Stars in Rewind »
Stars in Rewind: A Retro, Silent Hamlet
Filed under: Classics, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
The unthinkable has happened -- Steve Coogan treaded on William Shakespeare's grave and created the super-saucy Hamlet 2. But as the film continues to expand its screening reach, I thought I'd go back in time -- way, way back in time, beyond many of the Hamlet films that have graced our Shakespeare-insatiable eyes.
The above film was not meant to be a comedy, but you have got to see the silent version of Hamlet above. The music alone is peppy enough for a dance, and I keep expecting some comedy troupe to pop up and wreak havoc in the scene. But this is the ghost scene from the silent, 1913 adaptation, so it's serious. Really.
Personally, I just love the part where the ghost pops up. Special effects have come a long way, eh? And for all of those actors these days who talk about the struggles of acting when a special effects character isn't in the room -- pshaw, these guys were doing it long ago.
Stars in Rewind: Rainn Wilson in 'Galaxy Quest'
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Yesterday, movie theaters everywhere were greeted with the ultimate sight in rockin' sexiness -- Rainn Wilson. Yes folks, The Rocker opened yesterday, and now you can see Robert "Fish" Fishman get kicked out of hard-core band Vesuvius, lose all hope, and then find a new future with his nephew's high school rock band twenty years later.
But before the days of rockers, or fastidiousness on The Office, or even pent-up sexual attraction on Six Feet Under, Rainn Wilson was a space man. Above you can see him as Lahnk, in a deleted scene from Galaxy Quest. As a member of the reactor staff, he has a question for the fish-out-of-water Fred (Tony Shalhoub), and wants a little advisement. Oh yeah, and the guy who introduces him -- Enrico Colantoni.
Whoever would've thought that the Spock-esque dude would hop onto Almost Famous, star in a hit television show, and then get a romance with Kelly Bundy?!
Stars in Rewind: Eva Mendez as Scarlett Johansson's Nanny???
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Stars in Rewind
For those who've always wondered what movie bloggers talk about late on a Sunday night, look no further as last night my buddy Peter over at Slashfilm emailed me a tip on a film featuring Scarlett Johansson at 13. No, we're not pervs, Peter had come across the awful kids flick on TV and thought it would make a fine Stars in Rewind post. I had never heard of My Brother the Pig, and so upon checking out the clip I was (pleasantly?) surprised to not only see Scarlett doing her 13-year-old thing, but also early Eva Mendez before she changed her last name to Mendes. Better yet, she's playing Johansson's nanny Matilda with a thick Spanish accent. Thankfully Mendes eventually grew up and became hot, removing her from a Hollywood life full of playing the nanny for rich white folk.
My Brother the Pig sort of reminds me of Adventures in Babysitting, except one sibling was accidentally turned into a pig and there's no male teenager to crush on Johansson or her almost-but-not-quite-hot-yet nanny Eva Mendes (ie: This isn't the Johansson threesome you want to see). Also making an appearance as the clueless dad? Yup, Judge Reinhold! You know it's bad when the six different pigs used in the film are credited on the movie's IMDb page. Damn, I can probably do another 500-1000 words on this sick flick, but I'd rather stop here and let you enjoy the clip above.
Anyone have fond memories of My Brother the Pig?
Stars in Rewind: Robert Downey Jr.'s First Role
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
These days, Robert Downey Jr. has got the world at his fingertips with blockbuster movies and memorable, irresistible race-changing roles. But talk of his career is always tied into his long, rocky past with the movie business. However, things weren't always that way. Before the widely forgotten Baby It's You, or even the likes of the jerky Ian in Weird Science, at the ripe ol' age of 5 he showed up in his dad's film Pound, as "Puppy."
The 1970 film focused on a pound where 18 dogs were hoping to be adopted -- the twist being that they were all played by humans. Robert is, of course, one of the uber-cute, young pups that wanna-be dog owners drool over, and yes, he's saying what you think he's saying. Robert was super-classy and snarky even back then.
We finally get to see his Kirk Lazarus this week, but that's not all Downey has planned for us this year. After the light fare he's been busy with, we'll get to see him star opposite Jamie Foxx in The Soloist this November.
Stars in Rewind: Saul and Dale Before 'The Pineapple Express'
Filed under: Comedy, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Sure, I've already shared Seth Rogen's audition for Freaks and Geeks, but since the comedic wonder that is The Pineapple Express is finally here, it's a pretty good time to share old-school Saul and Dale before they reunited, hit the chronic, and got themselves in trouble with dangerous drug dealers. A good ten years ago, they were living in 1980. In the above clip, James Franco's Daniel spends a lot of time going punk, and then Nick (Jason Segel) and Ken (Rogen) make fun of him for his new look, full of distressed clothing and eggy hair.
Most of the kid's from Judd Apatow's old show have come a long way, many of them reuniting over and over in the Apatow universe. But I have to say -- it's high time Sarah Hagan gets a piece of the action. It's just wrong that her last movie was Orange County. Even a little cameo. Just a tiny one to start ... Whaddya say, Judd?
Stars in Rewind: Tony Curtis Gets Mouth-to-Mouth from Sharon Tate
Filed under: Comedy, Awards, Other Festivals, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
At the age of 83, Tony Curtis is getting some film festival love. Jam! reports that the legendary actor will receive a lifetime achievement tribute at the Montreal Film Festival, which runs from August 21 to September 1. In honor of that, I thought it would be nice to go back some years and see old-school Tony. Since we're in the throes of summer, Don't Make Waves seemed most appropriate. It's a tale of possessions up in flames and saucy forays with sexy swimmers.
Don't Make Waves was the first Sharon Tate film to hit theaters, and in the scene above, she meets Mr. Curtis. Tony wakes up to a beach wonderland of surfers, gymnastics, and more, and he foolishly decides to take a swim amongst the surfers. While out there, he gets knocked out by a surfboard, and gets dragged to shore by the epic Tate and given mouth to mouth.
There's no poll this time around, but here's a bit of trivia. While the film didn't do so well, it was the inspiration for Malibu Barbie, based on Tate's character in the film, Malibu.
Presidential Candidates in Rewind: John McCain in 'Wedding Crashers'
Filed under: Politics, Stars in Rewind
What with the firestorm over John McCain's ad calling Barack Obama a hollow celebrity akin to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, you'd think someone would have pointed out that McCain actually has Obama beat in the "number of Hollywood movies appeared in" category. Here's a video -- unearthed by Movie Moron via SlashFilm -- of John McCain's amusing cameo in Wedding Crashers, shaking hands with Christopher Walken's remarkably well-connected Secretary Cleary at his daughter's wedding. And yes, that's James Carville next to him, but Carville shows up in everything.
Just a bit of harmless fun for McCain or despicable participation in a BOOB RAUNCH FEST? You be the judge.
Also: Number of cameos on 24: John McCain: 1; Barack Obama: 0. You can check that video out over here. What's that old saw about glass houses?
Stars in Rewind: Michael Cera Switches Goals
Filed under: Comedy, Sports, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Last year, Christopher Campbell gave us a Michael Cera "rewind" from Steal This Movie. I hate to be repetitive, but there's another clip I just have to share. Did you know that George Michael once popped up in a Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen television movie called Switching Goals?
He plays Taylor, a jerky tyke who is mean to Ashley and tells her she can't be a good goalie. (This inner-movie knowledge is thanks to the IMDb message board.) In the clip above, the kid gets to be jerky while buying cleats. "Watch it! I have a very delicate bone structure!"
See? Cera can be more than just sweet, passive little boys. He can be a snarky dude trying to protect his bones as well!
Last Rewind Answer: While most of you guessed that Tom Cruise was the man who wasn't considered for the part of Jim Morrison in The Doors, it was actually James Spader.
Stars in Rewind: Christian Bale Sings and Dances!
Filed under: Fandom, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Because why the hell not?
With Christian Bale currently in theaters kicking ass right, left and sideways as Batman, we thought it'd be fun to take a look back at the Dark Knight when he was just a wee boy. In the clip above, watch as Bale sings and dances up a storm in the film Newsies as Jack "Cowboy" Kelly. Remember that one? It came out in 1992 (though it was set in 1899) and it followed Kelly as he organizes a newsboys' strike due to the raising of the distribution price per paper by the publisher, Joseph Pulitzer. These kids were pissed, poor and ready to put on their dancing shoes -- and who could blame them. In all seriousness, though, this was a fun little flick ... and the music wasn't even half bad.
What do you think? Should Bale take this Batman act to Broadway?
Discuss: Heath Ledger and James Dean
Filed under: Action, Casting, New Releases, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Obits, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Stars in Rewind
In the last twenty-four hours alone, countless news articles have compared the late Heath Ledger to James Dean. Of course it helps that the two actors -- whose careers lie fifty years apart -- bear physical resemblances to each other. The real reason for the frequency of the comparison, however, revolves around the possibility that Ledger, like Dean, might end up with a posthumous Oscar nomination.Other than Dean, whose death in a 1955 car accident was preceded by two nominations back-to-back, six actors have landed the distinction -- but only one, Peter Finch, actually won (for Network in 1976). However, Ledger is now perceived an actor who possessed a potential he never quite realized, while Dean was already an icon by the time of his death (and he still didn't win the prize). If Ledger gets nominated for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the award will also acknowledge the great career that never was. Dean surely would have followed Giant with other wonderful performances, but his brief filmography also allowed the actor to reach a level of prestige that Ledger would have needed a few more movies to attain. So does this comparison really hold up?
The media certainly seems to think so. "Like Dean, he could endure as a mythic figure of talent silenced before his time," writes the AP. "People are aflutter over seeing the final performance of a new James Dean," reports The Huffington Post. " One quality that Ledger and Dean did share is rapid growth," notes the Baltimore Sun.
