Entries
'Actress' fingered for sending ricin-tinged letters to Obama and Bloomberg
Great career move for Shannon Guess!
Forget about the ricin. The bigger crime is referring to Shannon Richardson, aka Shannon Rogers and Shannon Guess, as an actress. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/08/47068/ The day worker who gained extra roles on shows like Madea's Big Happy Family, The Walking Dead, The …
4th row center: Zombie Strippers
You are not likely to find an all-black audience in lily white Bland Diego. The closest we get is Horton Plaza, a downtown mall known for playing, what's the p. c. buzzword...oh, yes "urban action" films. In the fourteen years …
Hi, Brad!
Scott broke the news that Mr. Pitt may decide to grace those present at the fair with his fair presence (I see what I did there). But he failed to mention that there have been some hiccups in Mr. Pitt's …
New releases opening this week: The Internship, Wish You Were Here and more
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/07/47031/ Let's start with the good stuff that is going, going...Scott really really really liked Julien Temple's historical documentary London: The Modern Babylon. (Hee hee - it's a quote from Benjamin Disraeli in 1847.) But while the documentary covers more …
Brad Pitt to make 'surprise' appearance at San Diego County Fair?
Doesn't announcing a surprise appearance undercut the element of surprise? Be this as it may, the producers of World War Z want you to know there is a chance that Brad Pitt will make a cameo at the San Diego …
Review: Violet & Daisy
Hollywood never gives me what I really want. When the invite to the Violet and Daisy screening arrived, I thought for sure it was going to be a CG biopic of the Hilton sisters, America’s once loved and sadly forgotten …
Review: Wish You Were Here
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/06/46993/ A must to avoid for those planning a trip to Southeast Asia, Wish You Were Here is bound to impact weekend getaways to Phnom Penh in much the same way Midnight Express put the kibosh on Turkish tourism. At …
Dig a pool: Esther Williams
Esther Williams was an odd footnote to movie history. The record-setting competitive swimmer found a place in Hollywood where, in the '40's and '50's, she left her watermark on a series of "aquamusicals". If you find today's movies lacking in …
Let the Wright one in
Anders Wright moves to U-T, Glenn Heath assumes position with "City Beat"
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/06/46984/ Congratulations go out to my friends and colleagues, Glenn Heath and Anders, right? Both will soon be covering the same beat for different venues. After seven years with City Beat, Anders Wright has accepted the position of full-time film …
4th row center: Yesterday
Seniors or gang-bangers: Who'd you rather share a row with?
An 11:30 screening of an art house picture on a Tuesday morning in Clairemont; I thought it would be just me and the screen. What’s worse: the six boisterous future jailbirds who smuggled Arrowhead water bottles filled with beer into …
Trailer Park: Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead
Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead is either the name of a Japanese horror film or the perfect way to sum up my unpaid internship at KPBS. What's with you hipsters? Why must I hear about this paragon of poop …
What is The Internship about?
Art can mean different things to different people.
Okay, so the people at The Verge didn't like The Internship much. Neither did the people at The Onion. Both critiques land a lot of solid blows, and I say that as a person who enjoyed the film more than …
Oh, come on
I make a pledge to turn movies into Durex condom ads, and you send me a trailer about a girl setting out to lose her virginity? Seriously?
Yes, yes they did - here is the ever so naughty red-band trailer for The To-Do List. Aw, Aubrey Plaza. I liked you so much in Safety Not Guaranteed. But I said I'd do this, so here goes. Number one …
4th row center: Monkeybone
The night the Whoopee Cushions won
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/04/46896/ Q: "What did the audience member say when the Whoopie Cushion gag got old?" A: "This movie sucks. Let's get outta' here." It is easily the most memorable screening I ever walked out on. What lunatic PR drone at …
Digital Gym houses a Temple
The release of a new Julien Temple film is generally cause for a cinematic High Holiday. London: The Modern Babylon, the latest work by the British film, documentary and music video director opens today and runs through June 9 at …
Lon Chaney, Jr., back from the dead and ready to litigate
Universal studios is being sued by the estate of second generation movie monster, Lon Chaney, Jr., to the tune of over $1 million for alleged improper use of the actor’s likeness for merchandising. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/04/46867/ Hollywood is always looking for ways …
True story
A little early in the morning, maybe, but I brought this on myself.
So I'm sitting here in a Toyota showroom while my car is getting an oil change down below in Service, and I'm sifting through the morning movie blog news. Film Drunk has yet another story about Michael Douglas blaming his …
4th row center: Last Tango in Paris
The date stamped on the roadshow, reserved seat ticket for the opening week showing of Last Tango in Paris at Chicago’s magnificent McClurg Court Theatre -- think Mission Valley’s late Cinema 21 only grander -- just happened to coincide with …
What's in a role?
Heath Ledger's Joker diary gives a few clues
I am sort of taken with the notion that Heath Ledger holed up in a hotel room and made a Joker diary in preparation for his role. And by diary, I mean full-on scrapbooked Can't believe I didn't catch the …
Product placement is so yesterday
"Let's just slap the film into a commercial and be done with it."
Remember that Star Trek-based Esurance ad? It was cute, right? A little Trek riffing right before the real Trek? That split-second jolt of "Hey, it's the movie!" before you realized that it was a commercial? Apparently, that just wasn't commercial …