Posts Tagged ‘chinatown’

Ed Bernero

Polanski Apologists Don’t Speak for All of Us in Hollywood

by Ed Bernero

Enough.

Anyone who would sign a petition demanding release of a fugitive child rapist is actively hurting a business I love and DOES NOT speak for all of the entertainment industry. America needs to know that by viewing/buying our product, the public is not supporting these views.

Our industry is made up mostly of hard working, decent people who believe in this country and the justice system. I strongly feel that one of the bigger reasons for the decline in film and television is that the public, our customer base, has simply had enough of Hollywood.  And I don’t blame them.

polanski love

I have a question for those supporting Roman Polanski: Is there no line?  Is there no line at which you won’t blindly support someone? He’s an artist? So what? Charles Manson was a decent guitar player.  Hitler could paint. Roman Polanski is a good director. So-the-hell what? This man drugged and anally raped a thirteen-year-old girl. The transcript of her testimony can be found online. Read it.  It should horrify you.

It wasn’t “rape-rape”? What the hell does that even mean, Ms. Goldberg? Are you suggesting that the little girl was at fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? For not more forcefully resisting an adult her mother placed her with?  A famous man? (more…)

Steve Mason

The All-Time Top 10 Movie Posters (one man’s opinion) – #1 JAWS, #2 CHINATOWN, #3 THE DARK KNIGHT

by Steve Mason

Over the weekend, I was pondering why the low budget, standard genre pic The Haunting in Connecticut (Lionsgate) has become a nifty little box office hit. The film added almost $9.5M over the weekend for a new 10-day cume of $37M, and the only conclusion I have been able to reach is that it’s all about the poster.

Creepy, right? I have not seen Haunting and will probably wait for DVD or pay cable, but that is a weird, startling, attention-grabbing image. As a movie junkie, I love good movie art. The best movie posters are evocative. They capture what a movie is all about without giving away the mystery. There are certain movie posters that instantly put me back in that theatre experiencing the film for the very first time. The best movie posters are not just promotional tools. They stand as a work of art on their own. These are my favorites, buit it is by no means a definitive list. Feel free to add your favorites (and subtract any of mine).

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Steve Mason

Overlooked: The Top 10 Best Performances of 2008 that you may not have heard about!

by Steve Mason

The Academy Awards for 2008 have been handed out, and the “popular kids” have Oscars on their mantles, but the dirty little secret about winning awards is that you’ve gotta campaign for them. Thousands of dollars were spent by the distributors and filmmakers behind Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight), Milk (Focus Features), The Reader (Weinstein) and other assorted winners and nominees, but not all performances received that sort of big money backing.

I am an unabashed lover of the acting craft. I see virtually every movie, large and small, that passes through the US marketplace, and, taking nothing away from Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz and Heath Ledger, not all of 2008’s best performances have been recognized. I’m not going to be obvious here. Clint Eastwood was snubbed for Gran Torino, but he received lots of acclaim for the role including being named Best Actor by the National Board of Review. My goal is to highlight 10 performances from last year that have received virtually no acclaim in the US. Many of these roles can be found in hardly-seen, under-appreciated movies that came and went without much notice. Each and every one of these movies deserve a spot in your Netflix (or Blockbuster) cue. (more…)