The Screengrab : zoolander

Twitter Science Theater 3000

Scott Von Doviak — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Despite all the warnings about how the use of your cell phone will result in forcible ejection from the theater, texting during movies is fast becoming a blight on the modern cinema experience. I was hard pressed to concentrate on the subtle nuances of Fast & Furious with an entire row full of people next to me hunched over their little glowing blue screens, poking away at the tiny buttons in the dark. What are they telling people? “I’m still at the movie”? Who requires this information? Part of the fun of going to the movies is cutting yourself off from the outside world and immersing yourself in another one for a couple of hours, no?

Anyway, in some corners of the globe, this abhorrent behavior is not only tolerated, but actually encouraged. And it gets even worse. “During a screening of Zoolander, audience members could heckle the movie via text, then watch as their comments appeared onscreen with the film: ‘I want a comb-over like Trump’ and ‘Breakdance fighting is becoming more popular in UFC,” Robert K. Elder writes in the Chicago Tribune. Wow, sounds hee-larious! This latest assault on our senses is called MuVChat, and it’s currently in the test screening phase at Classic Cinemas' Charlestowne 18 in St. Charles, Illinois.

“The system works this way: Audience members text to a central number, which runs their comments through software. The MuVChat software then displays the texts in a three-line configuration at the bottom of the screen, like a vertical ticker, as the movie plays.” MuVChat inventor Rien Heald sits in the projection booth and edits out profanity and abusive comments. “Anybody who is in the Millennial to Gen Y demographic thinks it's a very good idea. Texting is a big part of their lives,” says Heald.

Actually, I’ve already changed my mind. If it gets all the texters out of the theater I’m in, I think it’s a splendid idea.

Morning Deal Report: J-Lo’s Clock is Ticking

Scott Von Doviak — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:15:00 GMT

Are we still calling Jennifer Lopez “J-Lo”? It seems like that sort of nickname should be reserved for someone who’s still famous. Maybe Plan B will get Lopez back on the A-list. Per Variety, the “story centers on a single woman (Lopez) who turns to artificial insemination to answer her ticking biological clock only to meet the man of her dreams on the same day as her positive pregnancy test results.” Oh no! I’ll bet you a shiny nickel the dream man turns out to be the semen donor.

SXSW has announced its opening night film. “The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced today that the DreamWorks Pictures film I Love You, Man will be the 2009 Opening Night film. The De Line Pictures comedy, co-written and directed by John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, co-writer of Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, and Zoolander) stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Rashida Jones. The film centers on a man who, upon getting engaged, realizes he has no close male friends and must find someone to be the Best Man at his wedding. The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival runs March 13 – 21, 2009 in Austin, Texas.”

Two quick sequel notes (or possibly new elements on the periodic table, I'm not sure): Rob Zombie has signed for H2, the sequel to his own remake of Halloween. Presumably this will not actually be a remake of Halloween II, although it “picks up right as the first remake ended, following the aftermath of Michael Myers' murderous rampage through the eyes of the sister he hunted.” Olivia Wilde has signed on for TR2N. If you don’t know what that is…well, it’s the sequel to Tron. “Jeff Bridges will return in the role he played in the 1982 original, about a hacker who is abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in a series of gladiatorial games.” The Dude abides.

Related:
Take Five: Halloween
Unwatchable #71: "Gigli"

Thursday Morning Poll for August 27, 2008

Paul Clark — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Now that Tropic Thunder has ruled as America’s top grossing movie for two straight weekends, it’s clear that the Ben Stiller name still means box office. Yet amidst the hype for Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise (and the free press courtesy of mental health advocates), it’s easy to forget that Stiller directed the film in addition to starring in it. But for all the audience love that Tropic Thunder has received so far, the Stiller-directed film that reigns supreme in the hearts of Screengrab readers is 2001’s Zoolander, which outpaced Tropic Thunder (35% to 25%) in last week’s poll. Coming in third with 20% was Stiller’s underappreciated dark comedy The Cable Guy, with Reality Bites and the pilot for the never-picked-up series Heat Vision and Jack bringing up the rear.

This week, in conjunction with the recent release of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, we take a look at the Woodman’s European period. Following a long career as the cinematic spokesperson for the neurotic, affluent New York mentality, Allen’s has made his last four films overseas with predominantly non-American crews and casts, Scarlett Johansson notwithstanding. For this week’s Thursday Morning Poll, we’re asking you which of Allen’s European films you prefer, taking into account his last four completed projects and an “early, funny” classic that also got made primarily outside the United States. So, which is your favorite?

Favorite European Woody Allen film? | BuzzDash

As always, the comments section is open. See you next week!

Japandering: The Five Most Embarrassing Celebrity Commercials

Scott Von Doviak — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:30:00 GMT

We’ve known for a long time that famous American movie stars who would never deign to sully themselves doing television commercials at home have no such compunctions about doing them abroad, most often in Japan. This phenomenon was immortalized in Lost in Translation, of course, but the tasteful Suntory ad that Bill Murray’s character struggles to complete is not necessarily representative of the antics our most respected and treasured movie icons will get up to when they don’t think we’re watching. Nowadays, of course, thanks to YouTube and the invaluable resource Japander, we’re always watching! Let’s assume these five stars haven’t been humiliated enough and put them through the wringer one more time.

NICOLAS CAGE for FEVER PACHINKO

It’s not always easy to tell what these Japanese commercials are advertising, and here is a case in point. At first I thought Cage was selling gum, then possibly a car. While this may be the actor’s best performance in years, those of us unfamiliar with pachinko gaming devices may be a little unclear on the message.

BRUCE WILLIS for ENEOS

Once again I had to do a little research to determine exactly what product or service Willis is shilling here. As far as I can tell, it’s motor oil. I should have been able to figure that out, what with the yellow paint and the Elvis impersonator and the backpack raygun thingy and…what was I talking about?

MICHAEL J. FOX for SOME SORT OF BEVERAGE

Honestly, I can’t tell if Fox is selling beer or canned coffee or some sort of energy drink here. Whatever it is, it makes you do crazy things, like trim hedges into animal shapes! Note Fox’s reprisal of the distressed yelp noise that made him famous in the Back to the Future movies. That’s branding, folks.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER for DIRECT TV

It’s hard to pick just one of Arnie’s ads – he seems to be the king of Japandering. I chose this one because of the multiple roles he plays. It gives us a moment to reflect on what was lost when he went into politics.

BEN STILLER for KIRIN

Are we sure this isn’t an outtake from Zoolander or something? No? How embarrassing.

Confusing Indecency With Originality? Robert Downey Jr. in TROPIC THUNDER

Paul Clark — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:00:00 GMT

A few days ago, my colleague Scott Von Doviak weighed in on the recently-released photo from Tropic Thunder that's been making the rounds of late. More specifically, he sounded off on the casting of Robert Downey Jr., which has had the blogosphere all a-twitter this past weekend. Given the small but vehement protests among certain people both on and off the Web, I thought I ought to post my thoughts here as well.

First off, it's not as simple as Downey playing a black man. According to a "First Look" feature in this week's Entertainment Weekly, Downey "plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically." Stiller, who also wrote and directed, has gone on record stating that Downey's character (and the film itself) is skewering blinkered, insufferable actors rather than African-Americans.

Yet that hasn't stopped some folks from criticizing the film and Downey for "pulling a Danson" and invoking that dreaded "B" word: blackface. Frankly, I don't see it. The purpose of blackface was to get cheap laughs from white people by exaggerating the prevailing stereotypes of African-Americans for the purposes of comedy, and I don't see Downey wearing an enormous shit-eating grin or sneaking around a watermelon patch, Bamboozled-style. Also, the makeup is loads more realistic than any blackface ever was — be honest, if I hadn't told you the black guy in the photo was Downey, would you have guessed it? Me neither. If Stiller and Downey maintain that the film isn't trying to lampoon African-Americans — which would be a stupid, career-killing idea in this day and age — I see no reason why we shouldn't take them at their word.

In addition, the recent revelations about Tropic Thunder have made me pretty darn excited to see it. While part of me wishes Stiller could have convinced Daniel Day-Lewis, the most famously Method of contemporary actors, to play Lazarus, you'll certainly hear no complaints about Downey, a personal favorite and a genius-level comic actor. But what has me really pumped is the edginess of this particular storyline, an edge that's been mostly absent from Stiller's work since — well, whaddya know — his last directorial effort, 2001's Zoolander. After a decade of mostly wishy-washy roles, it's good to see Stiller taking chances again, both onscreen and behind the camera. I'll resist making further pre-judgments about the film until a substantial trailer is released, but for now I want to say that Tropic Thunder has become one of my most-anticipated big-budget releases of the 2008.

To tide you over until March 17, the pre-announced premiere date of the trailer, here's the online-only teaser, which gives us a glimpse of Downey "in character":