Jordan | The Film Stage

Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator forces movie critics to...

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:17:09 -0400

Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator forces movie critics to love his film, kidnaps famous director.

Stream: New Passion Pit and Animal Collective Songs, Beach House's New Album

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:55:00 -0400

Some great new music today:

1. First single from Passion Pit’s new album - Take a Walk

2. Two new Animal Collective songs

3. Beach House’s Bloom streaming in full (quite possibly the best album of the year thus far)

These are the Avengers I want to see assemble.

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:06:55 -0400

These are the Avengers I want to see assemble.

Red Dawn Remake Impressions

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:42:00 -0400

There was a test screening of the Red Dawn remake tonight in NYC and there’s another one tomorrow in LA. See some reactions below, for those of you interested in that sort of thing. A personal friend said it was, I quote, “a complete piece of shit.” But everything else seemed to be mostly positive.

@JoeyMagidson

‘Red Dawn’ is another in a long line of remakes that didn’t need to happen, but it’s a crowd pleaser and turned out better than I expected.

‏ @MaffmanJones:

RedDawn remake was average turned good turned ok again. Need to think before I review this to see how I really feel. It was decent man. It’s very much like the original and then towards the end it differs..

‏ @TheRealEliRey

Just saw a super duper advanced screening of “Red Dawn” and it put “Terminator Salvation” to shame!

‏ @PapaVinyard

Red dawn remake was surprisingly fun and badass for a PG-13. More soon

@Meatcube

Red Dawn (remake) was surprisingly awesome! #WOLVERINES!!!

‏@TerrHimself

Just caught a screening of the #RedDawn remake. Solid modernization of one of my favorite 80s movies

It arrives on November 21st, 2012.

That’s some classy Wikipedia plagiarism, Deadline. (credit...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:19:00 -0400

That’s some classy Wikipedia plagiarism, Deadline. (credit to @Nick_Newman)

Best Christopher Nolan moment ever.

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:02:38 -0400

Best Christopher Nolan moment ever.

Stream First Episode of Lena Dunham & Judd Apatow's 'Girls' on YouTube

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:28:00 -0400

Stream First Episode of Lena Dunham & Judd Apatow's 'Girls' on YouTube:

After premiering last night on HBO, the pilot episode of Lena Duham’s Girls is now available to stream for free (click above link). I thought it was everything I liked and didn’t like about Tiny Furniture, but thankfully the former outweighs the latter. I’ll definitely keep watching and see how Dunham expands this world.

Leonardo DiCaprio & Jamie Foxx Don Beards as Quentin Tarantino Presents First Footage From 'Django Unchained'

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:36:00 -0400

Not quite worthy of a full story, but the major cast of QT’s next got together in Cancun for Summer of Sony 4 Spring Edition, where the first footage of Django Unchained was revealed. No reactions yet, but stay tuned to The Film Stage if this proves to be news-worthy. See some pics below with what could possibly be some official logo art.

Twitter unearths another generation of idiots.

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:16:00 -0400

Twitter unearths another generation of idiots.

Happy 182nd birthday Eadweard J. Muybridge!

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:37:11 -0400

Happy 182nd birthday Eadweard J. Muybridge!

The whole cast of Nicolas Winding Refn’s upcoming Only God...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:45:41 -0400

The whole cast of Nicolas Winding Refn’s upcoming Only God Forgives. I predict they’ll all die.

2012 Oscar Predictions

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:33:00 -0500

With the Oscars kicking off this Sunday, the 26th, I’ve finalized my predictions, including both Will Win and Should Win cateogries. Check them out below and follow @TheFilmStage for updates!

Best Picture
WILL WIN: “The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
SHOULD WIN: “The Tree of Life”

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
WILL WIN: George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
SHOULD WIN: Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
SHOULD WIN: Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
WILL WIN: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
WILL WIN: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
SHOULD WIN: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
JC Chandor, “Margin Call”
SHOULD WIN: Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”
WILL WIN: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, “Bridesmaids”

Best Adapted Screenplay
WILL WIN: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
John Logan, “Hugo”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, “Moneyball”
SHOULD WIN: Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughn, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Animated Feature
“A Cat In Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
WILL & SHOULD WIN: A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams
WILL WIN: “The Artist,” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo,” Howard Shore
SHOULD WIN: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse,” John Williams

Best Original Song
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Cinematography
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Costume Design
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Jane Eyre”
“W.E.”

Best Documentary Feature
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Undefeated”

Best Documentary Short Subject
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?”
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
“Incident in New Baghdad”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Saving Face”
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”

Best Achievement in Film Editing
WILL WIN: “The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
SHOULD WIN: “Hugo”
“Moneyball”

Best Achievement in Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
SHOULD WIN: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
WILL WIN: “The Iron Lady”

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
WILL & SHOULD WIN: La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
SHOULD WIN: “Drive”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
WILL WIN: “Hugo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”
WILL & SHOULD WIN: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Top 30 Classic Films I Saw For First Time In 2011

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:47:00 -0500

Here are my favorite films that I had my first-time viewing of in 2011. Film, year and date seen.

30. Blue Valentine (2010) (1.19.11)

29. American Graffiti (1973) (1.5.11)

28. Blow Out (1981) (7.16.11)

27. Don’t Look Now (1973) (11.2.11)

26. Carrie (1976) (4.18.11)

25. Killer’s Kiss (1955) (8.28.11)

24. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) (3.6.11)

23. Dogville (2003) (4.10.11)

22. The Last Picture Show (1971) (9.6.11)

21. The City of Lost Children (1995) (1.6.11)

20. A Night at the Opera (1935) (12.26.11)

19 Walkabout (1971) (6.17.11)

18. Out of the Past (1947) (12.7.11)

17. Repulsion (1965) (12.25.11)

16. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) (10.22.11)

15. Beauty and the Beast (1946) (7.1.11)

14. Straw Dogs (1971) (6.16.11)

13. Dancer in the Dark (2000) (5.22.11)

12. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) (3.5.11)

11. Grand Illusion (1937) (6.3.11)

10. Kes (1969) (8.27.11)

9. Being There (1978) (7.29.11)

8. Andrei Rublev (1966) (1.11.11)

7. The Red Shoes (1948) (1.8.11)

6. Breaking the Waves (1996) (5.20.11)

5. The Rules of the Game (1939) (11.5.11)

4. Stalker (1979) (4.8.11)

3. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) (4.8.11)

2. La dolce vita (1960) (1.16.11)

1. Solaris (1972) (2.13.11)

My Top 20 Albums of 2011

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:59:59 -0500

20. Basement Jaxx - Attack the Block OST

19. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

18. Nicholas Jaar - Space is Only Noise

17. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse

16. Bright Eyes - The People’s Key

15. The Decemberists - The King is Dead

14. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

13. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne

12. The Black Keys - El Camino

11. Sigur Ros - Inni

10. Alexandre Desplat - The Tree of Life OST

9. Radiohead - The King of Limbs

8. Panda Bear - Tomboy

7. Drive OST

6. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

5. The Roots - Undun

4. Grouper - A I A: Dream Loss/ Alien Observer

3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

2. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

1. Stephen Malkmus - Mirror Traffic

My Top 15 Films of 2012

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:39:26 -0500

As of Jan. 6th, 2012:

1. Snowtown

2. Wuthering Heights

3. Chicken with Plums

4. Kill List

5. Sleepless Night

6. The Kid with a Bike

7. God Bless America

8. Beyond the Black Rainbow

9. Magic Valley

10. Your Sister’s Sister

11. You’re Next

12. Turn me on, goddammit

13. The Grey

14. The Deep Blue Sea

15. Friends with Kids

A much better alternate poster for The Flowers of War.

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:13:29 -0400

A much better alternate poster for The Flowers of War.

Avatar is never coming to a theater near you. Found in a...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:29:24 -0400

Avatar is never coming to a theater near you. Found in a 90’s Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.

Press pass picked up. Walked past Brian De Palma. Screenings of...

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:04:42 -0400

Press pass picked up. Walked past Brian De Palma. Screenings of Moneyball and Ides of March today. TIFF has begun!

TIFF - Day 0

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:10:49 -0400

Up early and made it to JFK and through security with ease. Now waiting to board in an hour. If all goes well I’ll be seeing Moneyball and Ides of March this afternoon. Look for my Coriolanus review to go up as well. Looking forward to my fifth TIFF! As always, follow @TheFilmStage for updates.

first hitting NC coast.

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:44:28 -0400

first hitting NC coast.