Featured Articles back to homepage
 |
The Changing Face of Make-up 1910 – 2010(0) Most women apply make-up on a daily basis. There is the everyday look for work and being out and about which is usually quite toned down to give a natural but preened appearance and then we transform our looks for the night time to add some more drama and sex appeal. Could you even imagine not having make-up these days to apply to that one pesky spot that wont leave your face or to hide some unsightly under eye bags after a long trip? Make up has evolved rapidly over the years and has managed to adapt and change to the latest fashions and must have looks. What we as a nation consider to be trendy and flattering in our make-up styles now may seem ridiculous to our children twenty years down the line when they look back on our photos. However, trends do tend to resurface from time to time. So to truly understand where make-up styles are headed it is necessary to take a look back at how it has evolved over the last century.
1900’s
Before this point, Queen Victoria had reigned and she publicly despised the use of make-up. Victorians associated make-up and its use with prostitutes and actresses (who were tarred with the same brush back then) and if you wore bold colours you were thought to be trashy. Higher classes of women were expected to use products sparingly and their skin colour should not have been tampered with. During these times, to be pale was to be interesting and Parasols were used to protect the complexion from any sun damage. Ladies like to be thought of as fragile and would emphasise their femininity and delicacy. An outbreak of TB during this decade helped women to achieve this pale and sickly look they desired whilst the healthy women went to the extremes of drinking vinegar and arsenic and even dropping belladonna into their eyes (a poisonous liquid that would dilate the pupils giving them a dreamy, misty look) so to look a certain way. It was considered chic to look sick! Some religions even claimed that beauty products were the look of the devil. Queen Victoria died in 1901 and perceptions began to change slightly with some social restrictions lifting. Make-up was still for “hussies” during this time but picture folk began making it more acceptable. In 1909, Max Factor opened up his first makeup studio in Hollywood and this was the beginning of his cosmetic empire. Full make-up was still seen as sinful but women were now allowed to apply some pink tones to their cheeks to give a little bit of a glow. Red beet juice would be rubbed in to the cheeks, rice powder used to dust their noses and scented vinegars were used for face cleansing. At this time, lipsticks contained some very questionable ingredients.
However, the revolution was beginning as during the 1910’s women were starting to make their own mascara by adding hot beads of wax to the tips of their eyelashes and then the first mascara was produced in 1914 by Maybelline. Vogue also pictured women using henna to outline their eyes which the movie industry took on board immediately. Press powder blush and metal lipstick cases were also introduced but the Victorian look remained in fashion until the 1920’s. 1920’s
In the 1920’s make-up began to be used again. Visible make-up was now considered a must by city women although it was still frowned upon by those in the country. There was also great advancements in cosmetics during this era with Elizabeth Arden developing cleansing and nourishing creams, tonics and lotions. Face make-up was still very pale at this time but the bold make-up that was once considered trashy was now thought of as sexy. The 20’s brought along shorter hemlines, and flappers with dark lipstick in reds, browns and blacks being popular. Eyebrows were penciled on thinly and made to look lifted and bold. Dark kohl eyes were applied for a dramatic look. Smoky eyes that we tend to see today originated at this time. Hair was very boy like with bob or finger waves being the favoured look as women actually did not want to look like women at all. The loose silhouette of the flapper dress was in stark contrast to the corseted waist of the Victorian era. Near the end of the 1930’s, slightly lighter red lipstick started to become fashionable and women began to care about their figures in order to achieve the boyish, thin look that had gained in popularity. Most women began exercising and weight lifting to get defined arms. 1930’s and 1940’s
As the 1930’s progressed it seemed that the lipstick got redder and redder changing colour every year. It was applied quite thickly and the lipstick at this time left quite an undesirable stain leading to the saying that ‘kissing had become unfashionable’. From the 1930’s through to the 1950’s, movie stars were huge role models for the make-up trends of the time. This was definitely Hollywood’s Golden Age and everyone mimicked their style to attempt to look like A-list stars such as Rita Hayworth and Audrey Hepburn (who made the deeply outlined cat eye famous). Women began to look feminine once more by growing out there hair to longer lengths and toning down the dark, edgy make-up. Bright red lipstick and eye shadows were now popular whilst eyebrows were plucked to a thinner line than in the 1920’s. Fingernails became scarlet and were grown to extreme length, whilst toenails were contrasted in pink nail enamel. Make-up had become a little less drag and bit more ‘girl next door’ though and the pasty white skin trend was finally passé, and women started opting for foundations closer to their own natural complexions. During the 1940’s women were being called upon to do a lot due to the war. Make-up was more natural such as creamy skin, smoothly powdered with a natural looking pinkish hue and lips in a patriotic red as a regime that was easy to maintain. The focus for this time was the eyes and lashes as mascara had found its place during this decade. Women were encouraged to look their best in order to put up a good front and literally “put on a brave face”. Hence, women were splashing out on cosmetics which further improved the industry. Women were earning their first paychecks so proceeded to shop, dress elegantly and use cosmetics just like their favourite movie stars. Part of the rationale was that the nation’s women couldn’t afford to look frumpy in a time of war. 1950’s
All around the world, men were returning home from the war which resulted in the roles of women changing once more. Once the men had returned, women could spend more time on their hair and make-up regimes. Movie stars like Marilyn Monroe were making the hour glass figure popular. During this period shorter hair was back in fashion and straight hair was definitely out! Women’s hair was soft and curly which was achieved by pin curling and rolling. Occasionally, the hair would be put back in a ponytail with a chiffon ribbon but this was only for the daytime. More and more make-up cosmetics were hitting the market due to the introduction of colour TV sets. Max Factor introduced foundation he called “Pan Cake”. This was a makeup to gloss over skin imperfections and was the first of its kind along with the innovation of adding titanium to tone down the brightness of some products which resulted in lips with a paler shimmering gleam being worn. 1950’s women had to always look immaculate as they were taught that their goal was to find a man and that having a family was the most important thing. Hence, they dressed to allure. However, the main make-up difference in the 1950’s was that women began to focus more on having flawless skin than anything else with the goal of having a peaches and cream complexion. 1960’s
In the 1960’s it was not seen as acceptable for young girls to wear bright and blazen red lipstick. As Max Factor were adding titanium to their lipsticks they bought out pastel pearly pink shades. These soon caught on with young girls who initially wore the colours because they were acceptable to parents but the trend stuck and spread. Deep red lips were no longer fashionable. Nail colours also followed this pastel trend. During this period Twiggy became the inspiration and the new poster girl that everyone wanted to be like. Her thin frame and different make-up look became known as the mod style. The big emphasis in the sixties became the eyes and so these were made to really stand out whilst the lips blended in. Everyone learned to apply eyeliner and to effectively line their eye sockets to be able to capture that true sixties chick look. The fashions of the Fifties decade were for grown women but the difference in the sixties was that the fashion knocked about ten years off the average age of the consumer. Cosmetics companies now had a whole other audience buying in to their brands strengthening the cosmetic industry even further. Foundation in the 1960’s was always applied heavily in order to mask the complexion and pink blush was applied to complete the mod look. Mascara was a vital component to the look; preferably so thickly applied that the lashes clumped together in spikes much like false eyelashes. Big, dramatic eyes were the ultimate fashion ploy. 1970’s
The 1970’s really became the era of the no make-up style whatsoever. It can be characterised as an almost anything goes time. However, disco did become popular and the John Travolta styles of dress were sweeping the nation. Disco beauty trends stomped on simple and demure, and instead women splashed on the shine, color and maximum glamour possible for a night out. Disco divas piled on the black mascara, shimmery eye shadow and white eyeliner much like the girls from Abba. Blondes with blue eyes loved wearing frosty white or blue eye shadow and women with olive skin tones and brown or green eyes picked earth tones instead. Again, eyes were the most important aspect of the 1970’s look. However, during the daytime people were trying to recreate more the look of Farrah Fawcett. Firstly, she revolutionised the way women styled their hair opting for a long and feathery type look which appeared very natural and undone (compared to the night scene where the Afro style of hair was preferred). Farrah also marked the beginning of bronzing and tanning. Everyone wanted to emulate her laid back, natural and healthy style. Hence, during the day not a lot of make-up would be worn. If foundation was applied no powder would be added to leave a shimmering shine and very pale and nude colours of lipstick and eyeshadow would be chosen to wear. Bronzers and tanners really took off in the seventies and continue to be popular to this day. 1980’s
The general rule for the 1980’s was that everything had to be big, bold and bright. Especially with regards to hair – bigger was better – for both men and women! Artists such as Madonna lead the way with these trends. The eye make-up was extremely exaggerated in order to match the hair and make the face stand out. As a result, colour trends were very bold including blues, greens, Fuschia and orange and everything popped. A boldness was placed on the lips and eyes with heavy liner on both. 80’s colours were loud and everyone wore bright play suits to match the extremely bright make-up giving one overall loud look. It may seem extreme and crazy now but a full set of make-up was applied each morning before setting off to work as this was an important part of being taken seriously in the work place. Another turning point was that Brooke Shields made thick and bushy eyebrows sexy once more. 1990’s
The significant make up look of the early 1990’s was that of Grunge which adorned flannel shirts and an overall unkempt look. This look of disheveled makeup and hair was not supposed to look pretty or glamorous, rather the opposite. The popularity of Grunge music strongly influenced this trend. Slept in and heavily applied black mascara and eyeliner which often appeared smudge was the look that became popular along with smeared off red lipstick and black and often chipped nail polish. Unlike in other eras there was no one trying to look pristine and perfect. Blush was not worn and eyebrows weren’t shaped. However, the mid 90’s saw a complete turn around to pretty make-up once again. Jennifer Aniston became idolised as Rachel in Friends along with the stars of Beverly Hills 90210. Kate Moss then took a minimalist approach to makeup which was a big turning point. Neutral tones were extremely popular in the late 1990’s with lots of brown shades been worn on the eyes and lips. Mascara in browns and blacks also were popular. Blushes were creamy pinks, dusty rose tints, and neutral/bronze colors. Eyebrows of were of medium thickness, well-kept and sometimes bleached. New Millennium (2000 to Present)
Make-up has undergone many developments and changed to suit women’s needs and fashions trends throughout the ages. Nowadays we have more choice than ever and we needn’t worry about any dangerous chemicals in our products. Many women now go for a more natural look throughout the day and a dramatic smoky eye on the night time. But to be honest, unlike previous eras we tend to no longer follow completely set trends. Women are always experimenting and sticking with a style which suits them and not everyone else. The The Make-up industry offers more choice now than ever which allows us to revisit any of these past styles at whatever time we choose. |
|
The Top 10 Awesome Things You Didnt Know About Clint Eastwood(0)
Clint Eastwood has become a living monument of Hollywood. He is to film what Chuck Norris is to roundhouse kicks: the founding father and ruling king. His squint alone has the ability to make lesser filmmakers renounce the craft altogether and his gravelly snarl has made plenty of punks reassess the status of their luck. But everyone knows he’s a badass, and everyone knows he’s as talented behind a camera as he is behind the trigger of a .44 Magnum. But there are some things you might not have known about him. 10. Clint has directed more movies than Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Can this be for real? A man who made his mark in this world for so long with his gritty performances of gunslinging toughs has actually directed more movies than the men who are arguably the two most famous American directors in history? Clint has topped their counts? Yes, it’s true. Clint released two films in 2008 (one of the strange times you could actually see a preview of an Eastwood movie at an Eastwood movie), as well as two in 2006, two in 1997 and two in 1990. He’s directed sixteen movies since 1990 alone. This is not normal. This is Clint Eastwood. Respect the man, for he is a living legend. 9. Clint played at Carnegie Hall The man acts, directs, and he even plays a mean piano. And you know when Clint does it, it really is mean, as he demonstrated at Carnegie Hall in 1997. He’s played since he was a boy and is by all accounts self-taught, and has even scored some of his own films (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino). This is what we call a triple threat. If anyone could take the ivories and make them lethal, it’s Clint. 8. Clint used to dig pools for a living This just goes to show that even Clint Eastwood came from pretty humble beginnings. Back when he was just getting bit parts in little movies here and there, Clint spent his time between acting employment digging pools for the Hollywood elite who’d already made their fortunes. Which means the next time you’re in the Hollywood hills taking a dip in your producer friend’s pool, take a moment to reflect on the flinty hands of Clint that quite possibly dug that pool for your overprivileged ass. 7. Clint tried his hand at recording pop records One of the roles that helped make Clint famous was Rowdy Yates on the show Rawhide in the early ‘60s. In an ill-advised attempt to consolidate an audience amongst the teeny bopper crowd, he recorded pop songs meant to reach out to this demographic. He eventually recorded the album titled, “Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites”. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone was in the mood for cowboy favorites from Clint or anyone else, and his brief stint as pop star ended about as soon as it began. Which is probably for the better. He turned out to be much better at writing scores for his movie and rocking the jazz standards, which is more than you can say for your average action movie star.
6. Clint was fired by Universal Studios for having an Adam’s apple that was too big This is one of those moments in cinema history that is just too ridiculous not to be true. After Universal signed Clint in 1954 for the princely sum of $75 a week, which landed him parts in forgettable movies like Revenge of the Creature and Tarantula, a couple of studio execs happened upon him one day and noticed his Adam’s apple. Deciding it was too big, he was out, just like that. The venerable Clint Eastwood was chewed up and spat out by a couple of Hollywood hacks. Of course, it was only a matter of time – and not much time at that – before he was rolling, rolling, rolling rawhide, and those execs would be confronted with their own ineffable stupidity. 5. Clint received the French Legion d’Honneur award …by President Jacques Chirac, no less. Having received this award on February 17, 2007, Clint officially became a Knight of the Empire, which I suppose means that if France and Russia ever got into it like olden times, good ol’ Clinty boy would be at the front of the line to duke it out with Putin. I don’t care how many Judo belts Putin has, my money’s still on Clint. 4. Clint drives a beater One might think that with all the riches that come with Clint’s level of fame and success he’d be living about as high on the hog as he could without actually falling off the hog altogether. But one would be very, very wrong. An anonymous source shared with me a very interesting story. My source, at the time, was an employee at the prestigious Hollywood hotel the Chateau Marmont and happened to see Clint, in the flesh, waiting for the valet to bring his car around. Cleverly quipping to the hoi polloi that surrounded him, “I have my Mercedes Benz here,” he patiently bided his time as the lower species of human marveled at the cinematic deity in their presence. Clint stood there, squinting his scare-the-daylights-out-of-the-daylight squint, when up came his vehicle of choice. And what kind of vehicle would this be? The newest, slickest Benz on the market? No. In fact, a run-down, battered, late-‘80s Grand Marquis sputtered up to Clint, as if the valet had taken it upon himself to play a dirty trick on Dirty Harry. But this was no ruse, this was simply more evidence that Clint is every bit the man’s man he appears to be. What kind of man needs leather interior? What kind of man needs a CD player, or seats that heat up, or windows that roll down? Not Clint. Clint only needs four wheels that are round and an engine that goes. As Clint climbed into his Grand Marquis, the back bumper holding onto the rest of the car by a thread – or a Bungee cord, anyway – everyone else looked on in astonishment and admiration. And no one uttered a single word about the man’s mule. 3. Clint threatened to kill Michael Moore Once again, fact is way awesomer than fiction. So how exactly did Clint come to threaten Michael Moore’s life? Well, it just so happens that Clint got the opportunity to watch Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine, and he didn’t much care for the scene at the end where Moore sticks a camera in Charlton Heston’s face and pretty much makes an ass of him. So, while accepting a Special Filmmaking Achievement prize for Million Dollar Baby at the National Board Of Review Awards in New York, he says, “Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera, I’ll kill you.” The audience laughs, everyone has a good chuckle, and then the laughter dies down. To make sure everyone knows that this wasn’t a joke and there’s no punchline, he then says, “I mean it.” Gulp! These are the times when I’m glad I’m not a fat documentary filmmaker. Charlton may have been a gentleman about Moore’s boorish ways, but Clint, as always, knows the answer to obnoxious punks: the .44 Magnum. 2. Clint is allergic to horses And you heard it first here. Now, while your reaction might be to recoil in horror at this juicy little tidbit of gossip, pause a moment and really reflect on this. The man has spent about half of his cinematic career sitting on horses. Horses that REPULSE his body. But did this ever stop Clint from getting the job done? Did he ever exchange any of his squints for a single wince? Nope. Not once. That’s because while Clint’s body may experience anguish over the hooved creatures that bring it pain, Clint himself is oblivious to discomfort. 1. Clint is a vegan That’s right. You’d think Clint would maintain a steady diet of rare steaks, beef jerky and live ammunition, but no. He has said that, “I take vitamins daily, but just the bare essentials not what you’d call supplements. I try to stick to a vegan diet heavy on fruit, vegetables, tofu, and other soy products.” Dang. Hard to believe the same guy who played Dirty Harry would also keep the same dietary habits of the hippies living in Haight Ashbury. Maybe that’s why he’s still in better shape at age 78 than most men are at 25. Well, part of the reason is that Death is too chicken to approach him when he’s awake – and Clint sleeps with at least one eye open. The other is because he apparently believes meat is murder. Veganism just got 100% cooler.
|
|
Top 10 Badass Women in Movies(0) Men might be the oft leading candidates for the bad-ass heroes in films, but women have had their share of butt-kicking screen time as well. Here are the top ten Bad Ass Women of all time. 10. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) Skynet, the 21st century computer waging a losing war on humans sends a second terminator back in time to destroy the leader of the human resistance while he is still a boy. His mother is the only one who knows of the existence of the Terminators, human-like robots that exist only to kill and are nearly indestructible, and she, the boy’s mother, is currently in a state mental hospital because of her ‘delusions’. A second protector is sent back to the past by the Human resistance to protect John Connor, their future leader, at all costs. All in order to protect her son, the future leader of the resistance against the machines, Sarah kicks a sizable amount of ass.
9. Lori Petty as Tank Girl (Rebecca) TANK GIRL (1995)
Tank Girl (Rebecca) and her friends are the only remaining citizens living in the wasteland that is Earth, where all the remaining water is controlled by Water and Power, the mega corporation/government that runs the territory. While incarcerated at W + P, Tank Girl and her new friend Jet Girl break out and steal… a tank and a jet. After meeting some mutant kangaroo/humans, and rescuing her little girl (adopted by her friends), the kangaroos and the girls kick Water and Powers’ ass. Based on a comic series, it tends to take a more comedic approach to the subject, but there is little doubt that Tank Girl kicks ass.
8. Michelle Yeoh & Zhang Ziyi as Yu Shu Lien & Jen Yu CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)
Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) is a timeless story that takes place in QING China when miracles were credible and spirits and gods were present in man’s world. It is not unbelievable that zen warriors float through the air, skim the water and battle in trees and on rooftops. Pain, revenge and duty are the stuff that bind us in this world and are the main plot line of the movie, but in the afterlife love and faith linger on. Along with Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat), the ladies in this movie are graceful and downright deadly.
7. Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo (The Bride) KILL BILL VOL. I-II (2003-4) The lead character, called ‘The Bride,’ was a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, lead by her lover ‘Bill.’ Upon realizing she was pregnant with Bill’s child, ‘The Bride’ decided to escape her life as a killer. She fled to Texas, met a young man, and on the day of their wedding was gunned down by an angry and jealous Bill (with the assistance of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). Four years later, ‘The Bride’ wakes from a coma, and discovers her baby is gone. She, then, decides to seek revenge upon the five people who destroyed her life and killed her baby. Beatrix absolutely goes all out as she individually hunts and eliminates every member of the D.V.A.S., finally getting to Bill, her desired target. Kicks ass!
6. Carrie Fischer as Princess Leia THE STAR WARS TRILOGY (1977-1983) Snide, snarky, and about as un-princess-like as one could be, Leia Organa takes charge of her rag-tag rescue band from the moment Han, Luke, and Chewie release her from the cell block. Defiant, cock-sure, and a natural leader, Leia eventually safely delivers the Death Star plans to the Rebel resistance via R2-D2 and sets into motion the utter collapse and downfall of the Galactic Empire. If there was any Imperial ass to kick, Leia was there with blaster in hand. And was there ever any doubt that she’d eventually hook up with a galactic smuggler?
5. Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft TOMB RAIDER (2001-03) Based on the popular video game series, Tomb Raider features the adventures of Lara Croft an antiquities hunter-for-hire. She travels to exotic locales in search of treasures and artifacts in the catacombs of ancient tombs and ruins remaining from age-old empires. A female Indiana Jones, Croft’s expeditions are always chock full of action, danger, intrigue, suspense and her omnipresent knack for defying death in skin-tight outfits. Looking good and kicking ass is a winning combination.
4. Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby Firefly HOUSE OF A 1000 CORPSES & THE DEVILS REJECTS (2003-05) The sequel to ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, ‘The Devil’s Rejects,’ takes place a few months later with the Texas State Police making a full-scale attack against the murderous Firefly family residence for the 1,000+ murders and disappearances of the past several years. But three of the family members escape, including Otis, Baby Firefly and Baby’s father Captain Spaulding. The evil trio go on a road trip, leaving dozens of mangled bodies in their wake. Evading a massive Texas Rangers dragnet as well as a group of equally murderous bounty hunters led by Ken Dwyer (the brother of a policeman Mamma Firefly killed in ‘House of…’) who’s obsessed with finding the deadly killers, the surviving Firefly clan gather at a run-down amusement park owned by Captain Spaulding’s half-brother, Charlie Altamont, who offers them shelter and a new base of operations for their killing spree as Sheriff Dwyer, the Texas Rangers, the FBI and others slowly close in. Though gruesome and sadistic, Baby kicks all kinds of ass. 3. Devon Aoki as Miho SIN CITY (2005) “Sin City” is infested with criminals, crooked cops and sexy dames, some searching for vengeance, some for redemption and others, both. The film incorporates storylines from three of Miller’s graphic novels including ‘Sin City,’ which launched the long-running, critically acclaimed series, as well as ‘That Yellow Bastard’ and ‘The Big Fat Kill.’ Where Hartigan, a cop with a bum ticker and a vow to protect stripper Nancy. Marv, the outcast misanthrope, is on a mission to avenge the death of his one true love, Goldie; there’s also Dwight, the clandestine love of Shelley who spends his nights defending Gail and her Old Towne girls from Jackie Boy, a dirty cop with a penchant for violence. Miho resides in Old Towne and with one word from Gail, the appointed matriarch, Miho dispatches raiders and men alike with razor-sharp accuracy. She kicks serious ass. 2. Mila Jovovich as Alice RESIDENT EVIL, RE: APOCALYPSE, RE: EXTINCTION (2002-07) A virus has escaped into a secret facility called “The Hive,” which chemically turns the staff (Umbrella Corporation) into man-eating zombies and releasing the mutated lab animals that they were studying. The complex computer (The Red Queen) shuts down the base to prevent further infection. The parent corporation sends in a military unit, where they meet Alice who has only a short time to remember who she is and the state of her mission, and is suffering from amnesia due to the nerve gas released into her bathroom. The military must shut down the computer (The Red Queen) and make their way back out of the Hive. Fighting their way past zombies, mutants and The Red Queen before the T-Virus escapes and effects the rest of the world. Its up to Alice to defeat the virus, if she loses, we all lose. And yes, she defeats them so thoroughly through three well-made films, kicking zombie ass all the way through. 1. Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3, ALIEN RESURRECTION (1979-97) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor of the alien attack on the mining ship Nostromo, awakens half a century later when she is found by a salvage ship. The welcome given to her by the “Company” officials is far from warm, since they refuse to believe her discovery of alien existence and strip her off her flight officer’s license. Ripley also discovers, much to her horror, that the planet LV-426 where her crew had encountered an alien species for the first time, is now colonized by the company. But when all contact from the planet is lost Ripley is called back into action again as an advisor to a team of tough space marines with lots of firepower. To get rid of her recurrent nightmares about the alien creature, Ripley prepares for a final battle with the monsters – and this time, there are hundreds of them out there. Going from unwitting recipient to a monsters attack, to a vicious military scourge, to a prisoner, to an alien/human hybrid, Ellen Ripley kicks ass for 200 solid years. The very best of the best. |
|
The 2009 Oscar Nominations(1) The 81st Annual Academy Award nominations have been announced with a few surprises and some glaring omissions. ‘Best Film’ played it safe – though four (Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog) were pretty much locked, that fifth slot many were hoping the Academy would go for something acclaimed but more risky or mainstream than they usually go for like “The Wrestler” “Revolutionary Road” or “The Dark Knight”. Instead they opted for the little seen but very Academy-friendly Weinstein-produced vehicle “The Reader”. In fact that trio of films (Wrestler, Road, Knight) were awkwardly missing in some other key areas like director and screenplay, though all got acting noms and ‘Knight’ in particular scored a lot of technical nods. In sheer number of nominations “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” lead the way with thirteen; followed by “Slumdog Millionaire” with ten; “The Dark Knight” and “Milk” with eight; “Wall-E” with six; “Frost/Nixon”, “Doubt” and “The Reader” with five. Notable omissions and strangeness – “Gran Torino” “Che” “I’ve Loved You So Long” not getting any major nominations. “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” only scoring a nom for Cruz, “Happy-Go-Lucky” scoring a best script but not a best actress nomination, “In Bruges” only getting a screenplay nom, and “Gomorra” missing out on Best Foreign Language Film. One very welcome surprise was Michael Shannon, the actor who has essentially been ignored by most of the other critics and guilds getting a nomination for his brilliant supporting turn in “Revolutionary Road” Here’s the complete list: BEST PICTURE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE DIRECTING ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM ANIMATED FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY (Adapted) SCREENPLAY (Original) ART DIRECTION CINEMATOGRAPHY COSTUME DESIGN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT FILM EDITING MAKEUP MUSIC (SCORE) MUSIC (SONG) SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) SOUND EDITING SOUND MIXING VISUAL EFFECTS |
|
Friday the 13th 2009(1) In January 2007, producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller outlined their intended goal to bring the remake to life. Fuller and Form were approached by New Line to create a remake, but because Paramount still owned certain copyrights to the first film the remake would not be able to use anything from the original. Friday the 13th (2009) Movie poster Paramount, who wanted to be included in the remake, approached the producers and gave them license to use anything from the original films, including the title. With Paramount on board, Fuller and Form decided they wanted to use pieces from each of the first three films. Fuller stated, “I think there are moments we want to address, like how does the hockey mask happen. It’ll happen differently in our movie than in the third one.Where is Jason from, why do these killings happen, and what is Crystal Lake?” Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, writers of Freddy vs. Jason, were announced in October 2007 to have been hired to pen a script for the film. The film is reported to focus on Jason Voorhees, and that he will keep his trademark hockey mask. The film is being produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller through Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes, for New Line Cinema. Director Jonathan Liebesman was originally in negotiations to direct the remake in February 2006, but was replaced by Marcus Nispel, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake of 2003, in November 2007.
more Friday the 13th movie posters Friday the 13th poster ver.2 Friday the 13th poster ver.3 Friday the 13th poster ver.4 |
|
Get in Line for Coraline(0)Get in Line for CoralineEditor’s Note: In this review film critic Joe Strike gives us a sneak preview into the upcoming film Coraline which comes out on February 6th. The moment we left Disneyland in 2003 my son regretted not buying the hoodie that was on sale in the Nightmare Before Christmas gift shop in the park – so much so that once we were back home I phoned the park and mail-ordered it for him. He wore the damn thing to death, then cut Jack Skellington out and sewed him onto a new hoodie, which he also proceeded to wear to death. I’ve just seen Coraline – and I want the hoodie. The movie’s the third feature from stop-motion director Henry Selick, who first blew peoples’ minds with his early short Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions:
Chockfull of dream imagery and dream logic, it follows Robert Potemkin (portrayed by a live actor), in ‘real life’ tormented by evil, stop-motion conjoined twin girls. But when summoned to a ‘lower dimension’ (and transported there by a quintet of telekinetic lizards) he becomes ‘Slow Bob,’ an animated cut-out who saves a community of snapshot people from an invasion of flying scissors. In his first feature, Nightmare Before Christmas, skeletal Jack Skellington of Halloween Town invades Christmas Town and makes a royal mess of Santa’s holiday before setting things straight. In his second James and the Giant Peach, a young boy crawls into the heart of said fruit, turning into a stop motion replica of himself to travel across the ocean with a band of sentient insects. In Coraline a plucky young girl (is there any other kind in these sort of stories?) discovers a tiny doorway in the creepy old house she and her parents have moved into. She crawls through the strange, almost organic tunnel behind the door and emerges into a magical mirror world, far more wonderful than the one she left behind – except for those creepy button eyes everyone has… Travelling to lower dimensions… visiting secret towns… crawling into the heart of a magical fruit, or through what might be a birth canal into an alternate world… Are you seeing a pattern here? A series of Alices in not-quite Wonderlands? Sure, Nightmare, Peach and Coraline are based on the works of others (Burton, Dahl and Gaiman), but when the same person is drawn to, and works and reworks similar material – you’re dealing with an artist. He might be spending tens of millions of dollars of other peoples’ money to work through his obsessions, but he’s an artist nonetheless. Burton co-directed The Corpse Bride with one of Selick’s animators; that film too took a trip to an underworld, the land of the dead – but it just didn’t have the same swing, the same zing as Selick’s work. Selick’s grabbed the latest technology to return to one of the earliest stop motion variations: ‘replacement animation,’ a technique made famous by animator/director George Pal (who deserves to be ten times better known than he is today). Pal carved a variety of heads for his wooden puppets, a different one for each expression and replaced them frame by frame, giving his early ‘puppetoons’ an uncanny 3D reality that went unmatched until Pixar arrived some 50 years later: Warning: Be prepared for some embarrassingly racist stereotypes from back in the day.
Selick has the advantage of digital technology that does the sculpting for him and compositing tools that hide whatever seams might otherwise be showing – but all that’s stuff for the DVD commentary track and bonus features. Just see the damn film: the magical stuff is breath-taking, the scary stuff is super-creepy (it’s PG, but leave the youngest young’uns home). Coraline is 2009’s first animated feature, but for my money (if I’d paid to see it, which I will the next time) it already has a lock on one of next year’s animated feature Oscar noms. Joe is an occasional animation scripter and freelance NYC writer covering animation and sci-fi/fantasy entertainment. His work has appeared in the NY Daily News, Newsday, the New York Press and, as they used to say on Rocky and Bullwinkle, ‘a host of others.’ He is a regular contributor to the animation industry website awn.com, but it’s much easier to visit joestrike.com to see what he’s been up to lately. |
|
Kristin Kreuk in Street Fighter(0) Kristin Kreuk in Street Fighter Kristin Laura Kreuk (born December 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles on the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont and on the American television series Smallville in which she starred as Lana Lang.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is an upcoming film and the second live-action film based on the Street Fighter series of video games. It follows the quest of Street Fighter character Chun-Li, who will be portrayed by Smallville star Kristin Kreuk. The story follows Chun Li’s personal history and her journey for justice. The film co-stars Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Chris Klein as Charlie, Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, and Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo as Vega. Rick Yune was originally cast as Gen but has been replaced by Robin Shou, who portrayed Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat films. The film is scheduled for release in February 27, 2009.
Read full Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li review
|
|
Land of the Lost(0) Land of the Lost is an upcoming American feature film based on the 1974 TV series Land of the Lost. The film is directed by Brad Silberling and stars Will Ferrell. Land of the Lost movie poster Production of the film began in March 2008. It was originally scheduled to be released on July 17, 2009 but the release date was pushed forward to June 5, 2009. The film follows “a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant, and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange, alternate world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks. Development of a feature film based on the show has been in talks at various studios since 1995. In 2002, Sony Pictures was working on a movie version, following the 2000 reversion to the Kroffts of adaptation rights previously bought by Disney as early as 1995. In April 2005, Universal Pictures acquired the adaptation rights and attached director Adam McKay and actor Will Ferrell, who had previously collaborated on Anchorman (2004), to the project. In May 2007, director Robert Rodriguez met with Universal to potentially direct the film adaptation of Land of the Lost. Rodriguez had also entered talks with Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. to film a live action film adaptation of The Jetsons. The director was uncertain which project he would pursue next, though the latest script draft for The Jetsons by Adam Goldberg was further along in development. In September 2007, director Brad Silberling was announced to be attached to direct the film adaptation, with Ferrell starring. The project was slated to begin production in March 2008 after reducing its budget from $125 million to $100 million, and wrapped up shooting at Universal Studios Hollywood. The first trailer was shown during Super Bowl XLIII.
|
