Salon.com > Movies http://www.salon.com Fri, 04 Jan 2013 02:41:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Pick of the week: Beautiful white people hit by tsunami! http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161281 Using natural disaster – or manmade apocalypse, ecological catastrophe, alien invasion – as the backdrop for human drama goes clear back to the invention of cinema as spectacle, and arguably a long way before that. Of course we’re not supposed to think that the big, dramatic flood is the main point of the Noah story in the Book of Genesis, or in the Epic of Gilgamesh. But it certainly helped hold the audience’s attention. Given that, it’s surprising that mainstream filmmakers have all but ignored the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, an event that killed almost 100 times more people than the 9/11 attacks and may well have been the worst natural disaster in recorded history.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/feed/ 6 Golden Globes: Amy Poehler roots for “Avatar” and Tina Fey wants best picture http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:48:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161102 If the promos are any indication, you'll want to tune into 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards this year, hosted by comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. In a newly released video, the two speculate on who the big winners will be: Tina Fey and "Avatar." "I, personally, would like to win best picture," says Fey. "Just me, like, as a person, winning best picture, I think would be unprecedented especially because I didn't even really make a movie this year."

And, spoiler alert, but Daniel Day-Lewis might be up for something, too:

Poehler: I haven't been keeping up with pop culture, is it "Avatar" this year?
Fey: Yes, yes.
Poehler: We've been practicing: And the winner for best actor in a drama is ...
Fey: Daniel Day-Lewis.
In unison: For "Avatar."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/feed/ 2 “Skyfall,” “Django Unchained” earn Producers Guild Nominations http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160763 The Producers Guild of America, hailed by statistician Nate Silver as one of the more reliable predictors of Oscar success, revealed its nominations yesterday afternoon. In step with other major film associations, the PGA hailed "Argo," "Lincoln," "Les Miserables,"  "Life of Pi," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty," in the running for best theatrical motion picture.

Four wild cards rounded out the list of 10 nominees, however, shutting out Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master": the James Bond film "Skyfall" made the cut, as did Wes Anderson's indie film "Moonrise Kingdom." The appearance of "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which was surprisingly left out from the Golden Globe nominations, another strong Oscar predictor, suddenly became a viable contender in the race. And, though critically acclaimed, The Hollywood Reporter notes that "Django Unchained" was a wild card because guild voters didn't get screeners due to its late completion.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/feed/ 0 Hillary, coming to a theater near you? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:49:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160677 As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to recuperate from a blood clot, there’s some good news for her — presuming she has some Hollywood aspirations. Politico reports today on the screenplay "Rodham," one that ranked on last year’s Black List poll of Hollywood types on the best unproduced scripts.

While there’s no guarantee that "Rodham" will be made (and while its existence isn’t exactly new — Slate reported on Young Il Kim’s screenplay last month), the Politico brief is evidence of a level of public interest in Secretary Clinton that's high even by the usual standard.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/feed/ 3 Senate investigating contact between CIA and “Zero Dark Thirty” filmmakers http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160584 The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, headed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has launched an investigation into the CIA's involvement with the Osama bin Laden manhunt dramatization, "Zero Dark Thirty," in an effort to determine what role government staffers had in a movie that politicians have sharply criticized as being "misleading" and "grossly inaccurate."

Reuters broke the news last night, paraphrasing a source close to the Committee, which "will examine whether the spy agency gave the filmmakers 'inappropriate' access to secret material." "They will also probe whether CIA personnel are responsible for the portrayal of harsh interrogation practices and in particular the suggestion that they were effective," Reuters reported.

The investigation comes weeks after Feinstein, along with Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Carl Levin, D-Mich., wrote a letter to Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton criticizing Kathryn Bigelow's film:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/feed/ 4 How fracking is corroding small-town America http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160312 This isn't an article about the method of extracting natural gas from deep subterranean rock called hydrofracturing, or fracking, because you either already know where you stand on that issue or you're not much interested. And it's not exactly an article about Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant's fracking drama "Promised Land," even though the movie surprised me with the grace and sophistication of its portrayal of small-town America, along with nice supporting performances from Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt and John Krasinski. (I wish it hadn't been crammed into the most crowded season of the year, amid all kinds of movies with more star power and sizzle.) It might be about why "Promised Land" hit me so hard, and may hit you hard too if you spend time in the parts of America where the fracking debate is defining the future.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/feed/ 53 Concerns over e-voting push Oscar nomination deadline back by 24 hours http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:07:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159493 On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to extend the voting for Oscar nominations by 24 hours, to Jan. 4. The move comes as a sort of last-ditch effort to ease the transition from paper ballot voting to e-voting, which has been fraught with technical issues, including log-in issues, voter ID mismatches and concerns of hacking.  The Academy's chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, said in a statement that "By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible."

And indeed, the Academy has been working hard to make its first electronic vote seamless for its members, who, until Dec. 14 of this year, still had the option to vote via a paper ballot. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

A mailing went out several months ago offering members the option to vote by paper ballot, as long as they requested one by Nov. 30 -- a deadline that later was extended to Dec. 14. The Academy subsequently sent paper ballots to any members who paid their dues but never replied with a preference. It also set up e-voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, where Academy officials can help walk members through the process. And there's also a toll-free help line, with Academy operators available 24/7.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/feed/ 1 The “Zero Dark Thirty” debate isn’t really about torture http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/the_zero_dark_thirty_debate_isnt_really_about_torture/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/the_zero_dark_thirty_debate_isnt_really_about_torture/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156550 Art can be created with moralistic intentions, but it is inherently a ruthless and amoral endeavor, whose meaning always gets away from its creator. It can certainly be used to soothe the savage breast, lend succor in an hour of darkness, and so on. But let’s not forget that children in the death camps were made to play Schubert by murderers and torturers who believed themselves to be civilized and cultured men. That thread of civilization and culture is what saves teenage genius Wladyslaw Szpilman’s life in Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” – but the ironic question posed by that film is whether that’s a good reason for one man to live while millions of others died. Because he could play the piano?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/the_zero_dark_thirty_debate_isnt_really_about_torture/feed/ 98 Isabelle Huppert: “I always feel misunderstood, yet that is also what I seek” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/isabelle_huppert_i_always_feel_misunderstood_yet_that_is_also_what_i_seek/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/isabelle_huppert_i_always_feel_misunderstood_yet_that_is_also_what_i_seek/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13151897 There comes a point when all sinks in quietly, in the midst of prepping or minutes before an interview is to take place, when a journalist ponders on how her subject would turn out, imagining the rhythm of the conversation about to unfold. And there come interviewees like the actress Isabelle Huppert, who transcend expectations, skipping prolonged greetings and cutting straight to the chase — graciously.

Huppert, renown beyond borders and creative collaborations, is reached by phone in rainy Paris. Her voice is crystal clear, her English tinted in her native French accent. She speaks of “Amour,” the masterpiece by director Michael Haneke, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May and is currently Austria’s official selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards. Huppert has a supporting role in "Amour" as Eva, the daughter of Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), an aging couple faced with their mortality. Eva, a character preoccupied with her own life — her husband, her career — gradually checks in on her parents with more regularity as the situation of the couple (and her mother's health) deteriorates. More than a character of great importance and screen time, she serves as a metaphor, representing life while her parents represent the path to illness, aging and death.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/isabelle_huppert_i_always_feel_misunderstood_yet_that_is_also_what_i_seek/feed/ 4 Could a black director have made “Django”? http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/could_a_black_director_have_made_django/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/could_a_black_director_have_made_django/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156489 For two reasons, Quentin Tarantino’s "Django Unchained" was all but guaranteed to ignite a conversation about race in America.

First and foremost, the film dares to break a major taboo. Specifically, as the New York Times critic A.O. Scott put it, "Django" dares to show "regenerative violence visited by black against white instead of the reverse" -- a narrative that "has been almost literally unthinkable" in American life, much less in big-budget pop culture productions.

Second, the film does that in the immediate aftermath of a racially charged election that saw a black man reelected to the White House with the most diverse (read: non-white) coalition in presidential history.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/could_a_black_director_have_made_django/feed/ 104 Defending Judd Apatow’s midlife crisis http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/defending_judd_apatows_midlife_crisis/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/defending_judd_apatows_midlife_crisis/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:05:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156402 In the first week of its release on Dec. 21, "This Is 40” has been met with poor box-office sales and middling reviews, with many critics branding Judd Apatow's latest as sloppy, overlong, self-indulgent claptrap. Both receptions are a shame, since "40” marks not only a continuation of the filmmaker’s creative evolution but also a culmination of what has been most compelling in comedy over the past couple of years. With its unflinching honesty, ruthless candor, and fascination with uneasy truth over pat payoffs, Apatow’s latest feels less like his previous work and more like a 132-minute episode of "Louie." Sure, the aesthetic is markedly different — "This Is 40” has the gloss of slick studio product — but the spirit and sensibility are the same: It's a stark autobiography and uncomfortable confession, where laughter is the casual byproduct of situation and personality (rather than the other way around) and dramatic beats ring painfully true.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/defending_judd_apatows_midlife_crisis/feed/ 7 Pick of the week: A hypnotic tale of doomed romance set in colonial Africa http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/pick_of_the_week_a_hypnotic_tale_of_doomed_romance_set_in_colonial_africa/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/pick_of_the_week_a_hypnotic_tale_of_doomed_romance_set_in_colonial_africa/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155858 This season’s movies have been unusually obsessed with history, and especially its less savory elements. But of all these meditations on the past, perhaps none is as peculiar or as haunting as “Tabu,” the new film from young Portuguese director Miguel Gomes. You definitely need to have patience with this movie, because it opens – after a melancholy and mysterious prologue about a 19th-century explorer, a ghost and a crocodile – as a low-key art-house drama, in black-and-white, about the intersecting lives of three elderly women in contemporary Lisbon. That in itself is refreshingly unfashionable (Gomes has said he wanted to focus on the kind of women “nobody gives a damn about”), but it takes a while for the disturbing undercurrents in their story to open the portals of memory and take us back into a tale of doomed romance in colonial Africa.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/pick_of_the_week_a_hypnotic_tale_of_doomed_romance_set_in_colonial_africa/feed/ 0 Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio explain choices behind “Argo” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156045 In an interview issued by TheWrap today, director-writer duo Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio talked about the challenges and scene-by-scene decisions they made when working on the critically acclaimed film "Argo." (Note: The interview and this post contain spoilers.) Set during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, the film tells the true story of six Americans who escaped under Iran's watchful eye on the premise that they were actors in a Hollywood film, an outlandish plan concocted by CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck).

Affleck and Terrio explained that the most intriguing aspect of the story -- its Hollywood twist -- also gave them the biggest challenge: combining, as Affleck stated, "the absurdity of the blue Wookie and the guy with his skintight suit saying, 'Fire the thrusters!' and then the propaganda, and seeing how the hostages were brutalized...."

In the excerpts below, Affleck and Terrio elaborate on some of their key concerns with the film.

On balancing the conflicting moods of the movie, Affleck said:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/feed/ 2 Paul Thomas Anderson on upcoming Pynchon adaptation: Screenplay is “more secretarial” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:20:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155963 In a profile issued online today by the New York Times, preeminent director Paul Thomas Anderson, who researched Scientology extensively to portray the relationship between the cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) in 2012's critically acclaimed "The Master," also elaborated on his upcoming project, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel "Inherent Vice." Although news of the project has been around for a while, Anderson revealed new details about its vision and hinted at a possible collaboration with the reclusive author:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/feed/ 1 Quentin Tarantino reveals details about “Inglourious Basterds” spin-off, “Killer Crow” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155870 Hot on the heels of "Django Unchained," Tarantino's latest slavery-era Western, the director has opened up about plans for another film, adding substance to the rumor that "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained" might be part of a trilogy. Like the two previous films, Tarantino's next would also revolve around characters who overthrow historically oppressive groups, this time telling the story of rebellious black American military troops in 1944, after Normandy.

In an interview with The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Tarantino reveals his plans for "Killer Crow":

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/feed/ 5 Tarantino is the baddest black filmmaker working today http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/tarantino_is_the_baddest_black_filmmaker_working_today/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/tarantino_is_the_baddest_black_filmmaker_working_today/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:44:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155774 There are some folks who won’t like to read these words: White guy superstar director Quentin Tarantino may be the baddest black filmmaker working in big-time Hollywood movies today.

That is a possibility which angers some, frightens others and disgusts a few more, saying as much or more about the sorry state of movie audiences today and the still-closed world of big-time filmmaking than any tart provocation Tarantino has managed to splash on the screen.

The reason we’re having this conversation — again — is thanks to the latest addictive confection of revenge film, spaghetti Western, Blaxploitation movie and anti-slavery fantasy Q.T. dropped on us all to close out 2012: "Django Unchained."

Beyond the fact that it is gleefully bloody, luxuriating in crimson-splattered shootouts at a time when America is deeply conflicted over how much it loves this stuff, "Django Unchained" uncorks the perfect revenge fantasy for black people descended from slaves and living in a still-white-dominated society.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/tarantino_is_the_baddest_black_filmmaker_working_today/feed/ 36 Judd Apatow fights with MSNBC host on Twitter http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155771 Last night, MSNBC host Touré slammed Judd Apatow's new comedy, "This Is 40," with a short tweet, saying "Warning: 'This Is 40' is a horrible mess with a meandering plot and few laughs and characters who are hard to like. What happened?" Apatow noticed it immediately, however, and fired back an insult, prompting Touré to back down:

[embed_tweet id="284154790898982912"]

[embed_tweet id="284155740199993345"]

A guy named Bruce then butted in, and Apatow unleashed his sardonic wit on him, too:

[embed_tweet id="284159085232930817"]

For the next several hours, Apatow tweeted and retweeted reviews of "This Is 40," throwing in wisecracks at those who dared to insult him:

[embed_tweet id="284158842382729216"]

[embed_tweet id="284096693610364929"]

[embed_tweet id="284091194810716160"]

So, what is the main takeaway from all of this?:

[embed_tweet id="284158693426212864"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/feed/ 15 J.J. Abrams will not direct “Star Wars VII” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/j_j_abrams_will_not_direct_star_wars_vii/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/j_j_abrams_will_not_direct_star_wars_vii/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:16:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155276 Ever since Disney announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm and plans for "Star Wars: Episode 7," rumors have been flying about who will be involved in the project. Legendary science fiction director/producer/writer J.J. Abrams, who directed 2009 and 2013's "Star Trek" films, has announced that he will not be in the running, it seems. He recently told told Empire Magazine:

“There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to ‘Star Trek’, and also just being a [‘Star Wars’] fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things.”

Abrams is sticking to the "Star Trek" franchise, it seems -- Vulture reports that he's committed to another "Star Trek" movie after the upcoming 2013 film.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/j_j_abrams_will_not_direct_star_wars_vii/feed/ 5 Hollywood is ruining musicals http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/hollywood_is_ruining_musicals/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/hollywood_is_ruining_musicals/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:25:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13151946 Audrey Hepburn was famously inconsolable when she learned that her songs in "My Fair Lady," which she had practiced and recorded for months, were dubbed over by playback singer extraordinaire Marni Nixon. Hepburn needn’t have taken the dubbing personally, since the ubiquitous Nixon also served as voice double for Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember."

But if the "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" star had been born several decades later, she wouldn’t have shed a tear, because those same studios that unceremoniously expunged her voice would have begged her to sing as Eliza Doolittle, regardless of her musical merit.

After the unexpected success of 2001’s "Moulin Rouge!" and 2002's "Chicago," a new breed of movie musical was born -- a genre I call the millennial musical -- in which all the songs are performed by musically untrained actors, with scant consideration of vocal caliber. This season's "Les Misérables" not only has its star-studded cast belting out all the tunes themselves, but raised the stakes further by having Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and company sing them live on set, without the benefit of perfect acoustics or endless takes in a recording studio. (The resulting performances are, shall we say, a mixed bag.)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/hollywood_is_ruining_musicals/feed/ 31 Tarantino’s incoherent three-hour bloodbath http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/tarantinos_incoherent_three_hour_bloodbath/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/tarantinos_incoherent_three_hour_bloodbath/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:39:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13154752 Quentin Tarantino no longer makes movies; he makes trailers. “Django Unchained” feels like a three-hour trailer for a movie that never happens, a slavery-revenge melodrama cum salt-‘n’-pepper action film that would be awesome if it actually existed. Like so many trailers, it’s packed with memorable scenes that don’t go anywhere, and keeps promising payoffs that remain theoretical. It’s got Western scenery on a grand scale and scenes of madcap comedy involving inept members of the Ku Klux Klan. It’s got veritable geysers and fountains and gushers of blood, an ocean of fake gore even by Tarantino’s standards. You could claim that he’s “quoting from Sam Peckinpah” with those slapsticky water balloons full of blood, except that that’s not quite it. It’s more like he’s quoting from crappy ‘70s drive-in movies that were quoting from “The Hills Have Eyes,” which was quoting from something else that was quoting from Peckinpah. (I may be missing an intermediate stage there, such as a cannibal film that was dubbed from Italian into Spanish and projected once, with the reels out of sequence, at a downtown Los Angeles theater in 1983.)

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