Random Stuff #18

Canvas of Sound

Foley artists really don't get nearly enough credit for the work they do to bring films alive with sound. They're the real magicians behind the scenes. Watch this great short profile of veteran foley artist Gary Hecker, who shows us some of the painstaking methods he uses to create the sounds we hear on-screen. It's truly a gasp-worthy art form:

SoundWorks Collection: Gary Hecker - Veteran Foley Artist from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

In Cinemas This Week

Conviction - Convinced that her brother, Kenneth (Sam Rockwell), has been unjustly convicted of murder and incompetently defended by court-ordered attorneys, high school dropout Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) puts herself through law school in order to represent him in his appeal.

Curry Munchers - The story of a guy who gets some hope & curry in his life, through love. It's the journey of 'Sid', who migrated from India to New Zealand, to have a life full of bikes & women, but reality hits when he comes to NZ.

Love Birds - A quirky romantic comedy that tells the story of a regular Kiwi bloke who finds himself on a quest to find true love – all with the help of a native New Zealand Shelduck. Comedian Rhys Darby plays Doug - a road working ‘every-man’ and a massive fan of the legendary band Queen.

Tamara Drewe - After undergoing plastic surgery and a complete fashion makeover, suddenly sexy journalist Tamara (Gemma Arterton) triumphantly returns to her tiny hometown, where she exploits her irresistible appeal by recklessly toying with others' emotions and breaking hearts. Adapted from a comic strip by Posy Simmonds, this Stephen Frears-directed comedy explores themes such as unrequited loved, envy and lust.

The Last Exorcism - Ready to expose his miraculous deeds as mere trickery, Rev. Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) invites a documentary crew to film his final exorcism. But when the devil actually possesses a girl's body, Marcus must regain his faith and engage in the fight of his life.

For the Star Wars Fan with Everything #13

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, it's been pretty flat-out around these parts, especially with getting the Blu-ray revamp up and running. Anywho here's something we haven't had in a while... Star Wars posts! I figure in the light of distressing current events, a little light-hearted relief to take the edge of things wouldn't go amiss. So imagine if Star Wars had been created by Dr. Seuss... click on the pic for more.

Random Stuff #17

Andy Milonakis Prank Calls Netflix

I bust my gut laughing at this (warning: contains offensive language).

In Cinemas This Week

Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son - Ace FBI agent Malcolm Turner is forced to don a dress again and go undercover as livin' large granny Big Momma when his stepson, Trent (Brandon T. Jackson), witnesses a murder and must hide out at an all-girls school, disguised as a big-boned coed named Charmaine. Malcolm acts as house mother in Trent's dorm, and while the duo searches for the killer, security guard Kurtis Kool (Faizon Love) falls for Big Momma and Trent lusts after his classmates.

In A Better World - Danish director Susanne Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With his father working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jøhnk Nielsen). But the boys' shared revenge only seems to invite more violence.

Sanctum - Based on a true story and using technology developed by executive producer James Cameron, this breathtaking thriller follows the adventures of expert diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh), who heads an expedition to map a network of underwater caverns. When a tropical storm cuts off their exit, the team, including Frank's teenage son, must use all their resources and strength to avoid panic and find a route to the surface. (3D in selected cinemas)

Unknown - Liam Neeson stars in this taut thriller as a man who regains consciousness after an auto accident only to discover that another man is impersonating him, and that no one -- not even his wife (January Jones) -- recognizes his identity as the real Dr. Martin Harris. Finding himself with an unexpected ally (Diane Kruger), Harris struggles to solve the mystery and hang onto his own wits, while also being stalked by anonymous killers.

Random Stuff #16

In Cinemas This Week

127 Hours - From director Danny Boyle comes this harrowing tale of real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco), who literally cuts himself loose from danger -- and lives to tell about it when sliding rock pins his forearm under a boulder during a climb in Utah. To stay alive, Ralston resorts to his basest survival instincts.

Fair Game - After her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes op-ed columns accusing the Bush administration of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq, Valerie Plame Wilson's (Naomi Watts) status as a covert CIA agent is leaked by administration officials. Based on events described in Plame Wilson's memoir, this drama explores the political scandal that led to the conviction of Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Gnomeo & Juliet - An edgy Shakespeare adaptation like no other, this animated musical transports the classic tale of forbidden romance between two star-crossed lovers from warring families to the unlikely yet hysterical world of garden gnomes.

No Strings Attached - Emotionally unencumbered and sexually satisfied, friends with benefits Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) have an open relationship that suits them just fine. That is, until those pesky little things called feelings enter the picture.

Trailer: Super 8

J.J. Abrams sure knows how to tease. As with the initial marketing campaign of Cloverfield, which he produced, details of his new film Super 8 have been shrouded in secrecy. The superb teaser trailer which surfaced last year and showed not too damn much, left many to speculate whether the film itself was somehow related to Cloverfield. But he's now finally revealed a few things about the upcoming Spielberg-produced film to L.A. Times' Hero Complex, and check out this TV spot which premiered at the Super Bowl a few days ago, there's like actual actors and plot stuff in it... bloody excited I am.

R.I.P. Tura Satana

The Original Super-Vixen is gone. Rent Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Some pics + a great interview:

Fatso's Top Rentals of 2010

Here are our top 10 most popular rentals of last year!

Top 10 Films
1. Boy, 7090 requests
2. The Hurt Locker, 5606 requests
3. Avatar, 5345 requests
4. The Hangover, 4719 requests
5. Up, 4631 requests
6. The Reader, 4552 requests
7. The Blind Side, 4528 requests
8. Where the Wild Things Are, 4487 requests
9. Up in the Air, 4317 requests
10. Julie & Julia, 4254 requests

Top 10 New Zealand Films
1. Boy, 7090 requests
2. The Vintner's Luck, 1859 requests
3. The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, 1387 requests
4. Under the Mountain, 1294 requests
5. Second Hand Wedding, 1272 requests
6. Dean Spanley, 1017 requests
7. Separation City, 952 requests
8. Eagle vs Shark, 906 requests
9. The Strength of Water, 819 requests
10. Home By Christmas, 765 requests

Top 10 TV Titles
1. True Blood - Season 2, 813 requests
2. True Blood - Season 1, 801 requests
3. Glee - Season 1 Volume 1, 728 requests
4. Heroes - Season 3, 647 requests
5. The Wire - Season 1, 622 requests
6. Mad Men - Season 1, 608 requests
7. Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side, 537 requests
8. Flight of the Conchords, The - Season 2, 530 requests
9. Flight of the Conchords, The - Season 1, 525 requests
10. Torchwood – Series 3: Children of Earth, 508 requests

R.I.P. Maria Schneider

Sad to hear that Maria Schneider has died at 58 from cancer (Guardian obit). The French actress was best known for her role opposite Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris, but I'll remember her more fondly as the beguiling, mysterious "Girl" in Antonioni's 1975 existential thriller The Passenger. Here are a couple of my favourite scenes from the movie:

In Cinemas This Week

True Grit - After her father is murdered by drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), hires Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal, to help her exact vengeance. The disreputable Rooster still has grit though, and mounts an epic search. The pair is joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also hunting for Chaney, in this updated Western from Joel and Ethan Coen.

Wild Target - When veteran hit man Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) finds himself unable to kill his latest target, Rose (Emily Blunt), he winds up with an unexpected sidekick, Tony (Rupert Grint), who thinks Victor is a detective in this action-packed comedy from Britain. Now, with Rose and Tony tagging along, Victor tries to deal with the dual forces of his overbearing mother (Eileen Atkins) and a very angry client (Rupert Everett) who wants Rose dead.

Step Into My Office, Baby

A moment for The Office fans to cherish: when Michael Scott (Steve Carell, US boss) and David Brent (Ricky Gervais, UK boss) meet. Expectations were really high for this, and I don't think it quite hits the spot - it's more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny - but still pretty damn neat.



Meanwhile, as Carell wraps up his final season, currently airing now in the US, Will Ferrell will drop in to fill in for four episodes, though he's NOT replacing Michael Scott. Whoever's doing that will have some pretty big shoes to fill...

Craziest Action Sequence of the Year!!!!#%@!!

Prepare to drop your jaws... Michael Bay could definitely take a few tips here