Propeller.com Stories submitted by shead

Stanley Kubrick: a props odyssey

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:07:56 EDT

War-ravaged weapons from 'Full Metal Jacket', eerie papers from 'The Shining', Tom Cruise's driving licence from 'Eyes Wide Shut' Ã¢â;¬Â¦ As the Stanley Kubrick archive - all 900 boxes of it - is opened up for the first time.

Channel: Movies Tags: Stanley Kubrick Movie Film Director

Return of The Frontiersman

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:59:46 EDT

What can one say about Rudy Wurtlitzer that doesn't suggest multitudes of overlapping worlds? Like William Burroughs, he is the descendant of a once prosperous American business family.

Channel: Movies Tags: Frontier Rudy Wurlitzer William Burroughs

Egoyan's bold take on Beckett opens in New York

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:51:46 EDT

Liam Neeson stars in 'gigantic reaction shot' Eh Joe, acclaimed in Dublin and London...

Channel: Movies Tags: Liam Neeson Egoyan Beckett Movie Director

How much does it cost to become Batman?

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:46:30 EDT

Way back in 2005, Batman began again. The series, which continues with Friday's release of the highly-anticipated The Dark Knight, took Tim Burton's Batman and added a few layers.

Channel: Movies Tags: The Dark Knight Barman Batman Begins Heath Ledger

Pixar, Wall E's distopia

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:40:16 EDT

Pixar's new film, WALL-E, is a dystopia, and so it is surprising that conservatives find it so distasteful--they usually love the genre. Neocons like Norman Podhoretz...

Channel: Movies Tags: Pixar Movie Film Norman Podhoretz

Plans to film long-lost Garcia Marquez screenplay

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:31:48 EDT

A story about an ageing pistolero and his much younger partner penned over 40 years ago by a struggling writer called Gabriel Garcia Marquez...

Channel: Movies Tags: Gabriel Garcia Marquez screenplay actor Movie

China won't play Games with pirates

shead — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:26:59 EDT

Olympic visitors coming to Beijing hoping to pick up a pirated copy of "Iron Man," "Kung Fu Panda" or runaway B.O. fave "Red Cliff" should be prepared to go home disappointed; Chinese authorities have clamped down on counterfeit DVD sellers in the run-up to the Beijing Games.

Channel: Movies Tags: Beijing China pirates

Creators of Lassie Get Their Dog Back

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:33:47 EDT

In a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals from the Ninth Circuit, partial rights to the iconic animal were returned to Winifred Knight Mewborn, the daughter of Eric Knight, who penned the original short story.

Channel: Television Tags: Lassie TV Copyright Dog

Why You Don't Care About Eddie Murphy

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:31:42 EDT

We needed a little time today to digest our feelings after the miserable box-office showing of Meet Dave, whose free-fall over the weekend resulted in the ugliest opening of Eddie Murphy's career...

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Eddie Murphy Meet Dave Movie Comedy

The nine rules of '80s fantasy

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:30:23 EDT

The genre boom of the 1980s, sparked by the success of 'Star Wars' and 'E.T.' and fostered by the preponderance of household video players, sparked a revolution in film fantasy...

Channel: Movies Tags: ET The Last Starfighter Labrynth Fantasy

Christopher Nolan: From Action Man to Batman

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:30:15 EDT

From a seven-year-old who filmed his toy soldiers to the blockbusting The Dark Knight, featuring Heath Ledger's final screen appearance, this British-born director is now being compared with Hitchcock and Kubrick...

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Batman Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight Heath Ledger

Wong Kar-Wai to direct Leung-Lau wedding

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:28:12 EDT

One of China's most famous star couples want their wedding to feel like a romantic movie. Tony Leung and Carina Lau have invited award-winning director Wong Kar-Wai to help them work out their wedding details.

Channel: Movies Tags: Wong Kar Wai Movie Film Director Wedding

Pixar's Blockbuster Secrets

shead — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:26:09 EDT

Wall-E is just the latest No. 1 movie for the animation giant, whose success owes more to its corporate culture than its movies' content...

Channel: Movies Tags: Pixar Wall E Corporate Culture Animation Movie Business

Are you crazy enough to succeed?

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:54:53 EDT

OCD has become cool. Perhaps it fascinates us because it forces otherwise normal people to carry out insane acts Ã¢â;¬" acts that they know are insane. It has great dramatic tension.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: Success OCD Obsessive Compulive Dissorder

Anna Faris Named Hugh Hefner's Honorary New Girlfriend

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:52:10 EDT

Anna Faris stars in the upcoming "The House Bunny" (which features the men's magazine mogul and his three busty blondes), and has since been spending quite a bit of time at the iconic Playboy Mansion.

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Anna Faris Playboy House Bunny Hugh Hefner Playboy Mansion

The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:42:31 EDT

Richard Brody's "Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard" is a story of transformation, a painstaking account of a lifelong artistic journey. Now we know how one of the greatest of all filmmakers...

Channel: Music Tags: Jean Luc Goddar Filmmaker Director France Everything is cinema

The Exiles: Despair and Poetry at Margins of Society

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:41:14 EDT

Given the truth of this, the restoration and long-delayed commercial release of "The Exiles," a 1961 film about a largely forgotten corner of that deceptively bright city, is nothing less than a welcome act of defiant remembrance.

Channel: Movies Tags: The exiles Movie Film Drama Restoration

'Twilight': Inside the First Stephenie Meyer Movie

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:40:06 EDT

On a March day in Oregon, the sun's as bright as a California morning. That's great news for the locals, but it sucks if you're a vampire. For two weeks, Twilight, the $37 million film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novel, has been shooting outside Portland

Channel: Movies Tags: Twilight Movie Thriller Portland Oregon Filming Location

NPR: Does The Military Wag Hollywood's Dog?

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:38:33 EDT

The producers of Iron Man asked the U.S. Air Force for help in making their movie, and got it. That help meant access to bases and planes, as well as script advice. Another film, with a critical view of the war in Iraq, did not get the same privileges. Is the Pentagon trying to control the messages in Hollywood?

Channel: Movies Tags: NPR Hollywood Miltary Movie Making

Hayao Miyazaki's New Movie Opens in Japan

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:37:01 EDT

The latest movie from the genius director of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke is called Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea). It opens this month in Japan, and the first English-language review, in the Japan Times, calls it a "classic"..

Channel: Music Tags: Hayao Miyazaki animation Japan Tokyo

Live video from Lebowski Fest

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:35:29 EDT

Hello! Once again, I'm sitting in the lobby of the Executive Inn Hotel in Louisville, Ky., where many Lebowski Fest attendees are staying. I plan to start broadcasting live interviews between 2:45 and 3 p.m. ET, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I've put a few videos on demand, and today's pieces will be recorded so you can watch them later.

Channel: Movies Tags: The Big Lebowski Movie The Dude Pop Candy Blog

Billy Bob Thornton goes hillbilly

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:35:24 EDT

''If they're gonna say anything about me," says Billy Bob Thornton. "They should say, 'What's he doing making movies?'" He's talking about the critics and haters who cringe when actors dare to stand behind a microphone.

Channel: Music Tags: Billy Bob Thornton Music CD

Death by Gonzo

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:34:45 EDT

Hunter Thompson, whom I knew off and on for 33 years and introduced to Rolling Stone, would have laughed that summer '08 is turning out to be his season.

Channel: Movies Tags: Hunter s Thompson Gonzo Movie Documentary

'Where the Wild Things Are' poses 'a challenge' for WB

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:26:25 EDT

Something has gone very wrong with "Where the Wild Things Are," the much-anticipated Spike Jonze adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book. Last week it disappeared entirely from the Warner Bros. release schedule, a sign of continuing troubles.

Channel: Movies Tags: Where the wild things are dave eggers movie Australia Spike Jonze

X-Files' marketing challenge for rebooting franchise

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:23:04 EDT

While the audience out there for "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" remains unknowable, Fox hopes the spooky sequel can become the latest example of a successful "reboot": thawing out a dormant film franchise after years in deep freeze.

Channel: Movies Tags: The X Files Fox Chris Carter David Duchovny Gillian Anderson

'Hellboy' burns competition

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:22:41 EDT

The weekend box office brought both victory and defeat as Universal's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" did hellacious business in debuting to an estimated $35.9 million, while 20th Century Fox and New Regency's "Meet Dave" saw one of the worst openings ever for an Eddie Murphy pic in grossing just $5.3 million.

Channel: Movies Tags: Hellboy Guillermo Del Toro Comic Book Movie

John Fithian fires back at Warner Bros.

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:53:10 EDT

Addressing the opening of "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which will bow in about 950 3-D digital screens in North America Thursday, Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said that "3-D is the future, so why is exhibition dragging its feet?

Channel: Movies Tags: journey to the center of the earth Movie Warner Brothers 3D

Chris Carter gets all foxy about 'The X-Files'

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:51:54 EDT

Christ Carter is not the sort of guy you'd expect to produce shadowy stories about government conspiracies and alien invasions...

Channel: Movies Tags: x files Movie Chris Carter Gillian Anderson

Yella: The Discreet Charms of Accountancy

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:50:09 EDT

In the recent German film "Yella" a young accountant survives a car crash engineered by her stalker ex-husband, leaves town, meets a mysterious private equity fund executive and lands a job as his assistant.

Channel: Movies Tags: Yella German Film Movie Accountants

Olly Blackburn meets Nic Roeg

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:47:57 EDT

Nic Roeg is the director of 'Performance', 'Don't Look Now' and, most recently, 'Puffball'. Olly Blackburn is the man behind 'Donkey Punch', a thriller about a holiday gone wrong. We sent Olly to meet his legendary colleague

Channel: Movies Tags: Nicolas Roeg direstor film movies

The Life Cycle of Filmmakers

shead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:45:58 EDT

David Galenson, Univeristy of Chicago economist and author of Old Masters and Young Geniuses, has studied the creative output of painters, writers, musicians, and poets. And he's boiled down the life cycles of these artists into the two archetypes in his book's title. Wired did a nice job summarizing the distinction in its 2006 profile of Galenson:

Channel: Movies Tags: Film Criticsm Movies Film critics University of chicago

F.C.C. Chairman Favors Penalty on Comcast

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:18:03 EDT

The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that he would recommend that Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet.

Channel: News Tags: Comcast FCC Federal Communications Internet access

Biographical Dictionary of Film No 44: Andrew Stanton

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:09:29 EDT

I'm thinking of an animated film that might be shattering, tragic and easily win best picture, I'm thinking of the Citizen Kane of animation...

Channel: Movies Tags: Andrew Stanton Pixar Wall E Director

Spike Lee to film Broadway show

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:05:48 EDT

US director Spike Lee is planning to make a film of the award-winning Broadway musical Passing Strange.

Channel: Movies Tags: Spike Lee Director Broadway Passing Strange

Weinsteins's Death Defying Acts Opens in Two Theaters

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:59:33 EDT

As the Weinsteins seek financing partners on their prize properties Nine and Inglorious Bastards, the ads for Gillian Armstrong's Houdini movie Death Defying Acts, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce, which grabbed 60 % fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (here's the LAT review), give no sign that it's a Weinstein Co. release.

Channel: Movies Tags: Weinstein company death defying acts inglorious bastards tarantino

Rome Invites Cronenberg, Cimino

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:54:48 EDT

David Cronenberg and Michael Cimino will attend the Rome Film Festival, where Robert De Niro/Al Pacino starrer "Righteous Kill" is expected to unspool in the official selection of the event, which is undergoing some largely cosmetic changes.

Channel: Movies Tags: Rome Italy David Cronenberg Michael Cimino Director

An Interview with Canadian Director Bruce MacDonald

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:53:33 EDT

The midlife of the enfant terrible film director is typically not a pretty sight. What to do when one is no longer un enfant nor half as terrible? Direct Wind at My Back reunion specials?

Channel: Movies Tags: Movie Director Bruce Madonald Canada

'Australia' Projecting a New Image

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:52:20 EDT

As finance tightens, Australian filmmaking gets a chance to do it smarter, writes Garry Maddox...

Channel: Movies Tags: Australia Jugh Jackman Nicole Kidman Movie Baz Lehrman

Looking for Indy's next MacGuffin

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:50:31 EDT

George Lucas and his MacGuffin squad, Clint Eastwood and his easy-on radio and other loose talk from a movie critic's notebook: HUFFING FOR MACGUFFIN

Channel: Movies Tags: George Lucas Indiana Jones Clint Eastwood Movie

Colin Firth: 'I keep getting discovered'

shead — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:49:06 EDT

Colin Firth's latest role is another departure. No doubt it will be hailed as a new image. He tells James Mottram that tends to happen a lot...

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Mama Mia Colin Firth Actor Musical