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My selection of David Copperfield
All of the suggestions are worthwhile, including classics like Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
If they had allowed me to recommend a movie, I would have suggested I.O.U.S.A., Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Corporation, "Maxed Out," and "The Solid Gold Cadillac," all of which should be shown to every high school and college student and every person eligible to vote before they are allowed to see the next big blockbuster.
With not much new in theaters this week and next week, it's a good time to investigate some of the great online resources for entertainment. I was delighted to find out that there is still a way to see Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." When Whedon made it available free for one weekend only so many people tried to get access that there was a server meltdown. You can buy it now on iTunes or DVD. Or, you can watch it (with brief commercial interruptions) on Hulu. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a three-act musical about a would be super-villain played by Neil Patrick Harris. I love the laundromat song! And Hulu also has a wonderful collection of classic and new episodes of TV series and movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Groundhog Day." It's my go-to site when I have the flu.
I'd also like to recommend Odeo, a wonderful collection of the best audio and video from throughout the web. I am a huge fan of the series of podcasts from The Moth, where writers and performers tell stories about their lives that must be both true and without notes. I was enormously moved by the latest in the series, Ed Gavagan's "Drowning on Sullivan Street." Odeo makes it easy to subscribe so that you won't miss any of your favorites. The Moth is also available on iTunes at no charge. Here is Gavagan's story:
In honor of the new Republican nominee for Vice-President, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, here's a list of movies that take place in Alaska:
1. North to Alaska
2. The Gold Rush
3. Mystery, Alaska Russell Crowe is a hockey player on an underdog team from a small Alaska town that takes on the pros.
4. Insomnia If you have insomnia, going to a place with no nights is probably not a good idea, especially if you're investigating a murder. Three Oscar-winners -- Al Pacino, Hillary Swank, and Robin Williams -- star in this remake of a Norwegian thriller written and directed by "The Dark Knight's" Christopher Nolan.
5. Grizzly Man
6. Into the Wild Sean Penn wrote and directed this fact-based story of a young man who wanted to leave everything behind and died in the Alaskan countryside.
7. Balto Kevin Bacon provides voice talent in this animated film based on the true story of the dog who saved the lives of Alaskan children by delivering essential medicine. There's a statue in his honor in New York's Central Park.
8. Road to Utopia
9. The Simpsons Movie Homer Simpson leaves Springfield for Alaska in the first feature film from this record-breaking comedy classic television series.
10. Northern Exposure
Vampires are really big this year. Breaking Dawn
Also popular at Comic-Con was the appearance by Anna Paquin of the new HBO series True Blood, created by Alan Ball of "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty." In this series, the invention of a synthetic blood product has made it possible for vampires to "come out of the coffin" and join human society.
There are many reasons for the enduring appeal of the vampire myths, which date back thousands of years and recur in different forms in the folklore of many different cultures. The most popular modern conception is based in the Eastern European stories that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula
One aspect of the vampire myth that is especially alluring is the idea of being un-killable. The life they lead may be perverse and tortured, but it is eternal. Ann Rice, author of Interview with a Vampire and its sequels, has said that it was the death of her child that inspired her to write a series of books about creatures who do not die. Her books have sold over 100 million copies. Certainly, the mixture of death and life that a vampire represents is a part of what draws us to the stories, helping us to explore our fears and desires. In the case of the Twilight
The Canadian series Blood Ties is now showing on Lifetime. It is the story of an investigator specializing in the supernatural and it features "the sexy 450-year-old vampire, Henry" as her adviser and possible love interest. And "Moonlight," the story of a private investigator turned into a vampire on his wedding night and now interested in a human woman, has been canceled by CBS but may return on another station.
More classic vampires:
When a studio is fairly certain it will not get a single good review it simply refuses to let the critics get a look before the release date. That's called a "cold open." Usually, movies that open cold are based on video games and/or very graphic horror films and/or directed by the legendary Uwe Boll (generally considered the worst director currently working in movies), and/or directed by Tyler Perry (no idea why this is because I really like his movies), and/or a very dumb generic gross-out comedy, especially of the "Scary Movie," "Date Movie," "Epic Movie," etc. franchise.
And traditionally, Labor Day weekend is the worst weekend of the year for movies, when the studios release films that they have no expectations for whatsoever.
Thus, we have three cold opens this weekend. One is the action film "Babylon A.D." with Vin Diesel. The last film by this director was "Gothika," which gave rise to my well-known "Gothika rule" (if a movie has a mind-numbingly horrible ending I will give it away to anyone who sends me an email). Even he is telling people not to see this movie.
"I'm very unhappy with the film," Mathieu Kassovitz tells amctv.com. "The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners. It was a terrible experience..." [W]hile he was attracted to the material's dense geopolitical themes, Fox, the studio co-financing the movie, only wanted "pure violence and stupidity ... Parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24." He tells the website that Fox "made everything difficult from A to Z."
The other two movies opening this week are comedies. "Disaster Movie" is from the people who gave us "Date Movie" and "Epic Movie." They have yet to give us "Good Movie." I feel confident in saying that Josh Levin's Slate review of a previous film in this tired franchise is vastly more entertaining than any of their movies. And then there's "College." Its poster features a kid throwing up in a toilet. Enough said.
Now would be a good time to enjoy those last summer swims and barbecues, do some back-to-school shopping, catch up on some of the big releases you might have missed or see your favorites a second time -- and get ready for the fall. In September alone we have the new Tyler Perry, the new DeNiro/Pacino movie, "Igor" with John Cusack, and the new Coen brothers movie, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. I can't wait!
| Audience: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language |
| Movie Release Date: | August 27, 2008 |
| Audience: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language. |
| Movie Release Date: | August 23, 2008 |
| Audience: | 4th - 6th Grades |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for some thematic elements, mild language and brief rude humor. |
| Movie Release Date: | August 23, 2008 |
| Audience: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for language, crude and sexual content, some teen partying and reckless behavior. |
| Movie Release Date: | NA |
| Audience: | 4th - 6th Grades |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for mild adventure action and brief language. |
| Movie Release Date: | April 4, 2008 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence. |
| Movie Release Date: | August 8, 2008 |
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