Cinema Aficionado

Wednesday 28 March 2012

10 Brad Pitt facts that you Didn't know

1. He turned down a role as an astronaut in Apollo 13 (1995) to accept his role in Se7en (1995).

2. He is banned from entering China because of his role in Seven Years in Tibet (1997).

3. He dropped out of the University of Missouri School of Journalism (Columbia, Missouri).

4. He sued Damiani International, the company which created the wedding ring he gave Jennifer Aniston. According to Pitt, the ring was his design and was to be exclusive. The company has since been selling replicas and indicating Pitt/Aniston's endorsement of the ring. [18 July 2001]

5. He is the first man ever to be named "Sexiest Man Alive" twice by "People Magazine." (1994 and 2000).

6. He showed his parents the "Chemical Burn" scene to convince them not to watch Fight Club (1999).

7. His high school nickname was Brad the "Pitt-bull."

8. He was considered for two roles which went to Johnny Depp: Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Both were directed by Tim Burton.

9. His first job was dancing in a chicken suit to draw in customers at an El Pollo Loco restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

10. He owns the rights to the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002). He wanted it to be remade with he and Tom Cruise in the leading roles. The movie was eventually remade as The Departed (2006). Pitt served as a producer on the movie.

10 Remakes that beat their Originals.

1.The Bourne Identity (2002) : One of the best spy films ever made, the same cannot, sadly, be said for the 1988 made-for-TV movie of the same name, which saw Richard Chamberlain in the lead role.Both films were based on a Robert Ludlum novel, but the plots are quite different and regrettably only the original featured one-time Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith. She’d be about 60 now, mind, so we’re happy to make do with Glum Germanic Bint and Confused-Looking Blonde Bird instead.

2.Ocean's Eleven (2001) : Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr; how could you go wrong? By getting pissed every night in Vegas. The original was ‘pure shite’, but the idea was golden: cram as many fast-talking, fabulous suit-wearing, suave, Hollywood A-listers into every shot and play Elvis tunes whilst they rob a casino. George and Co’s remake was therefore choca with so much eye-candy, that audiences lapped it up faster than you (and all your drunken mates) could say: “How hard do you think it’d really be to rob a bank?” Feel-good, fabulous-looking, witty and with enough twists to keep the Guardian readers happy – perfect.

3.Heat (1995) : Michael Mann is the first person to have put Hannibal Lecter onscreen – in the shape of Brian Cox in Manhunter – but less well known is that his moody copy flick Heat is pretty much a remake of his own 1989 made-for-TV film LA Takedown.With Al Pacino and Robert De Niro at their very best, it is one of the best bloke films of the past 20 years, although Val Kilmer, as with most things, adds an unmistakable touch of the naff…

4.The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) : Proof that Pierce Brosnan doesn’t need Bond to be cool, this achingly suave flick has the Brit as a multimillionaire who likes to nick paintings on the side. Rene Russo, just about the right side of 50, is convincingly sizzling as the insurance babe out to catch him, and we also get to see her tits. Which can’t be said of Faye Dunaway in the 1968 original.

5.3:10 to Yuma (2007) : By no means a slouch, the 1957 original of the same name somehow lacks the brooding sense of menace of this big-budget remake, which starred Christian Bale and Russell Crowe and managed to put you back into 19th Century America like no film since Unforgiven.Crowe’s ruthless armed robber is a lesson in cinematic villainy, while Bale gives a wondrously subtle performance as the proverbial righteous sucker looking for justice.

6.Ben-Hur (1959) : Coming in at just under four hours, this monumental tale of piracy, leprosy, chariots and religion was made twice before Charlton Heston stepped into the title role and chewed his way through ancient Rome. The first effort, in 1907, was a one-reel silent version, but MGM had another bash in 1925, with a similarly soundless 143 minute attempt. It doesn’t matter: it’s William Wyler’s 1959 version that gets shown every Christmas, and apart from some mind-numbingly dull lovey-dovey guff, it still rocks.

7.Cape Fear (1991) : Long before Robert De Niro was making us chuckle, he was a serious actor who knew a thing or two about crafting the perfect movie villain. In Cape Fear, the slow, dark Scorcese thriller which was a 1991 must-see, he gave us Max Cady, a tattooed ex-con out to exact his revenge on a lawyer. To be fair, Robert Mitchum in the original is worth seeing, but De Niro owns this film in a way that leaves you awestruck.

8.The Blue Lagoon (1980) : In 1980, the only way to see filth was to imagine it or find a stash in a hedge, so when this tale of clothes-optional free love on a desert island came out everyone wanted to see it.It’s a bit freaky – basically, two shipwrecked kids growing up together and then knobbing the minute they feel the urge – it nonetheless featured Brooke Shields’ naked jubblies (well, a body double’s) and piddled all over the 1949 original which was predictably light on fanny.

9.Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) : Basically a remake of a 1964 film called Bedtime Story, this magnificently watchable comedy set on the Med features stellar performances from Michael Caine and Steve “I Used To Be Funny” Martin as a pair of conmen trying to fleece a woman out of her fortune. Martin’s scene as “Ruprecht”, a mentally-retarded simpleton who likes to stick his fork in his eye is still pant-wettingly funny.

10.The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) : Based on a 1934 crime novel by James Cain, this was made in 1939 in French, in 1942 in Italian, and then in 1946 in Hollywood, but it is the later, seminal Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange version that wins all the plaudits. The plot’s simple: a bored fox is lured into a plan by a passing sleaze to kill off her husband. Cue violence, tension, and most importantly of all, a sex scene on a kitchen table that was reputedly the real deal.

Tuesday 27 March 2012

10 Famous Actors who turned down Famous Roles

Many of the most famous and beloved roles in some of the biggest movies belonged to another actor before they had to drop out or pass on the role. Some of these missed opportunities seem like good ideas, while others will make you cringe. Camera, Lights, List!

1. Will Smith – Neo, The Matrix : Will Smith passed on the role of Neo as did Ewan McGregor. Will Smith said, “You know, The Matrix is a difficult concept to pitch. In the pitch, I just didn’t see it. I watched Keanu’s performance – and very rarely do I say this – but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasn’t smart enough as an actor to let the movie be. Whereas Keanu was smart enough to just let it be. Let the movie and the director tell the story, and don’t try and perform every moment.” Will Smith went on to star in I, Robot.

2. W.C. Fields – Wizard, The Wizard of Oz : The part of the Wizard was written for W.C. Fields and it seems that it was perfect role, a traveling con man. He turned down the role for the most famous of reasons…money. He was only offered $75,000 by MGM but he wanted $100,000. Other sources say he turned it down to write You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man. The role went to Frank Morgan.

3. Cary Grant – James Bond : The producers of the James Bond films originally approached Cary Grant about playing the role of Britain’s 007 agent. Cary declined the role because he didn’t want to be tied to a film series. The role went to Sean Connery starting with Dr. No in 1962. Fleming wasn’t entirely happy with the choice. “He’s not exactly what I had in mind,” said Fleming.

4. Sean Connery – Gandalf, Lord of the Ring Trilogy : Amazingly, Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy. His reason for passing on the role was due to the length of time for filming – 18 months. Sir Ian McKellan won the role and everyone couldn’t be happier. Mr. Connery said he had never read Tolkein and when he read the script he referred to the hobbits as bobbits.

5. Daryl Hannah – Vivian, Pretty Woman : Daryl Hannah turned down the role of the hooker, Vivian, because she felt it was demeaning to women. Strangely, she later appeared in Dancing at the Blue Iguana in the role of a stripper. Even more unbelievable, Molly Ringwald also passed on the role of Vivian. Vivian’s role was soon nabbed by Julia Roberts.

6. Kevin Costner – Bill, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 : Mr. Costner turned down the role of Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2. He opted instead to direct Open Range in yet another poor career choice…cough, cough Water World.

7. John Cusack – John Bender, The Breakfast Club : I think John Cusack is one of the finest actors of my generation and I’m very disappointed that he didn’t get to be part of The Breakfast Club. Of course, he was a mainstay in the teenage angst movies of the 80s, so I’m happy. He was originally the actor chosen to play John Bender. Unfortunately he was unable to fit it into his schedule and Judd Nelson ended up in the role.

8. Bette Davis – Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind : Bette Davis turned down the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. The role went to Vivien Leigh. Davis decided to pass on the role when she thought Errol Flynn would by playing the part of Rhett. She had refused to work with him earlier.

9. Bruce Willis – Sam Wheat, Ghost : Bruce Willis turned down the role of Sam Wheat in Ghost “because he didn’t think the plot would work and that playing a ghost would be detrimental to his career”. Ironically, he played a ghost in The Sixth Sense and he would have played opposite his now ex-wife, Demi Moore.

10. Al Pacino – Han Solo, Star Wars : Al Pacino, Nick Nolte and Christopher Walken were all considered for the role of Han Solo. Even harder to imagine, supposedly Burt Reynolds turned down the role. Harrison Ford took the part and the rest is box office history.

10 most Under Rated Movies of all time

Listed below are some great movies that thoroughly deserve a second chance.

1. THE GIGOLOS (2006) : It took two years to reach British cinemas, two more to reach DVD, but Richard Bracewell’s comedy-drama has slowly emerged as among the most assured recent British debuts. An unexpectedly funny and touching tale of a Mayfair escort and his clueless pimp, it boasts a superlative cast, including Susannah York, Siân Phillips and Anna Massey.

2. LAGAAN (2001) : If you only watch one three-hour Bollywood extravaganza, make it this one.The whole movie revolves around the game of Cricket blended with Patriotism and the Indian freedom struggle.

3. INNOCENT MOVES (1993) : Producer Scott Rudin (There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men) has named this taut, unsentimental drama about a chess prodigy as the one film of his he wished had found a wider audience.

4. LES REVENANTS/THEY CAME BACK (2004) : A zombie movie that prioritises conscience over carnage. The undead here suffer not from bloodlust, but homesickness; Robin Campillo’s unsettling debut wonders what we’d do faced with the population increase.

5. JUDGE PRIEST (1934) : Much of John Ford’s prolific early output has gone unheralded: this lyrical adaptation of Irvin S Cobb’s short stories about a good-natured lawman (played on screen by Will Rogers) urgently needs rediscovering.

6. BODY SNATCHERS (1993) : For a third screen adaptation of Jack Finney’s science-fiction touchstone, skip the Nicole Kidman plod The Invasion and pick up Abel Ferrara’s pulsating variant.

7. RESURRECTED (1989) : Where it all began for Bourne supremo Paul Greengrass: a punchy Channel Four Film drama marking traumatised soldier David Thewlis’s less-than-triumphant return from the Falklands.

8. ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974) : Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are re-released every other year; we need a new print of Scorsese’s heart-rending road movie with Ellen Burstyn’s heroine.

9. SATANTANGO (1994) : Hungarian miserabilist Béla Tarr’s eight-hour mystical-agricultural drama might qualify as the least commercial film ever made, but it’s also one of the most immersive narrative experiences you’ll have outside of a great novel.

10. FEARLESS (1993) : Jeff Bridges only won the Oscar this year, but he was equally rock-solid as the plane-crash survivor who believes himself immortal in Peter Weir’s haunting drama.

5 interesting Tarantino Movie Facts

His genres may range from World War II westerns to martial-arts, revenge epics to Grindhouse, exploitation-inspired, slasher flicks, but Quentin Tarantino’s signature directing style is like a blinking, whooping, neon sign. From the first scene, he transports us to another world that is very much his own. From the dialogue to his personal tastes in movies, music, comics and random stuff like cars and outfits to the teeniest props, not one of the meticulous details is an accident.Here are few of those most recurring details from his movies.

1. His movies are known to always contain at least one scene that focus on women’s feet. He is, as Jules boasts in Pulp Fiction, “the foot fucking master”. He admitted that he does have an appreciation for feet in an interview.

2. He hates product placement and makes up his own brands instead, which adds to his movies’ surreal feel. On a different note, has anybody else ever craved a Kahuna Burger?? I do everytime it pops up on screen – and yes I know how crazy that sounds.

Fictional product placement: Kahuna burger,Red apple cigarettes,Fruit Brute and Kabooom! (both cereal brands really existed in the seventies),G.O. Juice,Teriyaki Donuts,Jack Rabbit Slims.

3. QT movie stats:

Reservoir Dogs: How many times did the word “fuck” feature in the film – 272,Body count – 16

From Dusk Till Dawn: Body count – 122

Kill Bill: Body count – 95 ,At a measly 17, this is the first movie that features less than a 100 “fucks”.Over 450 gallons of fake blood were used on the two movies.

Deathproof: Fucks – 144,Body count – (gasp) only 6!

Inglourious Basterds: Body Count – 76

OK, so I don’t have all the stats from all his movies, but the powers that be (movie dorks/accountants) have not revealed the stats of the other movies and I sure as hell am not going to count them …

4.Tarantino’s movies are often linked together in the oddest ways. Sometimes by a certain line, sometimes through a specific outfit (the suit that Jackie Brown buys is the same that Mia Wallace wears in Pulp Fiction). In Deathproof one of the characters’ ringtone is the whisteled tune from Twisted Nerve, also used in Kill Bill. I really love it when he links the different worlds through family bonds. Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs real name is Vic Vega. This is the same surname as Vince from Pulp Fiction. Tarantino has revealed that Vic and Vince are brothers. He also had plans to do a prequel to both films called Double V Vega, which would have starred the Michael Madsen and John Travolta, but last we heard he has abandoned the project altogether.

5.He is known for making oddball agreements with his friends in da biz: Robert Rodriguez scored Kill Bill for one dollar. Quentin Tarantino repaid him by directing a scene in Rodriguez’s movie Sin City for one dollar. Robert Kurtzman did the special make-up effects for Reservoir Dogs, on the condition that Quentin Tarantino write a script for From Dusk Till Dawn based on a story by Kurtzman.

10 Christian Bale facts That you Didn't Know

1. He is an excellent horseman and an avid reader.

2. His first on-screen role was in 1983 at age 9 in a British commercial for Pac-Man cereal.

3. He replaced Leonardo DiCaprio for the film American Psycho (2000).

4. Met his wife through Winona Ryder; She was Ryder's personal assistant.

5. Turned down the opportunity to reprise the role of Patrick Bateman in the Roger Avary-directed The Rules of Attraction (2002).

6. He is the youngest actor to portray Batman.

7. Before he played "Batman" in Batman Begins (2005), his sister Louise Bale played Batman's mother in The Death of Batman (2003) which was a huge flop.

8. Since reading "Charlotte's Web", he does not eat red meat.

9. He was involved in an infamous incident where he was recorded verbally assaulting cinematographer Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation (2009) for interrupting him during an intense scene. Bale has since apologized, but the incident was widely heard across the Internet.

10. Holds the records for the most weight lost (63 pounds for "The Machinist") and gained (80 pounds for "Batman Begins") for film roles.

Monday 26 March 2012

Top 10 Legendary Movie performances

Sometimes in film there are performances that prove that performance isn’t just an aspect of the art form known as film, but also an art form on its ownhese are the performances that, just for a split second, make you forget you’re watching a movie because of how much raw emotion is encapsulated in a single movie character. Each and every one of them deserves endless amounts of praise.

Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) : The Joker is a part played many times in the past, from Mark Hamill to even Jack Nicholson. He is the most important villain, not just in cinema, but in literature because he encapsulates the very idea of evil itself. Heath Ledger had a lot of work to do. In being asked to play The Joker, you’re being asked to give a truly magnificent performance or else its nothing we haven’t seen before. Heath managed to give the greatest of all time due to the use of every single ounce of ability he had. Every emotion is the purest of all evil is felt due to a man showing as that performance is an truly an art form.

Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) : Robert De Niro’s work in Raging Bull is the kind of performance you look at and say, “that’s not Robert De Niro, that’s Jake LaMotta”. There are so many moments where you’re watching Raging Bull and you just stop breathing at risk of missing a single line De Niro utters because everything is so real. Robert De Niro is unarguably one of the greatest actors there ever was and this stands as his greatest performance. He threw every piece of talent he has into it and it shows.

Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List) : Ralph Fiennes doesn’t get nearly the praise he deserves. He’s one of the greatest actors and deserves to be held right up there with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. If you don’t believe me, take an in depth look into the antagonist of the masterpiece, Schindler’s List. Truly look at every choice Fiennes makes and you’ll see that the man became Amon Goeth, Ralph Fiennes take on nazi Amon Goeth is nothing short of the most realistic portrayal of evil and hatred ever put on screen.

Kevin Spacey (American Beauty) : It’s simply common knowledge that Kevin Spacey is a genius when it comes to acting. He’s brilliant in everything he’s in whether its a limping cripple in The Usual Suspects or the voice over of a villainous grass hopper in A Bug’s Life. You’ll find his greatest performance in the fascinating film, American Beauty. American Beauty studies one of the most interesting characters ever put on screen and in order to have an amazing film, which it was, it needed a brilliant performance. Spacey managed to give more than just that.

George C. Scott (Patton) : George C. Scott has had a very illustrious career and he’s very well known for the way he gives the middle finger to the award shows, but for some reason always still managed to win them. The reason is because no one, especially the academy, can deny that the man is one of the greatest actors known to film. You’ll find his greatest performance as american rebel and hero. General George S. Patton. Patton was a man who knew war and war alone. Patton extensively looks looks into this brilliant General and Scott plays the character incredibly.

F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) : Until the end of the art of performance you’ll see actors playing great artists, whether that be Beethoven, Shakespeare or even Michelangelo. Rarely will we see actors play mediocre artists and never will we see one played as well as F. Murray Abraham played Wolfgang Mozart’s rival, Composer Antonio Salieri. The movie touches on every spectrum of the character and Abraham relentlessly plays it with such spectacle that at times your heart skips a beat. What you’re watching when you watch Abraham in Amadeus is pure art in every way.

Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) : At one point in auditioning for the character Col. Hans Landa, Quentin Tarantino literally thought that he might have written an unplayable character. He told himself that he wasn’t going to make the film if he wasn’t able to get the perfect actor for the part. Luckily he found Christoph Waltz who managed to give cinema one of the greatest performances of all time. What you get in the character Col. Hans Landa are so many intricate layers that its understandable that Tarantino had a hard time finding an actor to not only understand every aspect of the character, but also to perform it to perfection. Waltz did just that and more.

Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest) : After many trials, finally in 1975 one of literature’s most treasured books was finally put on screen. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is one of the greatest films ever made and one of the main reasons that is, is because in it you’ll find the greatest performance from one of the greatest actors known to cinema. Everything Nicholson does in the movie is so human and real. That makes the character all the more likable and relatable as he rivals my most hated character in cinema history. Nicholson holds nothing back and throws everything he had into a performance that desperately needed every single bit of talent an amazing actor could give. Jack Nicholson is always brilliant, but him as R. P. McMurphy is perfection in every sense.

Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) : In watching There Will Be Blood, we’re not watching Daniel Day-Lewis, we’re watching Daniel Plainview. Its almost magical that someone can truly be as fully engrossed in a character as Daniel Day-Lewis is when he acts. We get to learn every aspect of character that is Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood and with Daniel Day-Lewis’ acting he makes almost all performances before it seem like child’s play in comparison. Daniel Day-Lewis is the greatest actor known to cinema and what he achieves in There Will Be Blood is nothing short of one of the greatest performances of all time.

Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs): Anthony Hopkins set the bar and set it high for when it comes to playing serial killers and villains alike. Not all seem completely insane or out there. The truly terrifying ones are the ones who seem calm, cool, collect or even charming at times. Hannibal Lecter never once loses his confidence, he knows that if he plays his cards right he’ll be able to come out on top and with a full stomach. It’s an incredibly dark character and Hopkins plays it spectacularly.

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