to see movies that acknowledge the dark complexities of childhood. I mean, don’t kids deserve a little more meat to chew on than talking guinea pigs and chihuahuas? On the other hand, there are plenty of adults I know who have been waiting breathlessly for Tim Burton, Spike Jonze, and Wes Anderson to make another freaking movie and are kind of bummed that they’ll have to get their fix with a bunch of kids watching a wacko tea-party, a bratty kid swinging from trees, and beautifully-dressed rodents. What do you think? Are you interested in seeing these visionary directors’ childhood fantasies come to life on screen? Do you think it’s a good thing if kids’ movies become a little less happy-go-lucky?

Photo credit: Mary Ellen Mark

Aug 2 2009 03:11 PM ET

Happy 70th Birthday Wes Craven!

by Tim Stack

Tags: Television, Waiting, Television

Horror maestro Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Scream trilogy) turns 70 today and, as someone who saw the original Scream in the theaters at least 3 times and is just praying that the rumored Scream 4 will indeed happen, I’d just like to thank him for giving me so many nightmares (I mean that in a good way). Craven also is responsible for creating one of the most enduring characters in pop culture history: Freddy Krueger. Not to mention thrill rides like The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and, more recently, Red Eye. But, personally, there’s a special place in my heart for the Scream franchise. I loved all those movies and their pop culture savvy scripts by Kevin Williamson and Craven’s clever set pieces. So have a great day, Wes, and thanks for continually scaring the bejeesus out of me.

PopWatchers, do you have a favorite Craven movie? Do you love the Scream movies as much as me?

Aug 1 2009 01:04 PM ET

Adam Sandler: a loosey-goosey, late-night pro on 'Jimmy Fallon'

by Christine Spines

Tags: About Last Night, Channel Surfing, Late Night, About Last Night

When I heard Late Night with Jimmy Fallon had nabbed an interview with Adam Sandler, I gotta admit that part of me cringed. The thought of watching him play the bashful boy-man through ten minutes of awkward talk show banter filled me with dread. But Sandler — who isn’t just press shy, but a conscientious objector to the stuff — turned out to be graceful, open, and effortlessly funny. He was Gene Kelly out there: impossible to trip or fluster. Maybe it’s because he and Fallon are both SNL alums that Sandler was at ease. But it still surprised me that when Fallon asked him about his marriage, Sandler served up a charming anecdote about the anniversary cards he and his wife give each other — “Mine always begin with: I’m sorry!” His best bit was describing what its like to be a dad while also being famous: “When I take my kid to school, all the parents stop and stare. Some guy’s always saying ‘put out that joint!’ Now I gotta wear underwear with my sweatpants.” Who knew the unplugged Sandler could be so down-to-earth and I-wanna-have-a-beer-with-this-guy delightful?

Liam Neeson versus Antonio Banderas in 'The Other Man'

by Missy Schwartz

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies, Movies

“Losers are brilliant at making things pretty.” You don’t say! Gracias, Antonio Banderas for sharing that nugget of wisdom in the trailer for The Other Man, the new Liam Neeson movie due in theaters September 11. The busy clip — heated discussions over chess! speed-boat rides! a shoe factory! — gives us the sketch of the story: A married woman (Laura Linney) asks her husband (Neeson) if he ever wished he could sleep with someone else, which makes hubby suspicious and eventually, crazy jealous of the affair she had with an exotic foreigner who has strong opinions on, uh, those who never win (Banderas). Directed by Notes on a Scandal‘s Richard Eyre, The Other Man played at last year’s Toronto film fest, where it failed to make much of a splash. The general consensus was: hmm…great cast, but messy movie. (Variety sure wasn’t a fan.) The trailer succeeds in playing up the thriller aspect — hell hath no fury like an Irishman scorned! — but it seems unlikely the film will do business like Neeson’s recent surprise hit, Taken. Perhaps I’m underestimating the appeal of wife-snatching Spaniards named Rafe and impromptu waltzes among pink shoe boxes. Take a look at the trailer and weigh in: Will you go see The Other Man? And more importantly, if you had to choose between Banderas and Neeson, who’d it be? Me, I’m 100 percent Team Neeson.

Aug 1 2009 12:13 PM ET

Create a roller derby name on the 'Whip It' website—Mine is Diamond Princess Electra!

by Tim Stack

Tags: Movies, Ridiculata, Movies

Whip It derby Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It isn’t due in theaters until Oct. 9, but I’m already psyched for the roller derby flick. First of all, I’ve watched the trailer probably like 5 times. Second, the cast, including Ellen Page and Kristin Wiig, is fantastic. And third, the recently launched website has a cool little option where you can create your own roller derby name (the characters in the film have punny names like Smashley Simpson and Bloody Holly); it’s kind of like the old “What’s your porn name?” game. On the first attempt, the site deemed my roller derby tag “Carmen Troll” which, frankly, I found a little insulting. But on the second attempt, I landed “Diamond Princess Electra” which is sort of perfect. In fact, I might have all my EW bylines changed to that.