Category: News/Opinion

Hollywood + Indie Round-up, 5/25

Rosie Huntington to replace Megan Fox in 'Transformers 3.'

By Jason Apuzzo. I was kidding the other day when I said that “I’m sure [Michael] Bay’s people have a million Victoria’s Secret models on speed-dial that they can call on for the next  [Transformers] film” in the wake of the Megan Fox firing.  And it turns out … Bay has hired a Victoria’s Secret model.  She’s a lustrous Brit named Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO READ LIBERTAS … WE PREDICTED IT HERE FIRST AND WE’RE ON TOP OF THIS STORY.  No word on whether Ms. Huntington-Whiteley has a personality.  We’ll see.  Fox News is also doing some speculation on the future of Megan Fox’s career.  She’ll do fine, but perhaps she should hold off on calling her directors ‘Hitler,’ and for safety’s sake confine her comparisons strictly to ‘Idi Amin.’

• The long, sad decline of 24 into left-wing drivel is now over as the show mercifully ends.  What this show has needed the past few seasons is not so much Jack Bauer as Jack Kevorkian.

• New Sex and the City 2 rumored to present “puritanical and misogynistic culture of the Middle East.” Glad to here they’re brave enough to go there; still not enough to get me to watch Sarah Jessica Parker.  [Aside: I’m having flashbacks of Jewel of the Nile here.  Didn’t that just hit Blu-Ray?]  Also: a Middle-Eastern guy who was an on-set extra in Sex and the City 2 gripes about the experience in the New York Times today.  He doesn’t mention whether he still cashed his paycheck.

• Orlando Bloom cast as the ‘villain’ in new Three Musketeers remake.  Wow – what could be more frightening?

• Dominic Cooper to play Iron Man’s father in Captain America – which will be shot in London.  Maybe Tony Stark’s dad could stop in on Sherlock Holmes while he’s in town.

• New, ‘modern’ take on the Nativity story coming down the pike.  (See here and here).  It’s set in the 70’s and apparently stars Bette Midler.  Rumor mill has Sally Field cast as Pontius Pilate.

"Actually, pre-modern Christians ALWAYS wore acid-washed jeans."

• Mindless historical revisionism fuels pot shots against Christianity in new film Agora starring Rachel Weisz. Film twists history and depicts angry, murderous Christian mobs destroying Library of Alexandria (?); peddles bogus analogy between radical Islam and contemporary Christianity.  I think Govindini will be posting on this later.  The only upside here is that the film is getting bad reviews (see here and here), and that no one will see it because Rachel Weisz isn’t a real star.

• In the wake of the Shrek disappointment, blogger Vadim Rizov asks ‘Are children’s movies made by people who hate kids?’ Good question.

And in more pleasant news …

"I'm out!"

• Filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been freed on probation.  Thank God.  (See here and here.)  He’s out on something like $20,000 bail, and there’s still going to be some farce of a trial.  Somebody please send him Dershowitz.

• A new documentary on the murderous communist thug Nicolae Ceausescu, called The Autobiography of  Nicolae Ceausescu, recently played at Cannes.  I’ve seen the trailer, and it looks interesting in a kind of arch/satiric way.  There’s a round-up of generally positive reviews of the film here today.  We’ll try to review it down the line.

• Our friend and LFM Contributor Joe Bendel has a nice review up today of a new Turkish film called The Breath that deals with terrorism along the Turkish-Iraqi border, so check that out.

And that’s what’s happening today in the wonderful world of Hollywood …

The Golden Age of the Nerd

Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera from Superbad.

By David Ross. Back in the day, all kinds of people were plausibly brainy society girls like Katherine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story, working girls like Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday – but in our day the mind itself has been knocked from its pedestal, and ostentatious braininess or even quick-wittedness has become a form of social disease. The socially acceptable posture is an easygoing indifference to little things like knowledge, logic, and consistency (“Dude, take it easy, what’s the difference.”). All of this is implicit in the evolution of the 50’s egghead (object of bemused respect) into the 80’s nerd (victim of locker-room sadism and prom-night ridicule). Continue reading The Golden Age of the Nerd

Hollywood Round-up, 5/24

"I agree, Admiral - blockade the Straights of Hormuz."

By Jason Apuzzo.  • Paris Hilton signs on as celebrity ambassador for the USO, vows to visit troops overseas. Good news!  Taliban responds by unfriending her on Facebook.

• Even in 2010, enlightened-progressive Hollywood still casting white people as ethnic minorities, says LA Times.  Jake Gyllenhaal as a ‘Prince of Persia’?  Sure!  While we’re at it it, let’s cast Joe Biden as Flava Flav.

• Miss USA explains recent photos – and her stance on illegal immigration – on Fox News.  Fox News still waiting to grill her on the GATT tax and Elena Kagan.

• Crave Online posts 5 ways to improve the next season of V.  My advice?  Set the show in the 80’s and bring back Marc Singer.

• Ken Loach pops off about the Iraq War at Cannes.  I thought he was dead.

• Shrek overdose now official as sequel disappoints at box office.  Plus: Dreamworks stock drops as a result. Dreamworks begs Christopher Nolan to reboot franchise.

• Robert Rodriguez’s pseudo-controversial Machete looking for Texas tax incentives.  Doesn’t Rodriguez know?  It’s still cheaper to shoot in Mexico, and the beer’s better.

Juliette Binoche at Cannes.

• Christian mega-churches are the new training ground for American Idol singers.  I also read somewhere that Christian mega-churches are the new training ground for NFL defensive backs.  Is there a connection?

• Michael Caine speaks out about promoting the UK’s Conservative Party.  They should get him to a Tea Party rally dressed as Harry Palmer.

• AND IN MORE SERIOUS NEWS … Cannes Film Festival announces its prize winners (see here and here) under cloud of ongoing Jafar Panahi jailing.  Juliette Binoche accepts her best actress prize holding “Jafar Panahi” sign.  Panahi reportedly may be granted parole by Iranian government.  The noted filmmaker has reportedly begun a hunger strike.  Read this 2006 interview with Panahi, in which he declares that his films are not political. Sign the petition to Free Jafar Panahi.

And that’s what’s happening today in the wonderful world of Hollywood …

ALSO: Special thanks to ‘John Boot’ and Pajamas Media for their article today on the re-launch of Libertas. Welcome to Pajamas Media readers.

UPDATE: Special thanks to Lars Larson today for having LFM’s Govindini Murty on his national show to talk about LFM.  Welcome to all of Lars’ listeners.

Faith & Activism in New Orleans: A Village Called Versailles

Republican Congressman Joseph Cao (right) along with protester.

By Joe Bendel. Most armchair political analysts were stunned when Joseph Cao, a Vietnamese-American Republican, defeated scandal-plagued Democrat William “Big Freeze” Jefferson to represent nearly the entire city of New Orleans in Congress. Alas, party registration will likely represent a challenge for Rep. Cao’s re-election.  However, he will have an important base of support in the Crescent City’s Vietnamese community, whose strength and resiliency has emerged as a major post-Katrina political development.

Documenting the unexpected rise of the New Orleans East neighborhood that challenged an out-of-touch municipal government and ultimately elected the nation’s first Vietnamese-American congressional representative, S. Leo Chiang’s A Village Called Versailles (see the trailer here) airs this coming Tueday (check your local listings) as part of the current season of Independent Lens on most PBS outlets.

Many of the older Vietnamese residents of the Versailles neighborhood (named after a large housing complex in Eastern New Orleans) had already endured two painful dislocations. Mostly from two predominantly Catholic towns in the North, they had first fled the North Vietnamese Communists to the South, only to come to America as refugees following the fall of Saigon. Indeed, the Katrina evacuation brought back many painful memories.

However, this time they returned – reclaiming their homes and neighborhood – in large measure thanks to the unifying role played by Father Vien Nguyen and the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, their rebuilding efforts were nearly sabotaged when then “Mayor” Ray Nagin used dubious emergency powers to dump an environmentally questionable landfill in their midst. Continue reading Faith & Activism in New Orleans: A Village Called Versailles

Why Fire Megan?

A woman scorned.

By Jason Apuzzo.  I’m a little confused by this whole Megan Fox thing.

As many of you may know, Transformers star/sexpot Megan Fox was essentially fired from the next Transformers film by director Michael Bay this past week (see here) – although some reports now indicate that the comely Ms. Fox may actually have walked away from the project on her own pair of highly photogenic legs.

The reason behind the firing supposedly has to do with how difficult Ms. Fox is to work with, how she can’t get along with the crew, that she’s late, generally bitchy to borderline psychotic, that she tattoos herself (making things difficult for the makeup people), she doesn’t show up to crew parties, she’s annoyed by Middle America, she once blew off the Crown Prince of Jordan … and that she once referred to Michael Bay as Hitler.

Except for the Hitler thing, I’m not sure which of these qualities hasn’t been assigned to Angelina Jolie – but I digress.

Now here’s the thing.  Transformers is Michael Bay’s franchise.  He can do whatever he damn well pleases with it.  But my question is this: when did the behavior of Hollywood stars suddenly matter, to the degree that it cost them roles and careers?  When was the memo sent out on this, because some of us didn’t get it.  Why is it that all of a sudden it matters how stars behave?  For those of us who’ve been watching Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn and George Clooney lurch from one bizarre, histrionic episode to another over the years, this is really something new.

Let me put this another way.  Why was it OK for years in Hollywood to call Bush Hitler, but not Michael Bay? Why is it suddenly so important that a Hollywood star watch what she says, and how she acts around others?

Sin on high heels.

Or is it just that you can’t offend the wrong people.

I personally couldn’t care less about the future – or past – of the Transformers series.  I’m not really interested in ‘autocons’ or ‘decepticons’ or ‘paleocons’ or whatever pseudo-mythology Michael Bay and Hasbro are currently peddling.  The only reason I would ever watch these films would be to watch Megan Fox, actually.

And that’s where I think Bay is making a big mistake here.  I’m sure Bay’s people have a million Victoria’s Secret models on speed-dial that they can call on for the next film; or they can go with the chick from Prince of Persia, as some are reporting.  Whatever.

Ms. Fox is different, frankly.  She has the sort of wicked, carnal appeal – and brazen arrogance – that make her highly appealing to men, and very compelling in front of a camera.  I’m not really talking about acting here, obviously – I’m talking about something ineffable that we usually term ‘star power.’  She’s got it.  And you don’t throw that away lightly.  Industrial Light and Magic, as talented as they are, have no software that can replace that – regardless of what they have planned for the next Transformers.

From everything I’ve seen, Ms. Fox appears brassy, difficult, cocky, probably a little bit crazy … and you know what?  Men love that.  They absolutely eat it up.  And they have since the beginning of time.

What the hell happened to Hollywood that they no longer understand that?

The 30th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back.  Along with 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, Empire is very likely the greatest movie sequel ever made.  Our congratulations to everyone involved who made that marvelous picture possible, and in particular to director Irvin Kershner.

Although it’s difficult to appreciate today, the film took several enormous risks – among which were: 1) George Lucas putting up all of his own money to get the film made (only an emergency bank loan saved the picture after the production dragged on for months); 2) basing so much of the film around an untested character named Yoda, brought to life as a rubber puppet; 3) the film’s dark tone; 4) the most whopping end-of-film revelation in movie history.

I have a very distinct memory of seeing Empire in a theater when I was 9 years old.  I was in a theater in Redondo Beach, near the present-day Redondo Galleria.  I recall being thunderstruck at the revelation that Luke’s father was Darth Vader – to such a degree that I was actually a bit skeptical.  [Vader must be lying!  How could it be true?]  But the overall effect of the film was so powerful that at the end, as the credits rolled, a grown man sitting in front of me shot up out of his chair and cheered.  You always hear about that sort of thing happening, but rarely ever see it.  The sense in the theater was that the film was so good, nobody wanted to leave!  I actually thought for a second that the theater was going to be barricaded so the next audience couldn’t come in.  [We did, eventually, let people in.]  I’m not sure I’ve ever had that experience since.

On a personal note, I’d like to congratulate Empire‘s director, Irvin Kershner.  I’m one of the many filmmakers whom Kersh has mentored over the years, and am proud to call Kersh a friend.  Kersh has had an extraordinary career both as a director of huge franchise pictures (he’s the only person to have directed both a “Star Wars” and James Bond film), and also some wonderful indie gems (my favorite is probably Hoodlum Priest).  Kersh has touched so many lives, and has had such an extraordinary legacy among filmmakers – and on this day I just want to thank him and wish him the very best.

Needless to say, they’re not making large-scale films of this quality any more.  The factors that make Empire work so well are not so much the visual effects – as wonderful as they were – but the psychology of the film, the interactions of the characters.  One thinks here not only of Luke’s relationship with his father – but  also the budding, sparkling romance between Han and Leia, and Yoda’s tumultuous training of Luke as the last remaining Jedi.  There’s something refreshingly adult and mature about this film.

It’s debatable, I think, whether Empire is actually a better film than the original Star Wars as so many critics say.  Star Wars was so fresh and original – and came out of nowhere – and its purpose and tone are different.  But no sequel has enlarged and deepened a film series, and taken such risks, like Empire did.

As a final note, I’m very much looking forward to J.W. Rinzler’s forthcoming book, The Making of The Empire Strikes Back.  You can pre-order Rinzler’s book through LFM by clicking on the link below.  Rinzler’s previous Making of Star Wars was a marvelous read; I had no idea what a harrowing production that film was, and what George had to do to get the film made.  I’m looking forward to learning more about the huge effort associated with getting Empire made, and about the true origins of Boba Fett …