film

‘A Christmas Story’ Director Killed in Car Crash

by Mike Browne on April 4, 2007

in film,old stuff

4 Apr 2007
Director Bob Clark, who helmed the modern holiday classic A Christmas Story and was the writer-director-producer of the Porky’s films, died in a car crash with his son on the Pacific Coast Highway early Wednesday morning; he was 67.

According to police reports, Clark’s car was hit head-on around 2:30am by an SUV that swerved into Clark’s southbound lane; Clark and his 22 year-old son, Ariel, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The SUV driver, who was driving without a license, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and is to be booked for gross vehicular manslaughter.

The director of the 1974 cult horror film Black Christmas as well as the 1980 Jack Lemmon drama Tribute (which nabbed Lemmon a Best Actor Oscar nomination), Clark scored a major box office success in the early ’80s with the teen sex comedy Porky’s, a surprise hit that he wrote, directed and produced which became the highest-grossing film of 1982 and one of the highest-grossing films ever in Canada.

Clark went on to helm the sequel, Porky’s II: The Next Day, a year later, but it was another 1983 film that would become his most memorable. Based on humorist Jean Shepherd’s short story collection In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, A Christmas Story was the nostalgic and humorous tale of a young boy named Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) growing up in the 1940s who yearned for the ultimate Christmas gift, a Red Ryder BB gun. Also starring Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon, the comedy (which Clark directed, co-wrote and produced) was a modest success in its initial box office run but gained a strong and steady following through the next two decades, becoming a TV staple during the holiday season and a consistent seller on DVD.

Clark’s other films included the Dolly Parton-Sylvester Stallone comedy Rhinestone, Turk 182!, From the Hip, and the two Baby Geniuses movies.

Recently, there had been talk of Howard Stern producing a remake of Porky’s, and Clark had begun development on a remake of one of his first films, the horror movie Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things.

–Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

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Ingmar Bergman admits Nazi past

by Mike Browne on March 24, 2007

in film,old stuff

Bergman thought Hitler was "charismatic" when he saw him speak

Legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman has revealed that he was a great admirer of Adolf Hitler, only losing his enthusiasm for Nazism after the horrors of the concentration camps were uncovered.

“When the doors to the concentration camps were thrown open, at first I did not want to believe my eyes.”

“When the truth came out it was a hideous shock for me. In a brutal and violent way I was suddenly ripped of my innocence.”

[more at source BBC News]

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In Her Line of Fire on DVD

by Mike Browne on March 13, 2007

in film,old stuff

I worked on this movie and finally got a copy of this travesty on DVD. It stars Mariel Hemingway, who was very nice, and David Keith, who didn’t like me very much. Ugh! Here’s a screenshot of absolutely the best thing about this film:

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Worked last night

by Mike Browne on March 13, 2007

in film,old stuff

I worked on a TV show last night at Richards on Richards for CMT and Rugged Media. It was for two episodes of Live and Up Front featuring country artists Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Emerson Drive. Not being a country music fan I wasn’t looking forward to this. As expected I didn’t enjoy most of the music although I recognized some of it. That’s something. Also, to say either of these artists aren’t pros in there genre would be a lie. They definitely gave it there all. Passionate art is hard to slag, even if it is country music. Blech.

Anyway, I got meet and work with some cool folks. The artists were pretty nice too.

One of the guys I met was operating the gigantic mixing board with the dual 32 inch plasma monitors in the huge Winnebago at the back of the club. He’s worked with Bob Rock on a number of albums for artists like Aerosmith and AC/DC.

I spoke with him at length about AC/DC. He told me that Angus Young, the lead guitar player, is a very funny guy who neither drinks nor smokes anything other than cigarettes which he does with vigor. He also told me that Young played the whole track Thunderstruck live, a smoke hanging out of his mouth. Cool!

Here’s a video of the song live at Donington:

So all in all the night wasn’t a bust. I had lots of fun and learned a lot. I think I actually prefer working on music video style stuff.

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Rob Zombie’s Halloween teaser

by Mike Browne on March 11, 2007

in film,old stuff

Either I’ve completely lost my mind or Rob Zombie doesn’t understand the word ‘teaser’. I felt like falling asleep. All those who think this unnecessary remake is going to stink are probably right on the money. I’ll stick with Carpenter’s version even before this one comes out and the retarded 15 year olds say, “It rulez!@!!! Rob Zombie FTW!!!%^#@!”

My pre-response (in their own dumb lingo): G-HEY!

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300 Vancouver Premiere – Mini Review

by Mike Browne on March 5, 2007

in film,old stuff,vancouver

Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.

Carol and I just arrived home from the Vancouver premiere of Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead 2004) and Frank Miller’s (Sin City) much anticipated collaborative effort simply titled 300. Thanks to Mark of The Hollywood North Report for the tickets!

We were first in line for the event so we had our pick of seats. Security, who arrived right after us, was extremely tight. They frisked everyone with metal detectors and checked people’s bags for recording devices taking away camera batteries, video phone batteries and miniDV cams, if found, to be returned later.

I guess Warner Brothers wasn’t willing to have the film leak out via some shabby cam version made this evening by a dastardly pirate. I’m sure it will show up on a torrent site this weekend after those all important opening bucks get raked in by the studio. The security part of the evening was slightly uncomfortable and somewhat intrusive, but I forgot about that when the film started.

The cinematography was nothing short of spectacular. Every brilliant shot looked as though it were a masterpiece painted by some long forgotten master. I was expecting the heavy use of CG to take me out of the film, but that wasn’t so at all. It looked like Miller’s graphic novel come to life. To say it was gorgeously shot doesn’t do this film justice. To watch it you would never know that it was shot entirely in a studio in Montreal, Quebec against green screen. No, they weren’t outside. Wow!

The story was far tighter than I had expected and the over the top dialogue we saw in the trailer actually earned it’s way onto the screen. I found myself immersed in this telling of the ancient tale of King Leonidas, masterfully played by The Phantom of the Opera’s Gerard Butler, and his 300 Spartan warriors’ fight against the invasion of Greece by the Persian empire’s hordes of creepy assassins lead by the evil God/King Xerxes. The good guys were easy to care about and the bad guys even easier to hate.

Tyler Bates soundtrack topped it all off. I could listen to it over and over. Bates described the score as having “beautiful themes on the top and large choir”, but “tempered with some extreme heaviness”. You can listen to a bit of it at the 300 soundtrack site.

Just a bit of a caveat, if you are put off by nudity, sexuality and violence 300 is absolutely not the film for you. It pulled few punches in those departments. I think this be one of the most graphically violent films I have ever seen. I’ve seen many violent movies, but 300 went that much further. It is, after all, a film about war in barbaric times. Though cartoon like at times, I still cringed in many spots and let me tell you, if a movie can make me cringe it is cringe worthy.

It’s okay for a hetero man to like a movie with amazingly fit and half naked men in it right? There were a few times I flashed on that scene from Airplane with the kid in the cockpit:

Captain Oveur: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

I’m sure I came away unscathed without too much of ‘the gay’ on me. A vast array of naked boobage and an orgy scene full of Persian whores cleansed the pallet washing away all the fruitiness.

I want to see 300 again… and again. I’ll pass on the theatre for now. Too much talking and seat kicking for spoiled old HDTV owning me. We eagerly await 300′s release on DVD.

You however should go see it in the theatre. Don’t miss this on the big screen. This movie is what Troy and Alexander wish they were. It’s not often you hear a crowd applaud at certain parts of a film any more but they did for 300 in a few parts.

Watch the trailer just in case you’re not convinced yet.

[read Carol's funny review]

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Extended Fido Trailer

by Mike Browne on February 25, 2007

in film,old stuff

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I don’t usually post things to both of my sites (this is on zombiefreak.com as well), but I’m pretty excited about this movie, Fido, about a boy and his zombie. It was made here in BC and some folks I know from my stint on the Razzie nominated Wicker Man worked on it. No razzie for fido. It looks kind of fun.

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Sharkwater

by Mike Browne on February 24, 2007

in film,old stuff

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Carol loves to be afraid of sharks. They’re misunderstood for sure and get tons of bad press. I find them beautifully fascinating, but a part of me fears them too. This movie looks like it’s out to change people’s perception of the world’s most ‘perfect predator’.


[visit sharkwater.com for more info]

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How to sneak onto a movie set

by Mike Browne on January 31, 2007

in film,old stuff

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Watch the video at pitchpage.com

I laughed really hard at this. Probably because it’s true! Zack is 100% correct.

Just an aside. Roz McNulty, the President and founder of pitchpage.com (a place for film industry professionals to showcase their demo reels via streaming video) helped me to get my very first paying gig in the movies. Thanks Roz! You rock.

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“A Visit from my Agent”

by Mike Browne on January 26, 2007

in film,old stuff

After a difficult day a struggling actor returns to his neighborhood and is shocked to find a cadre of police and fire trucks surrounding the smoldering remains of his house.

Explaining who he was he asks “What happened?”

“Well,” one of the officer’s says, “It seems that your agent came by your house earlier today and while he was here he attacked your wife, assaulted your children, beat your dog and burned your house to the ground.”

The actor is struck speechless, his jaw hanging open in disbelief… “My agent came to my house?”

Thanks to Gregrrr, 1st A.D. extraordinaire for this little film industry giggle. I needed that.

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