Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox
It looks like Chinese schools don’t teach the adage “Look, but don’t touch”: Nude scenes of Kate Winslet posing for a drawing in Titanic 3D have been banned in Chinese theaters for fear that moviegoers will reach out with their hands in attempts to touch certain body parts prominently displayed onscreen, according to Chinese website Offbeat China. READ FULL STORY »
Titanic is a fantastic technical achievement, a moving love story, and a surprisingly durable cultural force — even though a ton of people claim to hate it. That being said, I think we can all agree that James Cameron’s masterpiece could stand to be just a little more awesome.
For example: What if instead of wading through chest-deep, ice-cold water, Jack and Rose had to flee from Imperial Stormtroopers? And wouldn’t a giant Kraken be a better villain than an immobile iceberg? (Icebergs don’t even have tentacles!) Oh, and what about lens flares and explosions? Like, a ton of lens flares and explosions?
Enter “Titanic Super 3-D,” a fake trailer for yet another vision of 1998′s Best Picture winner — only this time, the film’s been enhanced by box-office pros George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Bay. Though the hypothetical experience borrows a bit from the very real, very ridiculous Titanic 4DX, the video’s best moments come when it pokes fun at those three filmmakers. (All the Bay portion is missing is a puffy-lipped lingerie model.) Check out the trailer below, then confess: You’d totally see this movie, wouldn’t you? READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Adam Rose/ FOX
Bookended by Easter and Tax Day, the week in between has some lighter fare to keep you busy. From a new episode of Glee to a zillion Titanic-themed shows, to narrowing down the Idol finalists, take a peek and start programming your DVR. Have a great week!
SUNDAY
GCB, ABC 9p.m.
Happy Easter! The ladies of GCB sure know how to make a stir – with back-to-back new episodes.
Check out a sneak peek of one of the new shows here, where Cricket and Blake decide there’s no way a liberal is worthy of carrying their baby.
MONDAY
Dancing with the Stars, ABC 8p.m.
The latest live show Dancing with the Stars features a performance by Detroit rockers KISS and the dances will be set to rock songs. Think the teams will have to paint their faces in tribute?
TUESDAY
Glee, FOX 8p.m.
Bonus: Albert Nobbs available on VOD
Glee is back! I have had the clip of Blaine (Darren Criss) and his brother, guest star Matt Bomer (White Collar) singing Gotye on repeat all week, so it’s a good thing the show is finally back so I can stop driving my officemates crazy. After the cliffhanger mid-season, I can’t wait to see waht will happen as the McKinley kids barrel towards graduation
Also on Tuesday, gender-bending drama Albert Nobbs, which earned Glenn Close and Janet McTeer Oscar nominations, is available on Video on Demand more than a month before its DVD release.
WEDNESDAY
American Idol, Fox 8p.m.
And then there were seven. The remaining finalists take the stage on American Idol as we head towards the finale. This week they perform songs from this decade, which I’m assuming means 2002-2012 – let’s just hope we’re done with the Adele covers.
THURSDAY
Private Screenings, TCM 9 p.m.
To kick off the annual TCM Classic Film Festival, the channel’s Private Screenings series will feature Liza Minelli talking about her life and career. The fest, which takes place over four days in Hollywood, is premiering a new remastered version of Cabaret as well as favorites like Funny Face, Frankenstein, and The Thomas Crowne Affair.
FRIDAY
Cabin in the Woods opens in theaters
Perfectly timed for Friday the 13th, Drew Goddard’s directorial debut Cabin in the Woods opens in theaters. Try not to read any spoilers before you go – the twist is worth the wait!
SATURDAY
Titanic miniseries, ABC 8 p.m.
The ill-fated Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk 100 years ago this week, and several networks are commemorating the event, but none with more fanfare than the Julian Fellowes-helmed Titanic two-part series on ABC. The Downton Abbey creator dramatized the story of ship’s crew and its passengers. Part two culminates the series on Sunday at 9 p.m.
SUNDAY
Girls premiere, HBO 10:30p.m.
Lena Dunham made her name with a film that premiered at SXSW in 2010, Tiny Furniture. Now she’s back, starring in and directing a show backed by Judd Apatow about the very real stories of a down-to-earth group of young women living in New York City. Be prepared to cringe, cry, and laugh – not necessarily in that order.
Image Credit: Everett Collection
(The following sentence should be read in a deep, sonorous, Don LaFontaine-esque voice.) In a world…where three dimensions are not enough… one South Korean company is taking movie-going…to the next level. [Cue "O Fortuna."]
The company: CJ 4DPlex Co., which almost certainly boasts an all-robot staff. The movie: Titanic, of course. As millions of Americans drink in the sights and sounds of James Cameron’s masterpiece in just three lousy Ds, their thrill-seeking brethren in South Korea, Mexico, China, and Thailand will be enjoying Titanic in 4DX.
But what, exactly, does that mean? And are tesseracts involved? READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Merie W. Wallace
When Titanic hit theaters the weekend of December 19, 1997, it only grossed $3 million more than the week’s other big release. That movie was Tomorrow Never Dies, which almost immediately killed the post-Goldeneye buzz of the Pierce Brosnan Bond era. The only other big release that weekend was Mouse Hunt, the third straight sad-trombone opening from DreamWorks SKG, which in 1997 was still trying to be a real studio (largely because they hadn’t yet discovered the winning formula of “Making Shrek sequels + Making Shrek spin-offs = $$$.”) But while those movies quickly faded down the box office charts in the ensuing weeks, Titanic would stay on top. In the process, Titanic presided over the quick box office demise of The Postman, the last time Hollywood would indulge Kevin Costner’s Messiah complex. READ FULL STORY »
It’s happened to all of us: You’re happily coasting along watching a movie you’re thoroughly enjoying, when up pops a glaring error that zaps you out of the movie and has you fuming to your friends as you exit the theater. At which point, you realize you were the only person to notice this so-called “error,” and all your friends think you’re a crank who totally missed the point of the movie and wish you would just shut up about it already.
The difference between you and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is that the famed astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York was actually able to do something about it. Upon seeing Titanic in the theater, Dr. Tyson became incensed after Kate Winslet, delirious and nearly frozen in the black Atlantic Ocean, looked up at the night sky and saw the wrong set of stars for that specific time and place. Apparently, astrophysicists can tell you exactly what the night sky looked like in the North Atlantic in the wee hours of April 15, 1912, and that’s exactly what Dr. Tyson did. He sent a letter to James Cameron. Five years later, he cornered Cameron at an event and lodged his complaint once more. A few years after that, he brought it up again at an intimate dinner party with Cameron. And now, this Wednesday, Titanic will be hitting theaters in 3-D, with no other alterations to the film except that now, Rose Dawson will be looking up at the same stars those doomed Titanic passengers saw that fateful night. (You can watch Tyson recount his entire story here.)
This is such a specific complaint, it got me thinking: What nagging movie goofs only seem to bother me? READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Paul Schiraldi /HBO
Spring is in the air. That sense of rebirth is especially alive and well in the world of entertainment, as many of our favorite shows are back and there’s suddenly optimism about buds of pop-cultural excellence ready to flower. Mad Men is already humming. The Hunger Games is a huge smash. Game of Thrones and The Killing kick off tonight, further complicating your Sunday-night DVR dilemma — especially if you’ve been banking Frozen Planet for the kids. Discovery’s cool-climate nature documentary doesn’t follow the birds or the bees, but perhaps Tuesday’s paperback release of Fifty Shades of Grey will address those details in a different but equally enlightening manner.
Seasons change in the world of sports, too, from Monday night’s NCAA men’s basketball final between Kentucky and Kansas, to the opening pitches of baseball season — the St. Louis Cardinals begin their title defense on Wednesday night in Miami — to the blooming azaleas and dogwoods of Augusta National during the Masters golf tournament.
It’s time to look ahead at the juicy fruit just waiting to be plucked from the entertainment tree. This week has something for everyone. Enjoy.
SUNDAY, April 1
Game of Thrones season premiere — 9 p.m., HBO READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Merie W. Wallace
Near, far, wherever you are — don’t bother trying to serenade Kate Winslet with a certain Celine Dion ballad. The Academy Award winner told MTV News yesterday that Titanic‘s bombastic theme song makes her sort of seasick: “I do feel like throwing up” after hearing it, she said with a laugh. To quote another ’90s icon: That was way harsh, Rose.
In the interview, Winslet does manage to convey her annoyance without sounding spoiled or entitled. “I have loads of funny stories” thanks to the film, she explains. Either way, I can’t help feeling for the woman — imagine if people insisted on playing a Celine Dion song every time you walked into a room. (Well, any Celine song besides “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” That song rules.) Watch Winslet’s interview below. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Merie W. Wallace
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has received plenty of praise for his meticulous depiction of World War I-era Britain — as well as plenty of criticism about his show’s supposed historical inaccuracies. But now Fellowes is accusing someone else of taking liberties: James Cameron, the writer/director/King of the World behind 1997′s blockbuster Titanic.
A few weeks ago, Fellowes declared that his upcoming four-part Titanic miniseries will tell “the whole story” of the ship’s sinking “for the first time.” Though he called Cameron’s Best Picture winner a “wonderful film,” he also described it as “a love story set against the sinking of the Titanic” — not a scrupulously accurate representation of the ship’s sinking. Now Fellowes is upping the ante even further, accusing Cameron outright of misrepresenting one of the saga’s key players. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd
News broke today that Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, thanks to its recent 3-D re-release, is on track to surpass 2008′s The Dark Knight in box office grosses. This infusion of money will make Phantom Menace the 10th highest-grossing film of all time. Many would argue that Christopher Nolan’s twisty Batman Begins sequel is far superior to George Lucas’ uncontrollable exercise in CGI, and it got us thinking: Are the newest crop of movies to join the top 10 (six since Avatar kick-started a box office frenzy in 2009) demonstrably worse than their chart-mates? Well… yes and no. See the new top 10 list below. READ FULL STORY »
