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El Fishbulb Diablo & Nordling Chime in regarding BUTT-NUMB-A-THON 6!
Hey folks, Harry here with the first 2 BNAT recaps to come flying in. Hoping for more. Whether it blew you away or not - there's an awful lot to react to. Also check out Matt Dentler's Blog, he's the master programmer of SXSW! I'll be back after more rest...
Hola Harry, Moriarty, Quint, Jay et al.
Once again I have made myself and my brethren proud by surviving my second straight Butt-Numb-A-Thon with nary a scratch, wayward glance from aggressive strangers, kitten bite, or any other such unfortunate event. In short, I rule. Alrighty then, enough with the self-fellating, and on with the report. I know there are at least 9,233 people out there who wished they could have been here in Austin this weekend who were sadly denied permission by the Big Red Machine Himself. Therefore, I am hoping that my little contribution can somehow help those poor poor bastards feel some of the joy that I and my wife and friends enjoyed today/yesterday.
Last Tuesday I quit my job, packed my bags, and had one more good nights sleep in my old home before leaving forever on Wednesday morning. My wife and I had decided that BNAT was the perfect excuse to quit our jobs and begin the process that will eventually move us to Japan sometime next year. So, we headed out on the long drive from San Diego to Austin, journeying through the vast desert that is the American Southwest. We passed from the friendly confines of our down home Blue state of California straight into the heart of Incumbent Country. Despite my preconceived notions and poor gas mileage, the trip was wonderful. Long, semi-exhausting, but wonderful. Driving through the desert is highly recommended. We arrived Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed down the street to play some pool at Buffalo Billiards, get drunk, and pass out in our oh-so-near-to-the-Alamo-Drafthouse-Hotel. One good night sleep later and we stroll down to the theater, meet up with our local friends in The Line, and pass the first security check of the night.
After Harry's introductory remarks, the Festivus for the Restofus began! And it is here we join the play by play.
(Trailer): The Slumber Party Massacre. Hot chicks, blood, lots of T n A. No Problem.
(Clip): Putney Swope. Goddamn, I have no idea what I just saw. I remember a young teenage interracial couple from the 70's singing about the first time she flashed her beaver and got soul kisses, before suddenly turning into what appears to be a commercial for an anti-acne cream ("He's so out of sight! And so are his pimples
")
(Trailer): Stunt Rock. A BNAT Classic, "It's a Deathwish at 120 Decibels!"
Here we received our first feature film, the first full length stop-motion animation film released theatrically and the first ever Rankin-Bass film. It was, in fact, the one and only:
Willie McBean and His Magic Machine! All you need to know is that there is one sexy little Mexican monkey who "cannot speak one word of English, senor." And that if it weren't for Christopher Columbus, America would be "nothing but a bunch of trees and a couple of teepees."
Next, two young and very gracious young guests were brought on stage to discuss their upcoming Holiday film, which we saw immediately afterward. It's title:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events I must say that I didn't know anything about the book series and hadn't actually planned on paying to see this movie. That being said, I recommend this film to all. It is moody, silly, sad, funny, and surprising at almost every turn. Jim Carrey is fantastical as Count Olaf and the trailers do not do his performance justice. All three children are also wonderful in their roles while Jude Law does enchanting work as the narrator of the story, Lemony Snicket himself.
Afterwards we were presented to two clips from the upcoming Dreamworks CGI picture, Madagascar. It looks fun and highly energetic but all I really have to say is: Dreamworks, if you are listening, make a film entirely of the Penguin Commando Unit and do it PRONTO!
(Trailer): The Pirate Movie!!!! I've probably seen this move fifteen times but not since I was about seven years old. What a great fuckin' movie and what a silly ass trailer.
(Trailer): Black Beard's Ghost: Disney's fun pirate ghost movie (ooooh, pirate ghoooosts!!!)
(Trailer): Yellowbeard: This got a lot of laughs and I can remember ne'er a detail. So sad.
(Trailer): The Ice Pirates: The greatest Pirate Movie of All Time? Possibly.
(Feature): The Black Swan: The greatest Pirate Movie all time. I must say that I now think so. And remember: You gots to say Jamie-Boy THREE times to get the good lovin's from the finest dames.
Did you know that, just like Bob Harris, Sammy Davis Jr. made a kickass Japanese commercial for Santuri whiskey? I do.
This next exclusive presentation proved the incredible graciousness of the studio and filmmakers involved. We were treated to a slide show (a BNAT first) of production artwork and stills from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. We saw some beautiful shots of the Heart of Gold, Marvin, Deep Thought (imagine an enormous Buddha-like computer with it's monitor shaped head in it's hands resting in the middle of the jungle). We also saw the first look at the Vogons which looked, remarkably, exactly like Vogons, all the while without appearing at all how I pictured them. But I dig it. I dig it deep. This movie is going to own all of our puny non-planet sized brains soon enough.
(Trailer): Footprints in the Sands of Time. Lizards with glued-on horns. Giant footprints. Dames.
(Feature): Blonde Venus. Damn, that Marlene Deitrich is one fucked dame. Hot though.
At this point we became intrigued when 3D glasses are passed out.
(Feature): {In 3-FREAKING-D!!!) Miss Sadie Thompson: The most beautiful 3D presentation I've ever seen. This movie was very entertaining and just bloody gorgeous. Also, if you are a rapist, just kill yourself already and make it easy on everyone else. Finally, Rita Hayworth is one fucked up dame. Extremely hot though.
(let me quote directly from my notes for a moment, if you'll bear with me.)
"There is a totally bullshit forty five minute security delay to ensure no recording of whatever the hell the next film will be. This had better be fucking Star Wars or some shit. Weren't we already searched on the way in? This is fucking ridiculous
..This is a very long break and many people are getting annoyed."
Finally we all made it inside to sing Happy Birthday to the Host of this evening's festivities, Harry Tiberius Knowles.
Up next came a taped introduction from Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise for the trailer for The War of the Worlds that most of you have seen by now.
(Trailer): The Mutations: Have ya seen it? Have ya? Have ya? As of right now, I hadn't either.
(Trailer): Welcome Home, Brother Charles: They tried to take everything, even his manhood!
(Trailer): Voyage of the Rock Aliens!!! This elicited the best response from the audience yet. Things are going great!!!
(Clip): 69 Minutes Krakatoan Wedding Spectacular. Masturbation is the perfect way to get married. Huge laughs. Things are going GREAT!
(Feature): Andrew Lloyd's Webber Phantom of the Opera. The Security Delay of nearly an hour was for this?? Hmm, it's not a good sign when, upon the announcement of the title, nearly a half of the audience boos loudly. To be fair, close to a quarter of the crowd were cheering while the rest stood stolidly Swiss.
This film is a bit of a mixed bag. Overall I think I liked it, having not seen the musical. The major weaknesses were the choreography, Minnie Driver, and anytime the Phantom appeared any closer than as a distant shadow. This guy induced some serious groaners with his e-mot-ing. Some strengths include the cinematography, Christine (ooh, yummy), and some of the music was actually kinda sweet. Alas, it is also too long and people have become grumbly. Things aren't going so swell for some.
(Trailer): The Ring 2: New trailer. Not a huge fan, I don't care, don't remember any details, and don't ask me any more questions!!!
(Feature): The Mutations!!!! Lots of freaks in this one and we got to learn all about them from the writer/producer of the film, Robert Weinbach. This guy was absolutely fucking cool. He told us all kinds of anecdotes about the casting of the actual "freaks" and how he would smoke a joint walking the streets of London with "Popeye," the man who could pop his eyes out of his skull. He liked to pop his eyes at the hotties and watch them faint on the street from shock and fright. Also, he told us the story of having decided to name the Traveling Freak Show Company "Lynch & Burns" just days before hearing that his friend, Robert Lynch had burned to death. (Get it, Lynch
.Burns, freaky huh?) What I think is even freakier is the fact that during his speech I suddenly picked up a pen and drew a small circle on a napkin and then enveloped it in a square. No sooner had I finished the square than Mr. Weinbach said that Robert Lynch used to work at the "Circle in Square" Studio. That freaked me out in a trippy way. And I have witnesses! Anyway
on with the show.
(Trailer): TROG! Nonono, lemme try again
TRROOOOOOGGGGGG!!!!! Starring Joan Crawford!
(Trailer): The Muther's "Fighting Females Unleashing Their Fury on the Devils!"
(Feature, Tim League's pick): Toys are NOT For Children. Fuck You, League (from my wife). You Rock, Tim (from my buddy JJ). All the women were in the bathroom discussing how fucked up men are after this one, while all the men were laughing about what a fucked up piece of exploitation we just saw. But seriously, fuck you, League. NUDITY SHOULD BE FUN GODDAMIT!!!!!
(Feature, Moriarty's Pick) LayerCake. Moriarty kicks fucking ass for programming this movie. It kicks so much ass I can barely take a shit without some foot flying up my puckerdumper. It will be premiering at Cannes this year but we saw it first. Therefore, we are better than all people in Cannes! Afterwards, Tamar Hussan came out to discuss his part as an associate gangster in the film. He will be appearing in Batman Begins as well as a number of other upcoming films. Watch this name, Tamar has charisma to burn and a great physical presence.
(Clip, from Producer Eli Roth) 2001 Maniacs. Mountain Men ain't so innocent ain't they? When was the last time a good drawn and quartering scene appeared in multiplexes anyway?
(Clip): Casshern. Futuristic Japanese Sci-Fi Oddness that made little sense if you were not on Ecstasy. Comes out next Fall.
(Feature): ONG BAK!!!!!!!!!!!! Fucking Coolest Movie of the BNAT!!! Fucking Coolest Movie of the Year!!!!! Fucking COOOOOLLLL!!!!!!!!! When Lord, When o? when will I be able to crack open a man?s skull with my elbow?!? You people cannot wait to see this and you don't even know it yet. For those of you who have seen it I say, "Wasn't that FUCKING SWEEEETT!!!?!?!?!?"
It was clear that the night was coming to an end after this film ended. Breakfast was long gone, sinking deeper into the bowels of our contentedness. We knew there would be only one more film, but what would precede it and WHAT WOULD THE FINAL FILM BE???
(Clip): The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This was mostly a behind the scenes look at the WETA progress being made on the design of the film. Some of the creatures looked frighteningly similar to LOTR while the Minotaur stood out as an exceptionally cool design.
AND FINALLY
..
The final film of the evening will be
?
Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Chow. This was a greatly fun cartoon-like kung fu action comedy. There were so many sweet moments of flips, high kicks, and multi-person ass-kicking that would have been so much more impressive if we hadn't just seen exactly the same thing done without ANY wires or CGI during Ong-Bak (Which totally fucking ROCKED, by the way). Still, despite my tiredness I had a lot of fun with this film. I even think it's a better flick than Shaolin Soccer, which I loved (although admittedly I only ever saw the US theatrical release).
Well, that was BNAT. It was fantabulous and I highly recommend it to anyone who can experience it. It's like wiping your ass with silk, I love it. So, as a tribute to the first trailer of the evening, I am at my friend's house watching Slumber Party Massacre on DVD. Dig that shit baby.
That is all for this reader/writer/seer/believer for tonight. I have to get back on the road tomorrow morning and haven't slept for about 37 hours. So goodnight to y'all (Hey, this Texas dialect is easy as hell to pick up!)
Take heart me mates and let out a fine AAAAARRRRRR for yer ol'pal Fishbulb.
Yours Truly; the Honorable and Deadly,
El Fishbulb DiabloNext we have a 6 time BNAT Hall-of-Famer...
Nordling here.
This year it was a bit difficult to write a list of what I've learned at BNAT 6, because I learned so much. I learned that pirates shave their pits, and that dragons are gay. The 11:15 train will kick your ass if you're not careful, and that apparently in 1870s Paris people vogued and did the robot. I decided to become Buddhist, because Jesus just can't kick ass like Buddha can. So many things, so many things... this year, I'll just list my favorite moments, a few words about some films, some incidentals, and I'll be done with it.
- Moriarty, two words, man. IRON GIANT. Wear that DVD out. The perfect start.
- Steven Spielberg sharing birthday greetings.
- The HITCHHIKER'S slide show. My excitement for that one went up tenfold. I think Douglas Adams is in heaven right now grinning and nodding.
- MADAGASCAR looks much better than I expected, and ninja penguins kick ass.
- Wow, that was a great WAR OF THE WORLDS teaser.
- 2001 MANIACS shows for the first time, truly, what it's like to live in a red state.
- LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS was charming, funny, scary, and everything a great children's film should be. Jim Carrey's having a lot of fun, but he's given a really nice script to work with this time. It was also nice to see Emily Browning and Liam Aiken pop in and talk a little bit about the film. It's one to check out this holiday season.
- I dared not fall asleep during TOYS ARE NOT FOR CHILDREN because I was extremely afraid of what my half-sleeping dreams would be like. Tim League is going to pay.
- PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Well... it looks good. Okay... man, it's terrible. I'm sorry, to people who are fans of the play, you might find something to like. But Gerard Butler's voice is just not right for the role. I guess he's working with the "Those who can't do, teach" motivation. In fact, I winced pretty much everytime he opened his mouth. And goddamn, Joel Schumacher, does every statue have to have nipples and plumber's butt? If you think the Gotham City fetish look was awful, wait till you get a load of the Opera House... There was much laughter in many scenes that weren't supposed to be funny. I know some reviewers have this pegged as a Best Picture nominee, and that might be true, but it's just one sloppy film. It doesn't make sense, with the limitless possibilities of film, to bind this musical to the feel and look of the stage play, especially when you can see the potential of something really great. There are moments, fleeting moments, when the film is working, and then we get a shot of people voguing. No, I'm not kidding. I don't like booming music giving me the signal, "Okay, this is the part where you get really emotional, because we're telling you to with these really loud trumpets." It's bad. Real bad. It's "Going to beat ROCKY HORROR for midnight shows" bad. The only person that doesn't come out of this completely smelling of shit is Emmy Rossum, who really does the best with what she's given. At times, you feel badly for her that she's giving a terrific performance in a film that completely fails her on every level. I will say this, this is the film that generated the most discussion in BNAT 6, so take that as you will.
- LAYER CAKE is one terrific gangster film, and Daniel Craig oozed coolness in the role. A tight script, and it's A LONG GOOD FRIDAY gritty. Tamer Hassan, thanks for coming, and best of luck.
- Nice to meet some readers of the site, like Henchman Mongo, as well as other writers like Devin from CHUD. Hope to see you all again soon.
- The minotaur from THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE looked photo-real. Nice.
- Rita Hayworth. 3-D. Sweet.
- Marlene Dietrich in BLONDE VENUS. Sweet.
- Maureen O'Hara in THE BLACK SWAN. Sweet.
- ONG BAK. Goddamn, that was a fucking movie.
- I wondered, as I watched the climax of THE MUTATORS, whether one could get stoned on the smoke of the man-plant as he was burned alive.
- Stephen Chow's KUNG FU HUSTLE wants nothing more than to entertain the hell out of you, and it does. I didn't know what to expect with this one, but it delivered. Your cynicism won't help you here. Part gangster film, part Looney Tunes cartoon, part martial arts orgy, it's funny, has tons of film references for the geeks (THE SHINING spoof was especially cool), and is just really FUN.
- As BNATs go, I really enjoyed this one. I didn't know what to expect after last year's, and this was more of a return to form. Seeing 3-D Charles Bronson though - didn't expect that. I had high hopes for PHANTOM OF THE OPERA which it completely failed to deliver, and I didn't know what to think about A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS before I saw it, and it satisfies on every level. Make sure you look out for LAYER CAKE when it gets released in the States, because it's an awesome debut by Matthew Vaughn. And please, release KUNG FU HUSTLE as is. Don't mess with it. It's total eye candy fun. See you next year, hopefully!
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sounds like a interesting day...
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Dec 13, 2004 1:45:03 AM CST
if Ong Bak was the coolest movie, then BNAT 6 must've sucked....
by jarek
I hate Ong Bak with a passion. It simply isn't a good movie.
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OK.. I don't want to sound jealous or anything. But, is anyone else sick of hearing the lame inside jokes year after year?
Yah.. we get it.. some of us aren't able to quit our jobs to go watch movies.
Ok.. fine. I'm jealous. BUT STILL! QUIT IT! -
Dec 13, 2004 3:57:21 AM CST
So that line up Harry posted the other day was all bullshit?
by theginger twit
Thank God for that, I was feeling bad for knocking it.
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I'm sure it was great fun and all, but compared to last year's line up this BNAT sure must have been disappointing. The Phantom of the Opera as the big centerpiece?? Strange choice if you ask me. But hey, still would have loved to have been there.
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It sounds like the security there was hell, robogeek posted at one point they all had to leave the theatre with belongings and come back in. Acting like it's some huge movie that people would do anything to capture. For what, Phantom of the Opera? Jesus christ, no one from BNAT wants to steal your film much less watch it.
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...is actually Martha Plimpton's mom.
Just some interesting trivia. -
Regardless if it is good or not, did they really think the BNAT fanboys would be all excited about The Phantom of the Opera? How freaking stupid of them!
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Half of the enjoyment of film festivals is the crowd participation. Sounded like a fun time, cept the Phantom deal seemed like a big let down.
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Casshern is out on DVD and available to a UKer with any nouse. Layer Cake has been out for weeks and Phantom arrived that weekend. Hope you got enough sleep dude.
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"It will be premiering at Cannes this year but we saw it first. Therefore, we are better than all people in Cannes!"
Mmmmm, first: no! The selection hasn't been made yet and I doubt they will show a movie released in 2004... And second : no, definitly not. -
Dec 13, 2004 8:22:57 AM CST
GingerTwit- Do you have the reading comprehension level of an eg
by renonevada2000
In Harry's BNAT post he said that the list was to approximate the BNAT experience for those who couldn't go, it wasn't the list of what they were actually showing. It's the same thing he's done EVERY YEAR. Someone else even pointed this out to in the Talk Back and yet you still persist in thinking that was going to be the actual play list. Please, read ALL the words, even if you have to get help with the big one. (You know, the ones with more than four letters...)
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to the reviewer thinking of moving to japan with his wife. DON'T. just get the divorce now.
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I saw Ong Bak a year ago, Kung Fu Hustle three months ago and if I really, really wanted to see Lemony Snicket, all I'd have to do is wait, what, another six days. Maybe they should have just played Return of the King again.
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BEST MOTION PICTURE
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Im at work, and cant reformat that info. Here's the link,
http://www.hfpa.org/nominations2005.html -
Dec 13, 2004 9:56:29 AM CST
Does GingerTwit remind anyone else of Cruiser in Stripes?
by garbageman33
Sarge: Son, there ain't no draft no more.
Cruiser/GingerTwit: There was one? -
Dec 13, 2004 10:17:09 AM CST
Excuse me, but that "VN" marketing bullshit ad was written by il
by scrumdiddly
as one would expect. It's WITH, not "of"!
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I got back a while ago and I can tell you while it was cool to attend, I am HIGHLY disappointed with BNAT this year. It started out great with the Magic Machine movie (which drug on way too long) and then Lemony Snicket w/ the kids from the movie. At that point, I thought we were in for a great lineup of older movies and new premiers. Everyone was buzzing. Then the festival went straight downhill after The Black Swan. It was mello drama for the next 8 hours. Blonde Venus was good, but was melodrama. Then came Miss Sadie Thompson in 3D. It looked great, but again, more melodrama. Now where the whole night went wrong and never recovered. We all had to leave and take EVERYTHING out and re-enter and go through getting wand searched. We all thought that it was going to be something HUGE or an early cut of something. After 45 min of going through this, we all finally get back in and are then informed by Harry that the movie will be, and I quote, "Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera". A large number of people started booing. Anyways, the movie started and by 30 minutes in, most everyone was laughing about how ridiculous and terrible it was. People were heckling, yelling out "Skeletor" and basically hating every passing minute of the 2 1/2 hour movie. After that, people were basically in a terrible mood. There were 2 more old move shown and then when we got to finally see some "Premire" movies. "Premire" meant getting to see Layer Cake, a movie that is very good, but is going to be a Sundance movie. Not exactly exclusive BNAT material. The next "Premire" movie was Ong-Bak, a movie which has been floating around the net for months and was released in 2003. Then we finally thought we would see the HUGE climax movie that would save the festival and it turns out to be Kung Fu Hustle. Talk about your all time major fucking let downs. Besides Ong-Bak, which every went crazy for and cheered the whole time, BNAT was really bad this year. I mean, anyone everywhere can go see Lemony Snicket in 5 days and anyone can go see Phantom in a week. It was just a major, major let down this year. I mean it is $60 bucks to get in and is supposed to have one of the best line ups. Even the "exclusive" things that we got to see, such as Spielberg and Cruise wishing Harry a happy birthday were lame because you got to see the War of the Worlds trailer on Friday when it was released everywhere. The only real "exclusive" things we saw was the slide show for Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and a few minutes of Madagascar and a preproduction short from Narnia. I talked to many people that spent up to a grand to fly in from all around the country that were very pissed off
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What were you expecting to see? There's nothing on the horizon that could possibly be in even a reasonable state of completion that would have competed with ROTK or The Passion of the Christ for previous years. Lucas can't even find Austin on a map, so if people were hoping for Episode III they're nuts.
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As much as I would have loved to see Phantom early, I'm glad I wasn't there. Half of these films I've never even heard of, which is actually scary. Black Swan, of course I know, Voyage of the Rock Aliens is classic, so why just show a trailer?
Anywhoo...I would like to know why Phantom was shown to a theater full of Fanboys who would rather see something along the lines of Ichi The Killer (I'm not slamming Ichi, I'm just saying...makes no sense) I'm also surprised because from what I can tell, no one on this site likes it..so why show it? How much of a kick back did Harry get from Universal for showing it there?
And by the way, I've listend to the soundtrack and I think Gerard has it nailed. His Phantom is darker and sexier. I loved it. And I loved Crawford's too, but Gerard has the darkness down. I can't wait to see the film. Looks awesome and sounds it. -
Dec 13, 2004 12:27:11 PM CST
The Hitchhiker's concept art you guys are geeking about have bee
by ar42
http://www.planetmagrathea.com/conceptart.html
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I was expecting them to show cool flicks like Life Aquatic and Aviator, with amazing Q and A sessions, not Phantom of the Opera.
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Dec 13, 2004 1:12:13 PM CST
Re: The Hitchhiker's concept art you guys are geeking about have
by fugazi32
Cheers for that! Thanx!!!
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...although some of the concept art has been online (at Yahoo) for some time now. I don't like the design for the Heart of Gold but Marvin and Deep Thought are perfect. Can't wait.
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Renee Zellweger for Bridgett Jones 2...that move stinks! and Nicole Kidman for Birth...yuck!
And any nomination for Sex in the City, Sarah Jessica Parker and the Sex in the Surburb rip-off Desperate Housescants just confirms how much the Golden Globes suck. -
i'm almost glad i wasn't invited this year. what a disapointing lineup. i attended bnat5 and i would have to say that it was possibly the greatest movie going experience ever. seeing several great films before anyone else, being in the same room with mel gibson, chatting with eli roth about mark borchardt (and his (eli's) obsession with mark), and (last but definitely not least) personally handing peter jackson a vhs demo tape with three of my short videos on it and having him personally autograph my copy of bad taste! can it get any better? how do you top that?
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I would have been happy just to have seen Kung Fu Hustle. What an ungrateful bunch some of you are.
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Dec 13, 2004 2:50:28 PM CST
Bit weak this year, sorry guys. We got Layer Cake ages ago, Cass
by silver_joo
My Leeds film fest itinerary was more interesting than the usually interesting BNAT - yay.
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"The Ring is arguably one of the best horror films to come out in the past decade." are you drunk? the ring is an american remake by desperate filmamkers trying to cash in on someone elses ideas. that's all it will ever be. it can't be new and exciting because it has already been done. it's like what travolta said on 'inside the actor's studio' upon his choice to see an american or foreign film he chose the foreign film. why? because they're better. american film suck monkey balls especially if they're remakes. oh yeh, freddy vs jason was a pretty damned good flick. more enjoyable than 'the ring'.
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Yellowbeard had so many comedy greats in it... a lot of Monty Pythoners,
and it was Marty Feldman's last film as he died during the filming from complications from food poisoning.
I think the Alamo ought to show Yellowbeard sometime, I really wanted to see more!
Phantom of the Opera....yikes! Didn't like it! Too long and boring with cryptic movement between a past and future, that didn't make sense...I know the stage play starts with the auction and moves into a flashback. I love broadway shows. I saw the Phantom of the Opera as a stage play, gorgeous and innovative sets, costumes, live music make this show wonderful and entertaining. This play simply doesn't translate into a movie very well. The movie's Don Juan dance scenes were laughable and the leading men's talents seemed unremarkable. However, big fans of the play will probably love seeing this at movie ticket prices, being able to get a DVD, appreciate the general loveliness of the movie.
Putney Swope, I believe was a movie about an advertising exec, and thus the explanation of the pimple commercial, but I haven't looked it up but I remember when it came out.
I have a question about Casshern which looked like a video game to me. Is that Miyazaki movie? It had some of his trademark elements...people messing with nature and weird flying machines. I may have been not paying attention but I heard no reference to the director or anything but the studio releasing it.
Overall, I had a great time! I thank Harry for including us. I appreciated and enjoyed almost every movie shown, (with the exception of the exploitation movie and let me join every other female in the audience in saying "EEEWWWWW!" )
My favorites were A Series of Unfortunate Events (I was dreading this movie before I saw it) and LayerCake... I loved the old movies, the 3d movie, and almost all the trailers and sneak clips. Already saw Ong Bak but enjoyed it anyway. Enjoyed Kung Fu Hustle too. But most of all, I enjoyed being with this group of movie geeks on Harry's REAL birthday and watching cool movies. This group of people are among the nicest, zaniest, fun and knowledgeable people I have had the pleasure to meet. I hope Harry continues to include us for years to come!
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couldn't Knowles get a more gay movie, like an indie flick about two fags who own a pet store in Mobile, Alabama?
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No STAR WARS, no AVIATOR, just PHANTOM OF THE FUCKING OPERA? I would have been seriously pissed about having to go through all that security just to be told I was going to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. I'm surprised there wasn't a riot. And a couple of old Kung Fu movies that anyone can download off the internet? Who gives a shit? LEMONY SNICKET? I hate children's movies. I want violence and profanity and nudity. Man, I'm glad I wasn't there. I feel sorry for those who went. You got your money, stolen, man. And last year's BNAT had such a good lineup. Please, Harry. No more musicals.
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Because it just doesn't sound that great. Lemony Snickets? Phantom of the Opera? Please. How is that cool?
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It's over at movie box in an extra-large format!!!
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Man, last year the lineup was awesome! Based on that, I was half expecting to miss out on films like Batman Begins and maybe some Star Wars exclusive stuff...but after reading those reviews and seeing how much of a chowderpile this year's line-up ended up being, I'm not feeling so bad anymore...I mean, come on! I rented Ong Bak at Pedazo Chunk like a year ago!
Lookin' forward to missing next year's big screening of fuckin' Krull. *sigh* -
I want to look at batman frame by frame... Uh-huhuhuhuhuhuhuh
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Keep talking about how much you think it was a crap year. Then maybe next year less people will apply and some real fans can come. As for me, it's never just the movies, but the fun, the laughs, and the community. I have a great time every year and this year was no exception. There was no possible way to raise the bar from last year's unless we all got REVENGE OF THE SITH or something, and Harry said as much. So keep it up.
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It's a very pretty piece of shit. Seriously. The production design is fabulous, but the plot is nigh-on non-existent and the pace is slower than a high school graduation ceremony. It's too bad.
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That's Suntory whiskey...
if you are thinking of moving to Japan, thought you should know. Also almost every whiskey and coffee commercial made in Japan is pretty funny to us gaijins. It would be great to have a feature-length compilations of those commercials. One of the most incredible commercials I saw there featured Boy George as a legendary Buddhist monk who, while on a quest for some Buddhist texts, finds companions in a Monkey King, a Kappa (imaginary sea creature) and a pig. Costumes and make up in the commercial were pretty incredible, however none of this has anything to do with the alcoholic beverage it was selling.
Next:
Also Daniel Craig....did he remind anyone else of Steve McQueen?
Next:
And the director and writer of CASSHERN is Kazuaki Kiriya(...to answer my own question). First-time writer and director.
ALSO, Putney Swope was about a token African American on the board of an ad agency who ends up taking over, replacing key players with his radical friends, and renames the agency "Truth and Soul, Inc."
Since no-one answered my questions, and there were few talkbacks after I posted, I went and looked some things up.
I'm with Nordling. Keep complaining folks...and whatever you do, don't apply for BNAT next year...it will help those of us who love the experience have less competition to get in. -
Thanks, Harry, for once again providing us with an eclectic selection of both old and new films. This was only my second BNAT experience, but it was every bit as good as the first. ~~ Harry commented on the fact that last year's films would be impossible to top, and I agree, even though I missed it because of work. The ones we did see, and the trailers shown between, were all part of a unique, wonderful experience. I didn't like them all, of course, but that's the beauty of the event. No one will like everything, but there will always be something for everyone. Lemony Snicket was good, though I'm not a Carrey fan when he's in a completely comedic role and he did, indeed, ham it up, but it was a cool movie overall. The WotW trailer kicked all kinds of ass and the silence that enveloped the theater makes me willing to wager I know at least 250 people who will be at the theaters on opening day or as near to it as they can manage. Phantom had moments where I was drawn into the story, but overall was merely laughable. It was Evita meets Moulin Rouge...and not in a pleasant way. We laughed and we cried, but, for the majority of the viewers, it was at totally different moments than what the reps expected, no doubt. Uhm...sorry? (No) Mutations proved to be more arty than cheesy, good fun, but it was still enjoyable and the director told the BEST STORIES EVER. Thanks! Layer Cake was layer upon layer of coolness, though not a genre I typically watch, and I will be buying that one. I'm clever that way. Kung Fu Hustle was a bit too much on the slapstick style for me, but Mrs. Lion's Roar saved the day with an acerbic, dry expression and an inflating bosom that the Terminatrix would envy if she could feel emotion. The Ring 2 trailer creeped me out, especially after having loved The Ring so much (and yes, dipshits, I saw both The Ring and Ringu, preferring the American version) so I'm looking forward to that one as well. Ong-Bak stole the fucking show and I'll finally break down and buy a region free DVD player if I have to in order to watch it over and over and over and over again! Vegas said that it was the sort of movie that made a liar out of him when he told a friend that the kinds of moves in video games were impossible, and I'll agree with that. The choreography in this movie was incredible, and Jaa made it all look sooooooooo fucking easy. Every year there seems to be a movie that sneaks up and steals the show from the bigger, more well known 'headliners' and this year it was Ong-Bak. Blonde Venus was the second best movie of the evening, imo. An oldie, but a goodie, with Dietrich appearing both radiant and tragic. Rita was far too perky for me, but I did enjoy the movie and the 3D was spectacular. As far as Toys Are Not For Children, not ALL the women were grossing out on it. Both Dru and I loved it, and I thought it was the saddest, sickest, most hysterical thing I've seen in a long, long time if not ever. Thanks, Tim! There's tons more I could mention, but those are the ones that stood out in my mind, the most important thing, to me, being the opportunity to see ALL of what was shown. We got to see Narnia, Vogons, and a man being strangled by a penis. You can't beat that! I'll end by saying that there can never, EVER be too many ninja penguins. I WANT MORE!
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Have IQs suddenly gone down while I was gone? Never seen the musical, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA? It had some "really sweet songs"????? Geez...get a real life. This bunch could see Michael Crawford and Sara Brightman in person and be absolutely clueless about what they were experiencing. Sheesh. "Oh, Lord, what fools these mortals be."
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We saw the Vogons!
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Dec 15, 2004 4:28:47 PM CST
There was more and different THHGTTG concept art than the stuff
by hippolyta
Yes, Vogons!
And we also listened to Robbie Stamp explain how Mos Def was cast and other behind-the-scenes notes. A wonderful Q & A by a friend of Adams.
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