domenica 26 dicembre 2010
The Magnificent Wonderman
The Magnificent Wonderman! - ed ecco un altro film il cui titolo contiene almeno due parole sbagliate... (punti extra a chi coglie la citazione)
Anche noto come Bruce Lee il re del kung fu - tanto per disonorare ancora un po' il suo nome - e Jin hu men, ovviamente questo filmone non ha nulla a che vedere con Bruce Lee.
Al suo posto troviamo invece il veterano Casanova Wong (AKA "The (sub)Human Tornado"), le cui principali peculiarità sono l'abilità nel mulinare le gambette in estenuanti serie di calci ed un gusto particolarmente ilare per i nomi d'arte.
Pur diretto dal sommo maestro del taglia-e-cuci Godfrey Ho, questa volta ci troviamo di fronte ad una singola pellicola, anche se a dire il vero la qualità della trama non fa ripiangere i mix hong-kongesi/occidentali che tanto amiamo.
Casanova Wong è/fa lo scemo del villaggio nel tempio Shaolin dove trova rifugio perché sì.
Sfiga vuole che i Mongoli abbiano invaso la zona, e allora Il Maestro(tm) decide di vendersi il Buddha d'oro per finanziare la difesa del proprio monastero e dell'area circostante.
Non ha però fatto i conti con uno sparuto gruppetto di monaci tisici, ben intenzionati ad allearsi con gli invasori per impadronirsi dell'oro.
A loro volta, questi pirlotti non hanno fatto i conti con il nostro eroe (che nel frattempo ha avuto occasione di studiarsi o almeno guardare le figure del bigino della tecnica del fire fist/wind blade), che non mancherà di dargliene un sacco e una sporta, riuscendo nel contempo a vendicarsi della morte del padre e/o maestro.
Film attorno al quale c'è un certo - limitatissimo - inspiegabile culto, rimasto quasi inedito per decenni. Sfortunatamente prima o poi tutto quanto torna a galla, ed eccoci qui con una ricchissima edizione in DVD, reperibile anche su Amazon.
Mi sento di dire che il tutto è da riservarsi ai veri appassionati del genere o a chi vuole bullarsi con gli amici di aver visto tutta la cinematografia di Godfrey Ho. Per gli altri, sofferenza assicurata. :-)
Voto: 3.
Trashometro: 8
domenica 5 dicembre 2010
Shaun of the Dead
La vita di Shaun è ad un minimo storico: la fidanzata lo molla per la sua scarsa intraprendenza, ha un difficile rapporto con la madre (e soprattutto il patrigno), ha un lavoro che non gli dà soddisfazioni e vive col suo miglior amico: l'unico che possa dirsi più fallito di lui.
Con notevole tempismo, il giorno in cui decide di rimettere insieme i pezzi della sua vita un'epidemia zombie gli complica la vita, costringendolo a combattere per mettere in salvo madre e fidanzata.
Diretto da Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz e il recente Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), e interpretato da Simon Pegg (i due lo hanno anche scritto), Shaun of the Dead mescola in maniera perfetta commedia, horror e dramma.
Seppur i momenti comici siano preponderanti (con un paio di tocchi surreali di puro genio), non ci si fa mancare infatti alcune perle di serietà perfettamente integrate nel resto del racconto.
Perché anche se non ci si dimentica mai che in fondo si sta facendo un film comico, si ha comunque il coraggio di non cercare il lieto fine a tutti i costi - non un lieto fine completo, almeno.
Al solito, la sensazione che lascia al pubblico italiano questo genere di film comprende anche un po' di tristezza: che cose del genere - fatte con pochi mezzi e buone idee - proprio non le si riesca a produrre in Italia, resta davvero inspiegabile (o forse è spiegabilissimo...)
Voto: 8
Tags: horror, commedia, drammatico, zombie, Inghilterra, madre, fidanzata, commesso, amicizia, fallito, pub, salvezza, lotta, sparatoria
domenica 14 novembre 2010
Dollhouse: stagione 2
Ventisei episodi su due stagioni non sono certo molti per raccontare una storia ambiziosa, e devo dire anche che alcune scelte di Joss Whedon mi sono sembrare azzardate.
La seconda stagione inizia infatti in maniera non dissimile dalla prima, con episodi abbastanza slegati gli uni dagli altri, con poco sviluppo dei personaggi ed in generale un po' fiacchi.
Poi la trama principale diventa finalmente centrale, e ci si concentra sulla futura apocalisse ed i tentativi di evitarla.
Pregevole l'impostazione data alla Rossum Corporation, con i suoi metodi e le sue motivazioni; ben realizzata anche la crescita dei ruoli all'interno della Dollhouse, anche se tutto sommato i presunti colpi di scena sono tutti ampiamente prevedibili (indovinare chi diventerà "cattivo", chi sta facendo il doppio/triplo gioco e la vera identità di alcuni personaggi è davvero facile).
Si arriva comunque ad una conclusione senza dubbio soddisfacente, e come sempre zio Joss non mancherà di chiudere in maniera definitiva le storie di alcuni importanti personaggi.
Non sono però tutte rose, in questa seconda stagione: episodi fiacchi ed assenza di miglioramenti in tema di recitazione a parte, si nota una netta involuzione in quanto a regia e fotografia, specie nei primi episodi. Si ha poi l'impressione di dover giungere in fretta alla conclusione, ed alcuni avvenimenti vengono buttati lì come se niente fosse.
Peggio che mai, troppo spesso si fa ricorso ad un eccesso di mumbo jumbo tecnologico per spiegare questo o quello. Dato il soggetto, sono disposto a sopportarne una discreta quantità, ma sul finire si esagera davvero.
Insomma, la sensazione che lascia è che si sia in parte fatto un passo più lungo della gamba (specie per quanto riguarda le finanze ed i tempi a disposizione dello show); accettato questo, il risultato è comunque di chiaro pregio, con una bella storia e dei bei personaggi.
Voto alla stagione: 8--.
Voto complessivo alla serie: 8.
sabato 6 novembre 2010
IMDbPY: sviluppatori cercasi
Si cercano quindi sviluppatori Python che abbiano voglia di aggiustare alcuni parser; da un lato ci sono quelli per il mobile, con un codice abbastanza classico (manipolazione di stringhe e regular expressions), dall'altro si tratta di aggiustare una serie di parser basati su lxml e/o BeautifulSoup (accesso ai dati tramite XPath).
Se poi siete in vena di vere follie, ci sono alcuni bug aperti sull'uso di MySQL in ambienti Windows Vista e 7.
Tutti i dettagli, in questo thread.
Se non si fosse capito, NON è una offerta di lavoro: il software è open source ed i dati che manipola sono gratuiti solo per uso non-commerciale.
domenica 24 ottobre 2010
Cannibal Ferox
Tre casi umani si recano senza alcuna cognizione di causa in Amazzonia per smentire le tesi sul cannibalismo (dopo la verità su Babbo Natale, ecco un altro duro colpo alle mie fantasie di fanciullo...)
Intrecceranno la loro sorte con uno spacciatore di droga e ladro di smeraldi fai-da-te ed il suo complice, in fuga proprio da una tribù di cannibali che se li vuole fare in salmì - per più che eccellenti motivi, se vogliamo.
Noia e stupidità aberrante, il film si ricorda - oltre che per le performance attoriali da scomunica papale - per alcuni momenti abbastanza disgustosi.
Calotta cranica di un tale scoperchiata e tizia appesa per le tette a parte, il culmine viene raggiunto con l'evirazione del cattivone e conseguente ingoio da parte dell'ingordo cannibale.
Sembra far male...
Non va poi dimenticata la profusione di animali ammazzati per girare alcune scene piuttosto gratuite di ferocia della giungla. Naturalmente la teoria qui è che se poi te lo mangi e/o ci copuli, puoi ammazzare un po' quel che ti pare...
Un cultore del trash che si rispetti deve avere un minimo di preparazione anche sul genere cannibale; da qui a dire che senta il bisogno di vedere altro, ce ne passa. :-)
Voto: 2. Trashometro: 7
tags: cannibalismo, manca un po' di sale, tortura, sesso, droga, smeraldi, sevizie, stupro,omicidio, fuga, jeep, Amazzonia, evirazione, tribù, Lenzi, horror, trash
martedì 19 ottobre 2010
The Town
Sottolineare le sue scarse capacità attoriali è un po' sport nazionale del pianeta Terra, anche se personalmente non lo trovo neppure così catastrofico: ha due espressioni, ok, ma c'è anche di peggio (specie tra le nuovissime leve). Tutto ciò però ha ben poca importanza, perché quando passa dall'altro lato della macchina da presa, continua a dimostrarsi una delle persone cinematograficamente più intelligenti al momento in circolazione.
The Town narra la storia di una banda di rapinatori di banche che opera in un quartiere di Boston. Durante un colpo viene sequestrata la direttrice di una filiale; temendo di poter essere identificati la osserveranno anche dopo la rapina, ma questo non farà che intrecciare le loro vite con la sua, oltre che far nascere conflitti interni alla banda.
Un ultimo furto - che dovrebbe sistemare tutto - poterà all'inevitabile conclusione.
Dannato Ben Affleck, dicevo: come sceneggiatore è davvero bravo (qui si basa su un libro, ma partecipa all'adattamento) e sembra conoscere alla perfezione i tempi cinematografici.
Regia asciutta, quasi impeccabile sia sulle scene d'azione che nelle parti drammatiche; c'è poco da dire: ci sono film che vanno fatti in un certo modo, e The Town è un esempio quasi perfetto di thriller drammatico.
Ben è giovane e fa ancora ampiamente in tempo a mandare tutto in mona, ma se continua di questo passo... (io non ho detto "Clint Eastwood", perché è sicuramente prematuro fare simili paragoni, ma credo che le potenzialità le abbia).
Voto: 9.
giovedì 7 ottobre 2010
Honda Anomala
più se ci sono o se non ci sono?), e minimalista - che sto cambiando
tutto il mio arsenale hardware.
Dogora il Mostro della Grande Palude è un prodotto piuttosto
anomalo nella produzione di zio Honda;: intanto uno dei
protagonisti è un occidentale, poi ci sono sì i soliti mille-mila
modellini che sono il vero fiore all'occhiello delle forze di
autodifesa giapponesi, ma qui non vengono mandati a morire contro
l'usuale pirla in un costume di gommapiuma.
Già, perché il nemico questa volta è un informe effetto speciale
venuto dallo spazio, ghiotto di carbonio e che si mette quindi a
spazzolare miniere, camion, strutture in acciaio e pure diamanti. Ciò
lo porta in rotta di collisione con un sagacissimo ladro di pietre
preziose (l'occidentale) ed un po' di altri fessi mal assortiti.
Com'è, come non è, si giungerà alla degna conclusione anche grazie ai
preziosi consigli dell'uomo più intelligente del Giappone (e di
conseguenza del mondo ;-)
Nato con l'idea (naufragata) di iniziare una serie sul personaggio
dello scanzonato ladro di diamanti, il film si segnala anche per la
presenza di una signorina che diventerà una delle prime bond-girl
asiatiche della storia di 007.
Per il resto, niente di nuovo sotto il sole di Honda: si guarda, ma
non solletica troppo il gusto trash dello spettatore in cerca di
emozioni forti. :-)
domenica 19 settembre 2010
[BSG] The Plan
Rispetto al resto della serie aggiunge qualche elemento, specie sulla vita su Caprica occupata e soprattutto sui rapporti tra i vari Cylons e le loro reazioni all'andamento della guerra, ma fatica un po' nel fornire una visione complessiva degli avvenimenti.
Non male l'attacco alle colonie, mentre dove davvero pecca è nel piano stesso: certo, ci viene detto chi e perché ha spinto per la distruzione del genere umano, ma alla fin fine non si tratta di nulla che non sapessimo già.
A livello tecnico, gli effetti speciali sono eccessivamente "lucidi" ed un po' plasticosi; degna la regia di Olmos, che quanto meno non ricicla troppe scene dalla serie.
Come da tradizione home-video, si mira un po' al pruriginoso con qualche fugace nudo (niente dei protagonisti, anche se Tricia Helfer in lingerie ha sempre il suo perché).
Insomma, niente di che: decente approfondimento per capire come sono state viste le cose dal punto di vista dei Cylons, ma per il resto si tratta di una puntata non troppo significativa tirata un po' in lungo.
Voto: 6.5
Tags: fantascienza, azione, drammatico, bsg, battlestar galactica, morte, attacco, sterminio, Cylons, Cavil, attacco, esplosione nucleare, guerra.
Plan (Video 2009) - IMDb, The (2009/I)
Cast:
- Edward James Olmos .... Commander William Adama (also archive footage)
- Dean Stockwell .... Brother Cavil (also archive footage)
- Michael Trucco .... Samuel Anders (also archive footage)
- Grace Park .... Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii (also archive footage)
- Michael Hogan .... Colonel Saul Tigh (also archive footage)
- Aaron Douglas .... Chief Galen Tyrol (also archive footage)
- Callum Keith Rennie .... Leoben Conoy (also archive footage)
- Kate Vernon .... Ellen Tigh (also archive footage)
- Rick Worthy .... Simon (also archive footage)
- Lymari Nadal .... Giana O'Neill
Trivia random: Edward James Olmos and Dean Stockwell first played together in the 1985 Miami Vice episode "Bushido".
Citazione random: Brother Cavil: But first we're going to die in a vacuum.
Brother Cavil: There's a 170 ft launch tube in front of us, we might die of our injuries before we get to the vacuum.
Brother Cavil: I don't like you.
Brother Cavil: I understand that.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
IMDb, Edward James Olmos -
Data di nascita: 24 February 1947
Altezza: 5' 9¾" (1.77 m)
Coniuge: Lymari Nadal::(2002 - present), Lorraine Bracco::(28 January 1994 - 4 March 2002) (divorced), Kaija Keel::(29 December 1971 - 1992) (divorced) 2 children
Biografia:
If Edward James Olmos had followed the first love of his life, he'd have been a professional baseball player. But by age 13, another love entered his life: rock music. By age 15 he was already an experienced rock singer, forming and reforming several "garage bands" along the way. During the late '60s and early '70s he played the most famous clubs on Sunset Strip, including Gazzarri's and The Factory. But a friend suggested that, with his flair for the dramatic, he consider a career in acting. Throughout the seventies he divided his time between rock music gigs, acting classes, bit parts in TV, Off-off-off Broadway plays and his business of moving fine furniture (which kept body, soul and family together). His first big break was a starring role in Luis Valdez's play, "Zoot Suit", in 1978. The play moved to Broadway and led to a Tony nomination and great critical acclaim. Perhaps best known for his role as "Lt. Martin Castillo" in the NBC TV series, "Miami Vice" (1984) (1984-1989), he has been seen in numerous film and TV productions. He received an Academy Award nomination for "best actor" for his starring role in Stand and Deliver (1988). Most notable of his recent offerings is American Me (1992), which was also his directing debut. But acting, directing and screenwriting are only parts of what he does. Olmos contends he would much rather be known as an activist than an actor. He devotes much of his time to causes, particularly those focusing on the needs and rights of children. He makes, on average, some 150 personal appearances a year to places where he can reach kids at risk; juvenile halls, detention centers, boys/girls clubs, schools. Anywhere he can get across his message that "we all have a choice" about where life takes us. He stresses the importance of education, the risks of gang life and tries to promote the notion of taking responsibility for one's own actions and one's own happiness in life. Using his own "disadvantaged background" as an example (he grew up in East Los Angeles, infamous for its gang problems), he tells the kids, "If I can do it, so can you". And he tries to point them in a positive direction. He has served as an ambassador for UNICEF and has received numerous accolades for his activism. He will long be remembered for getting out in the thick of the L.A. Riots of 1992 with his broom: one calm, reasonable presence in the midst of chaos and gunfire. Olmos was married to actress Lorraine Bracco. Between them they have 6 children, ages 10 - 25.
Trivia random: Drove a red Porsche Turbo, which he bought in Miami at a sale of articles confiscated in drug-busts. "He got 30 years. I got the car!". But soon afterwards the Porsche was stolen.
Citazione random: I was the highest-paid actor -- per word -- in the history of television! (commenting on his role as "Lt. Castillo" on "Miami Vice" (1984))
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
IMDb, Tricia Helfer -
Nome di battesimo: Helfer, Tricia Janine
Data di nascita: 11 April 1974
Altezza: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Coniuge: Jonathan Marshall::(2003 - present)
Trivia random: Grew up on a farm. Her parents still run it, growing various grains.
Citazione random: I would change the push for women to look like Playmate Barbie dolls, that is just ridiculous. - one thing she would change about film industry
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
giovedì 2 settembre 2010
l'isola del dottor Frankenstein
Cominciando dall'inizio - che tanto tutto il resto si confonde nelle allucinazioni provocate dalla visione di cotanto bel cinema - troviamo quattro stralunati pirla che precipitano con la loro mongolfiera su un'isola (fuori scena: effetto speciale troppo costoso...)
Con loro anche un cane che, memore di Napoleone, farà subito pipì e pure altro sulla spiaggia. Da qui in avanti la trama peggiora, e non di poco.
Verranno presto accolti da una tribù di più o meno affascinanti fanciulle (ma tanto i maschietti son dei gran scorfani, quindi non hanno da lamentarsi) che, come prevedibile, scopriremo essere mezzo-sangue aliene il cui rito di iniziazione a non-si-sa-bene-cosa consiste nel farsi appendere stile amache umane (buono anche per la sciatica, credo). Ho già detto dei peggioramenti della trama?
Pur vagamente allupati a causa delle discinte signorine, bramano anche il ritorno a casa, intralciato però dagli altri abitanti dell'isola: tale Sheila Frankenstein von Helsing (l'improbabile nome non l'ho scelto io), il suo bicentenario marito ed uno stuolo di fottutissimi scimuniti che ci vengono presentati come temibili macchine da guerra, ma che si limitano a ciondolare in giro senza costrutto.
I ben assortiti coniugi stanno conducendo esperimenti su questi (sub)umani con tanto di trasfusioni, elettrodi e sfere al plasma che fanno sempre scena e costano poco; il tutto sotto l'accorda guida del defunto e mi viene da dire buon-per-lui Dr. Frankenstein, che alla bisogna appare sovraimpresso per sproloquiare baggianate che si concludono sempre con "il potere! Il potere! Il potere! Il potere!" - del resto lo sanno tutti che se ripeti ossessivamente qualcosa prima o poi si avvera (bambini non fatelo a casa: "me-la-dai? Me-la-dai? Me-la-dai? Me-la-dai?" non ha mai funzionato a memoria d'uomo).
Inutile dire che il medico che fa parte della combriccola si fa temporaneamente traviare da tale eccesso di scienza, mentre gli altri dimostrano maschio nerbo ed impongono alle donninaliene di raccogliere tronchi per preparare una zattera. Che non vedremo: anche questo era un effetto speciale fuori dalle disponibilità economiche della produzione.
Credo di poter omettere la
Mi sembra però giusto menzionare l'arma speciale contro i cattivi, trovata in seguito ad accurata descrizione: "sarà una cosa lunga più o meno così", detto allargando le braccia stile "ho preso un pesce...". Trattasi in realtà di un ben poco portatile mitragliatore da trincea della prima guerra mondiale, che viene usato a distanza da arma bianca e che smaterializza il bersaglio.
Ah sì, e appare pure Frankenstein, ma ci faceva più bella figura se se ne restava a casa, visto che pur presenziando alla scazzottata collettiva finale viene bellamente ignorato da tutti (e lui, cortesemente ricambia).
Delirante al limite del penalmente perseguibile, l'ultimo lavoro del leggendario Jerry Warren farà soffrire ed appagherà i cultori del trash come pochi altri filmacci di serie Z. Si sa: adoro i film che chiedono molto, ma che in cambio sanno anche dare molto.
Da segnalare, poi, una serie di caratteristi del filone zombie/vampiri/mostri-vari tra i quali Katherine Victor ed il sempre mentuto John Carradine.
Credo sia difficilmente reperibile: all'epoca passava sulle tv locali a tarda notte per spezzare un po' il ritmo delle pubblicità erotiche. Se vi capita a mano, però, fateci un pensierino (ma se ci spendete più di 20 centesimi vi rido in faccia ).
Voto: 1, di stima.
Trashometro® 10/10: - solo per Veri Credenti del Brutto Cinema®.
Tags: horror, fantascienza, branco di pirla, mongolfiera, alieni, zombie, Frankenstein, cervello (assenza di), rapimento, capitano, zattera, isola, fuga, casa, esperimento, trasfusione, il potere, il potere, il potere, il potere, e piantala vecchio rincoglionito che non sei altro, vasca, arma, guarda mamma c'è John Carradine in sovraimpressione, tribù, trash.
Warren, Jerry
Data di nascita: 10 March 1925
Data di morte: 21 August 1988
Coniuge: Brianne Murphy::(? - ?) (divorced), Gloria::(? - 21 August 1988) (his death)
Ultimi lavori:
- Frankenstein Island (1981) .... (producer) [produttore]
- The Wild World of Batwoman (1966) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Creature of the Walking Dead (1965) .... (producer) [produttore]
- House of the Black Death (1965) .... (last scenes) [regista]
- Attack of the Mayan Mummy (1964) (TV) .... (producer) (final American version) [produttore]
- Curse of the Stone Hand (1964) .... (producer) (English version) [produttore]
- Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1964) .... (producer) [produttore]
- A Bullet for Billy the Kid (1963) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Terror of the Bloodhunters (1962) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Rymdinvasion i Lappland (1959) .... (director: added American scenes) (producer: added American scenes) [misc]
Biografia:
With all due respect to the man himself, it is hard to think of any horror filmmaker who made movies that were as cheap or as ridiculed as Jerry Warren's. Whether making shoestring quickies like The Incredible Petrified World (1957) or Teenage Zombies (1959), or mangling Mexican imports, Warren could be counted on through the late '50s and early '60s to deliver the lowest common denominator in horror. Warren said that he grew up with the same natural inclination that every other kid growing up in Los Angeles had: He wanted to get into the movie business. He first pursued this ambition by playing small parts in such '40s films as Ghost Catchers (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945) and Unconquered (1947). A producer made a big impression on Warren when he said, "In this town, producers are the ones that have it all". Warren subsequently took the producers' plunge in 1956 with the horror adventure Man Beast (1956).
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Carradine, John
Nome di battesimo: Carradine, Richmond Reed
Data di nascita: 5 February 1906
Data di morte: 27 November 1988
Altezza: 6' 1¼" (1.86 m)
Coniuge: Emily Cisneros::(3 July 1975 - 27 November 1988) (his death), Doris Rich::(30 August 1957 - 10 December 1964) (divorced), Sonia Sorel::(13 August 1944 - 6 March 1957) (divorced) 3 children, Ardanelle McCool::(31 December 1935 - 14 March 1944) (divorced) 1 child
Ultimi lavori:
- Imps* (2009) .... Gentleman (segment "Great Moments") [attore]
- Buried Alive (1990) .... Jacob [attore]
- Evil Spawn (1987) .... Dr. Zeitman [attore]
- Prison Ship (1987) .... The Justice [attore]
- Monster in the Closet (1986) .... Old Joe Shempter [attore]
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) .... Leo [attore]
- Revenge (1986) (V) .... Senator Bradford [attore]
- The Tomb (1986) .... Mr. Andoheb [attore]
- Evils of the Night (1985) .... Dr. Kozmar [attore]
- The Ice Pirates (1984) .... Supreme Commander [attore]
Biografia:
Son of a reporter/artist and a surgeon. Grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. Attended Christ Church School, and Graphic Art School, studying sculpture. Roamed the South selling sketches. Made acting debut in Camille in a New Orleans theatre in 1925. Arrived in Los Angeles in 1927, worked in local theatre. Applied as scenic designer to Cecil B. DeMille, who rejected his designs but gave him voice work in several films. Debuted on film in Tol'able David (1930), billed as Peter Richmond. Protege and close friend of John Barrymore. Extremely prolific movie character actor, while simultaneously maintaining a stage career in classic leading roles such as Hamlet and Malvolio. Typed in later years as horror star. Member of the "John Ford Stock Company."
Trivia random: The Carradine family traces its ancestry back to an actual saint--St. Pedro Carradegna, patron saint of Barcelona.
Citazione random: [on John Ford] Oh, Ford was a peculiar man. You had to know how to handle him. Actors were terrified of him because he liked to terrify them. He was a sadist.
Salario massimo: $5,000, per Shock Waves (1977)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Victor, Katherine
Nome di battesimo: Ktenavea, Katena
Data di nascita: 18 August 1923
Data di morte: 22 October 2004
Ultimi lavori:
- Superguy: Behind the Cape (2000) .... MaryJo Trent [attrice]
- The Tigger Movie (2000) .... (continuity checker) (as Kathrin Victor) [misc]
- Belle's Magical World (1998) (V) .... (continuity coordinator) (as Kathrin Victor) [misc]
- Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) (V) .... (continuity coordinator) (as Kathrin Victor) [misc]
- Fugitive Rage (1996) (V) .... Miss Prince [attrice]
- Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1995) (V) .... (continuity coordinator) (as Kathrin Victor) [misc]
- Bikini Summer (1991) .... Martha Patterson [attrice]
- Frankenstein Island (1981) .... Sheila Frankenstein von Helsing (as Kathrin Victor) [attrice]
- The Wild World of Batwoman (1966) .... Batwoman [attrice]
- Creature of the Walking Dead (1965) .... Mrs. Roger Vernon [attrice]
Biografia:
Born Katena Ktenavea in the Hell's Kitchen district of Manhattan, the future TV and movie actress grew up in L.A. and began her acting career on the stage and radio in the late '40s. She made her film debut in the campy sci-fi adventure _Mesa of Lost Women (1952)_; five years later she starred as the imperious Dr. Myra in director Jerry Warren's _Teenage Zombies (1957)_, which led to a series of roles in Warren's impoverished productions. Always busy outside of acting (in modeling, real estate and in various jobs in the animated cartoon business), Victor felt that the stigma of being a regular in Warren's movies stymied her mainstream acting career.
Salario massimo: $300, per Teenage Zombies (1959)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Frankenstein Island (1981)
Regista: Jerry Warren
Scrittore: Jerry Warren
Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi
Valutazione: 1.6/10 (402 voti)
Durata: 97 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:
- Robert Clarke .... Dr. Paul Hadley
- Steve Brodie .... Jocko
- Cameron Mitchell .... Clay Jayson
- Robert Christopher .... Mark Eden
- Tain Bodkin .... Curtis
- Patrick O'Neil .... Dino
- Andrew Duggan .... The Colonel
- John Carradine .... Dr. Frankenstein
- Katherine Victor .... Sheila Frankenstein von Helsing (as Kathrin Victor)
- George Mitchell .... Dr. von Helsing
Trama:
When a hot-air balloon crashes on a remote island, the crew discovers Dr. Frankenstein's ancestor carrying on the family work, along with a race of mutants and a population of Amazons.
Trivia random: This would be the final film project for Jerry Warren.
Citazione random: Sheila Frankenstein von Helsing: The brain! It's going to be destroyed!
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
domenica 22 agosto 2010
Splice
Splice sembra aver diviso molto il (poco) pubblico che - specie in America - pare non averlo digerito molto.
Peccato, perché è uno dei rari esempi recenti di fantascienza fatta come si deve: con uno spunto interessante e capace di stupire. E con le palle, cosa davvero non da tutti, di questi tempi in cui ci si appiattisce regolarmente sul minimo sindacale, per non pestare i piedi a nessuno.
Brillante coppia di genetisti mette a punto un paio di singolari creature capaci di sintetizzare tutta una serie di molecole utili all'industria farmaceutica. Un inopportuno cambiamento manda però a gambe all'aria la presentazione agli azionisti ed i due cadono in disgrazia.
Riusciranno però a portare avanti un loro personalissimo piano, creando qualcosa di davvero nuovo che contiene in sé anche geni umani.
Come prevedibile si affezioneranno alla creatura, che cresce e cambia in fretta, trascinando i due scienziati (che già non erano sanissimi di loro, se vogliamo ) in un incubo senza fine.
Come detto: disturbante. La piega che ad un certo punto prende il film rasenta il sordido, e non faccio fatica a credere che parecchi abbiano storto il nasino delicato.
VM 14 meritatissimo, per la cronaca.
Molto ben diretto (giù il cappello a Vincenzo Natali), creativo ed inventivo alla David Cronenberg e con un make-up intrigante, il film soffre però anche di una serie di indubbi difetti: partenza piuttosto lenta, qualche dialogo rivedibile, un po' di ingenuità assortite e - soprattutto prove attoriali scadenti.
Così-così Sarah Polley e continuo a pensare malissimo di Adrien Brody; mooolto brava invece Delphine Chanéac nel ruolo della creatura adulta.
Detto ciò, avercene di film del genere.
Voto: 9. NB: se poi vi fa cacare, non fatevela con me.
Tags: fantascienza, horror, drammatico, thriller, Vincenzo Natali, creatura, genetica, genetisti, scienziati, coppia, gene, mutazione, multinazionale, affetto, granaio, fuga, omicidio, veleno, ali, anfibio, morte, gatto, violenza, stupro, sesso, esperimento, madre, fratello, nudo, chimera, etica, gravidanza, sangue.
Chanéac, Delphine
Data di nascita: 14 November 1978
Ultimi lavori:
- Mens Insana (2011) .... Eva Von Nagel (rumored) [attrice]
- L'amour vache (2010) (TV) .... Lili [attrice]
- The Big Black (2010) .... Eve [attrice]
- Splice (2009) .... Dren [attrice]
- Verso (2009) .... Anja Lagrange [attrice]
- "Madame Hollywood" (2007) .... Sybille [attrice]
- Trenhotel (2007) (TV) .... Chloé [attrice]
- Incontrôlable (2006) .... Laura [attrice]
- "Laura, le compte à rebours a commencé" (2006) (mini) .... Laura [attrice]
- The Pink Panther (2006) .... Ticket Checker (as Délphine Chaneac) [attrice]
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Cronenberg, David
Nome di battesimo: Cronenberg, David Paul
Data di nascita: 15 March 1943
Altezza: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Coniuge: Carolyn Zeifman::(1979 - present) 2 children, Margaret Hindson::(1970 - 1977) (divorced) 1 child
Ultimi lavori:
- A Dangerous Method (2011) .... [regista]
- London Fields (2010) .... (writer) [scrittore]
- The Plan (2008/I) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
- Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007) .... (segment "At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World") [regista]
- Eastern Promises (2007) .... [regista]
- A History of Violence (2005) .... [regista]
- Spider (2002) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Jason X (2001) .... Dr. Wimmer [attore]
- Short6 (2001) .... (writer) (segment "Camera") [scrittore]
- The Judge (2001) (TV) .... Det. Stobel [attore]
Biografia:
David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father was a journalist, and his mother was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early age (he wrote and published eerie short stories, thus following his father's path) and for music (playing classical guitar until he was 12), Cronenberg graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Literature after switching from the science department. He reached the cult status of horror-meister with the gore-filled, modern-vampire variations of Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), following an experimental apprenticeship in independent filmmaking and in Canadian television programs. Cronenberg gained popularity with the head-exploding, telepathy-based Scanners (1981) after the release of the much underrated, controversial, and autobiographical The Brood (1979). Cronenberg become a sort of a mass media guru with Videodrome (1983), a shocking investigation of the hazards of reality-morphing television and a prophetic critique of contemporary aesthetics. The issues of tech-induced mutation of the human body and topics of the prominent dichotomy between body and mind were back again in The Dead Zone (1983) and The Fly (1986), both bright examples of a personal filmmaking identity, even if both films are based on mass-entertainment materials: the first being a rendition of a Stephen King best-seller, the latter a remake of famous American horror movie. With Dead Ringers (1988) and Naked Lunch (1991), the Canadian director, no more a mere genre movie-maker but a fully realized auteur, got the acclaim of international critics. Such profound statements on modern humanity and ever-changing society are prominent in the provocative Crash (1996) and in the virtual reality essay of eXistenZ (1999), both of which well fared at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals. In the last two filmic projects Spider (2002) and A History of Violence (2005), Cronenberg avoids expressing his teratologic and oniric expressionism in favour of a more psycological exploration of human contradictions and idiosyncrasies.
Trivia random: Deferred his own salary to make Spider (2002).
Citazione random: I have no rules. For me, it's a full, full experience to make a movie. It takes a lot of time, and I want there to be a lot of stuff in it. You're looking for every shot in the movie to have resonance and want it to be something you can see a second time, and then I'd like it to be something you can see 10 years later, and it becomes a different movie, because you're a different person. So that means I want it to be deep, not in a pretentious way, but I guess I can say I am pretentious in that I pretend. I have aspirations that the movie should trigger off a lot of complex responses.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Natali, Vincenzo
Data di nascita: 6 January 1969
Ultimi lavori:
- Splice (2009) .... (screenplay) (story) [scrittore]
- Rip Cage (2007) .... Marcus Fiehls [attore]
- Paris, je t'aime (2006) .... (segment "Quartier de la Madeleine") [scrittore]
- Getting Gilliam (2005) .... [regista]
- Tideland (2005) .... (director: making of documentary 'Dreamland') [misc]
- Nothing (2003) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
- Cypher (2002) .... [regista]
- Made in Canada, Volume 1: Best of the CFC (2002) (V) .... [regista]
- Cube (1997) .... (written by) [scrittore]
- Elevated (1997) .... (writer) [scrittore]
Trivia random: The Twilight Zone Episode: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" was an inspiration for his film "Cube".
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Brody, Adrien
Data di nascita: 14 April 1973
Altezza: 6' 1" (1.85 m)
Ultimi lavori:
- Detachment (2011) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
- Midnight in Paris (2011) .... [attore]
- Sweet Baby Jesus (2011) .... Joe (rumored) [attore]
- Waco (2011) .... Steve Schneider [attore]
- High School (2010) .... Psycho Ed [attore]
- Predators (2010) .... Royce [attore]
- The Experiment (2010/I) .... Travis [attore]
- Wrecked (2010) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) .... Rickity the Field Mouse (voice) [attore]
- Giallo (2009) .... (producer) [produttore]
Biografia:
The son of Hungarian-born photographer Sylvia Plachy and retired history professor Elliot Brody, Adrien Brody grew up an only child in the Woodhaven section of Queens, New York, where he accompanied his mother on assignments for the Village Voice. He credits her with making him feel comfortable in front of the camera. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in New York. Despite a strong performance in The Thin Red Line (1998), time constraints forced the director to edit out much of Adrien's part. In spite of his later work with Spike Lee and Barry Levinson, he never became the star many expected he would become until Roman Polanski called on him to play a celebrated Jewish pianist in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. He pulled off a brilliant performance in The Pianist (2002), drawing on the heritage and rare dialect of his Polish grandmother, as well as his father, who lost family members during the Holocaust, and his mother, who fled Communist Hungary as a child during the 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union.
Trivia random: Was dressed by Zegna for the Academy Awards.
Citazione random: [On playing hero Jack Driscoll in Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005)] I've always wanted to do something like King Kong. It's a phenomenal role that any actor would kill for. I've been looking for this kind of iconic leading man guy for years, but they are hard to find.
Salario massimo: $2,750,000, per The Village (2004)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Polley, Sarah (I)
Data di nascita: 8 January 1979
Altezza: 5' 2" (1.57 m)
Coniuge: David Wharnsby::(10 September 2003 - present)
Ultimi lavori:
- Take This Waltz (2011) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Trigger (2010/II) .... Hillary [attrice]
- Mr. Nobody (2009) .... Elise [attrice]
- Splice (2009) .... Elsa Kast [attrice]
- Away from Her (2006) .... (written by) [scrittore]
- Beowulf & Grendel (2005) .... Selma [attrice]
- Don't Come Knocking (2005) .... Sky [attrice]
- The Secret Life of Words (2005) .... Hanna [attrice]
- Dawn of the Dead (2004) .... Ana [attrice]
- Siblings (2004) .... Tabby [attrice]
Biografia:
Sarah Polley is an actress and director renowned in her native Canada for her political activism. Blessed with an extremely expressive face that enables directors to minimize dialog due to her uncanny ability to suggest a character's thoughts, Polley has become a favorite of critics for her sensitive portraits of wounded and conflicted young women in independent films. She was born into a show business family: her father, Michael Polley, appeared with her in the movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) and on the television series "Road to Avonlea" (1989); and her mother, Diane Polley, was an actress and casting director. It was her mother's connections that launched Sarah, at her own insistence, on an acting career at the age of four, following in the footsteps of her older brother Mark Polley. A second brother, John Buchan, is a casting director and producer. Her career as a child actress shifted into high gear when she was cast as the Cockney waif Jody Turner in Lantern Hill (1990) (TV), for which she won a Gemini Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy, in 1992. Produced by Kevin Sullivan, the film was based on the book by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables (1985) (TV). When Sullivan created a television series based on Montgomery's work, he cast Polley in the lead role of Sara Stanley in "Road to Avonlea" (1989). The series propelled Polley into the first rank of Canadian TV stars and made her independently wealthy by the age of 14. Her personal life was deeply affected by the death of her mother Diane from cancer shortly after her 11th birthday, a development that ironically paralleled the fictional life of her character Sara. Highly intelligent and politically progressive at a young age, Polley eventually rebelled against what she felt was the Americanization of the series after it was picked up by the Disney Channel for distribution in the US, eventually dropping out of the show. Though she does not blame her parents, she remains publicly disenchanted over the loss of her childhood and, in October 2003, said she is working on a script about a 12-year-old girl on a TV show. Polley, who picked up a second Gemini Award for her performance in the TV series "Straight Up" (1996), subsequently quit acting and high school to turn her attention to politics, positioning herself on the extreme left of Canada's left-of-center New Democratic Party. The publicity ensuing from her losing some teeth after being slugged by an Ontario policeman during a protest against the Conservative provincial government, plus the stinging cynicism from some other activists unimpressed by her celebrity, led her to lower her political profile temporarily and return to acting in Atom Egoyan's film The Sweet Hereafter (1997). It was her appearance as Nicole, the teenage girl injured in a school bus accident who serves as the conscience of the small town rent by the tragedy, that first brought her to the attention of critics in the US. In Canada, the role was heralded by critics as her successful breakthrough to adult roles. It was her second film with Egoyan, who wrote the part with her in mind when he adapted the novel by Russell Banks, who, ironically, is American. Predictions of an Academy Award nomination and future stardom were part of the critical consensus, and she received her first Best Actress Genie nomination from Canada's Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the Best Supporting Actress award from the Boston Society of Film Critics. It was the buzz created at the Sundance Festival, where her starring role in the film Guinevere (1999) was showcased, when the entertainment media crowned her the it-girl of 1999. Intensely private and extremely ambivalent about the personal cost of celebrity and the Hollywood ethos Fame is the Name of the Game, Polley could be seen as rebelling against the expectations of mainstream cinema when she embarked on a career path that took her out of the spotlight thrown by the harsh lights of the Hollywood hype/publicity machine after shooting the film Go (1999). She dropped out of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), the US$60 million mega-hyped vehicle that was supposed to make her a mainstream star in the US, choosing to return to Canada to make the CDN$1.5 million The Law of Enclosures (2000) for Genie Award-winner John Greyson, a director she admires greatly. The film grossed poorly in Canada and was not released in the US, but it did garner Polley her second Genie nomination for Best Actress. While her replacement in Almost Famous (2000) went on to win an Oscar nomination and a career above the title in glossy Hollywood films, she took a wide variety of parts, large and small, in independent films, including significant roles in the ensemble pieces The Claim (2000) and The Weight of Water (2000); bit parts in eXistenZ (1999) and Love Come Down (2000); and the lead in No Such Thing (2001). Her choice of projects showed her to be a questing spirit more focused on learning the art of her craft than on stardom. She has said that her choice of film roles, eschewing mainstream Hollywood movies for chancier, non-commercial independent fare, was the result of an ethical decision on her part to make films with social importance. A less-observant viewer might think that the rebel Polley played in her political life that had previously manifested itself in her profession was now driving her to the verge of career suicide in terms of popularity, marketability, and choice of future roles. However, that interpretation does not recognize the extraordinary talent that will always keep her in demand by directors, if not casting agents, with an eye on the opening weekend box office. One must understand Polley's career progression in light of her attendance at the Canadian Film Centre's directors program and her production of short films, including Don't Think Twice (1999) and the highly praised I Shout Love (2001). Polley is a cinema artist. This woman wants to make, and will make films. Thus, we can understand her career choices as a desire to work with and understand the technique of some of the best directors in film, including David Cronenberg, Michael Winterbottom, and Hal Hartley. Polley is as renowned for her intelligence as for her remarkable talent. The problem of the intelligent person in the acting field is that the actor, as artist, in not ultimately in control of their medium, and it is artistic control that is the hallmark of the great artist. The controlling intelligence on a movie set is the director, and her attendance at the Canadian Film Centre has given her a new perspective on acting. The actor, she says, should not try to give a complete performance for the camera (that is, control the representation on film) but must remember that the function of the actor is to give the director as much coverage as possible as a film, as well as a performance, is made in the editing room. According to Polley, this realization, that the film actor exists to serve the director, has given her new enthusiasm for acting. Thus, her career, and her career choices, can be seen as a quest for knowledge about the art of cinema, a journey whose fruition we will see in her future feature work as both actor and director.
Trivia random: Her father, Michael Polley, said of his famously independent daughter in 1997, "She was at her best when she was out of kilter with society in some way."
Citazione random: I always think it's a bit of a joke when I get described as an activist. Really, for two or three months of my year I organise stuff, but I'm not as involved as I used to be.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Splice (2009)
Regista: Vincenzo Natali
Scrittore: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, Doug Taylor
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.4/10 (9122 voti)
Durata: 104 min
Paese: Canada, France, USA
Lingua: English, French
Cast:
- Adrien Brody .... Clive Nicoli
- Sarah Polley .... Elsa Kast
- Delphine Chanéac .... Dren
- Brandon McGibbon .... Gavin Nicoli
- Simona Maicanescu .... Joan Chorot
- David Hewlett .... William Barlow
- Abigail Chu .... Child Dren
Trama:
Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.
Trivia random: Delphine Chanéac, who plays the creature Dren, shaved her head for this film.
Citazione random: Elsa Kast: [crying] What do you want? What do you want?
Dren: Inside... you...
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
sabato 14 agosto 2010
pa-pa-pa-PANDEMONIUM!
Nata come grande idea (?) post-peperonata nella testolina dello stesso regista, inizialmente venne tentata la via della produzione a basso costo.
A dimostrazione che di ubriachi è pieno il mondo, finì invece nelle mani di un capace produttore che vi investì 33 dannatissimi milioni di dollari (non suoi) e fu così che come per ogni block-buster che si rispetti venne chiamato il grande nome che ti attira frotte di pubblico in sala: Dennis Quaid.
Tom Cruise quella sera era impegnato...
La grande idea, peraltro partorita come primo capitolo di una trilogia, incassò circa un terzo di quanto venne a costare.
C'è sicuramente una morale in tutto ciò, ma preferisco non soffermarmi troppo a pensarci...
Trama davvero innovativa: due tizi - tra cui Quaid, mica pippe - si risvegliano su un'astronave prossima al collasso. Sono dell'equipaggio, ma non ricordano quasi nulla della missione (col senno di poi, lasciare un block notes con un paio di istruzioni poteva essere una idea).
Andando a zonzo scopriranno la verità sulla loro missione (non ci crederete: la Terra era andata in mona), perché non c'è quasi nessuno vivo a bordo (viaggereste voi su un'astronave guidata da Dennis Quaid?), cosa cavolo sono i soliti mostroidi semi-umani che ammazzano tutto ciò che incontrano (spettatori scontenti?) e dove mai sono capitati.
Girato vergognosamente male, specie nelle innumerevoli scene di lotta, ciò che davvero contraddistingue il film è l'ennesima grande prova attoriale di Dennis Quaid, capace qui di mettere in imbarazzo l'intera umanità smentendo l'ultimo milione di anni di evoluzione.
Ah già: anche la signorina dai prosperosi seni anti-gravitazionali ha il suo perché.
Per il resto, solo noia, stupidità e sofferenza.
Complimenti al sottotitolo italiano - "l'universo parallelo" - composto durante una partita a Scarabeo, immagino.
Prossimamente, l'unica cosa per cui valga la pena andare al cinema in questi giorni: Splice. Numi, che bello.
Voto: 2 Trashometro® 5/10: Fai più male che bene.
Tags: guarda mamma un film con Dennis Quaid, ehi ma quello è Dennis Quaid, fantascienza, horror, thriller, azione, combattimento, lotta, astronave, spazio, missione, ibernazione, risveglio, capsula di salvataggio, motore, esplosione, mostro, mutante, tettona, trash.
Traue, Antje
Data di nascita: 18 January 1981
Altezza: 5' 6½" (1.69 m)
Ultimi lavori:
- Georgia (2010) .... Zoe [attrice]
- Wave (2010) .... Kate [attrice]
- Pandorum (2009) .... Nadia [attrice]
- Phantomschmerz (2009) .... Anja (uncredited) [attrice]
- Berlin am Meer (2008) .... Estelle [attrice]
- Goldjunge (2006) .... Manuela [attrice]
- Kleinruppin forever (2004) .... Ramona [attrice]
- Die Nacht davor (2003) .... Franziska Teenstätten [attrice]
- Verlorene Kinder (2000) (TV) .... [attrice]
Biografia:
Antje Traue was born on January 18, 1981 in Mittweida/Saxony. While still a pupil, she discovered her stage fever and portrayed "Jeanne d'Arc" in school's theatre. At the age of sixteen, Antje attended a music theatre casting at the International Munich Art Lab for the Hip Hop Musical "West End Opera" and was rewarded with the lead role. For four years she was on stage with the ensemble, touring Germany, Europe and New York City. In 2002 Antje moved to Berlin and played in various films and TV movies such as "Kleinruppin Forever", "Berlin am Meer" and "Phantomschmerz". In 2008 she was invited to audition for the female lead role in the international science fiction film "Pandorum", directed by Christian Alvart. After several auditions and test shootings Antje finally got the part and played her first lead opposite Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Splice (2009)
Regista: Vincenzo Natali
Scrittore: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant
Genere: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.5/10 (8502 voti)
Durata: 104 min
Paese: Canada, France, USA
Lingua: English, French
Cast:
- Adrien Brody .... Clive Nicoli
- Sarah Polley .... Elsa Kast
- Delphine Chanéac .... Dren
- Brandon McGibbon .... Gavin Nicoli
- Simona Maicanescu .... Joan Chorot
- David Hewlett .... William Barlow
- Abigail Chu .... Child Dren
Trama:
Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.
Trivia random: The main scientist characters, Clive and Elsa, are named as an homage to Bride of Frankenstein (1935), a similarly themed movie. Colin Clive played Dr. Henry Frankenstein while Elsa Lanchester played Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley/The Bride.
Citazione random: Elsa Kast: [crying] What do you want? What do you want?
Dren: Inside... you...
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Cruise, Tom
Nome di battesimo: IV, Thomas Cruise Mapother
Data di nascita: 3 July 1962
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Coniuge: Katie Holmes::(18 November 2006 - present) 1 child, Nicole Kidman::(24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 (adopted) children, Mimi Rogers::(9 May 1987 - 4 February 1990) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori:
- The Hardy Men (2013) .... [attore]
- Mission: Impossible IV (2011) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Knight and Day (2010) .... Roy Miller [attore]
- Tropic Thunder (2008) .... Les Grossman - Grossman's Office [attore]
- Valkyrie (2008) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
- Lions for Lambs (2007) .... Senator Jasper Irving [attore]
- Ask the Dust (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Mission: Impossible III (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
- Elizabethtown (2005) .... (producer) [produttore]
- War of the Worlds (2005) .... Ray Ferrier [attore]
Biografia:
If you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive, deeply religious youngster who was born in July 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become Tom Cruise, one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in screen history. The only son (among four children) of nomadic parents young Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move and by the time he was 14 he had attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada. He finally settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his mother and her new husband. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting and abandoned his plans of becoming a priest, dropped out of school, and at age 18 headed for New York and a possible acting career. The next 15 years of his life are the stuff of legends. He made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981) and from the outset exhibited an undeniable box office appeal to both male and female audiences. Though below average height and not particularly handsome in the traditional sense, within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the decade including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s and 2000s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars a picture in such blockbuster hits as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), and Jerry Maguire (1996) - for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor. In 1990 he renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughtful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Tom Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Nicole Kidman until 2001. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV has indeed come a long way from the lonely wanderings of his youth.
Trivia random: Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications annual poll of movie exhibitors a record seven times between 1986 and 2005. Being crowned the top box office champ in 2005 put Cruise one title ahead of Tom Hanks, who has been named #1 at the B.O. six times. Bing Crosby and Burt Reynolds both were named #1 for five consecutive years, and Clint Eastwood also has been #1 five times, but non-consecutively.
Citazione random: I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.
Salario massimo: $20,000,000 against 15%, per Jerry Maguire (1996)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Pandorum (2009)
Regista: Christian Alvart
Scrittore: Travis Milloy, Travis Milloy
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.9/10 (28154 voti)
Durata: 108 min
Paese: USA, Germany
Lingua: English, Vietnamese, German
Cast:
- Dennis Quaid .... Payton
- Ben Foster .... Bower
- Cam Gigandet .... Gallo
- Antje Traue .... Nadia
- Cung Le .... Manh
- Eddie Rouse .... Leland
- Norman Reedus .... Shepard
- André Hennicke .... Hunter Leader
- Friederike Kempter .... Evalon
- Niels-Bruno Schmidt .... Insane Officer 'Eden'
Trama:
Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly - and horrifically - realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can't remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking, deadly secrets are revealed...and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.
Trivia random: Pandorum (2009) is the first in a proposed trilogy. But its doubtful the sequels will ever see the light of day due to the first film's low box-office performance.
Citazione random: Nadia: Where's your Lieutenant?
Bower: He's not my Lieutenant.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Alvart, Christian
Data di nascita: 28 May 1974
Ultimi lavori:
- 8 Uhr 28 (2010) .... [regista]
- Case 39 (2009) .... [regista]
- Pandorum (2009) .... (story) [scrittore]
- Antikörper (2005) .... (co-producer) [produttore]
- Curiosity & the Cat (1999) .... (writer) [scrittore]
Biografia:
Christian Alvart was born in 1974 near Frankfurt, Germany. His strict Christian background frowned upon films and television and in his childhood he was rarely allowed to see a movie. He developed a fascination and love for the forbidden subject matter and quickly became an "expert" in his circle of friends, successfully hiding that he hadn't seen most of the films they were talking about. Instead, he read about films, their making, the novels or the source material they were based on. When he finally was able to get his hands on films he couldn't stop watching, often going to the cinema six times a week. In 1990 he started making small video and Super-8 films with his friends. The group became part of a network of hobby-filmmakers and geeks. Most of his peers were professionally working in lower positions on movies, creating their own projects in their free time. At the age of 19 Alvart became an editor and layout designer with the X-TRO Filmmagazin, soon working his way up to editor-in-chief and eventually even owning the special interest publication. In 1997, he decided to make his own films again and moved with his company Syrreal Entertainment to Berlin. To get a glance at the world of "professional filmmaking" he started as a runner, soon working his way up again to 1st AD on two features within the same year. In 1998, he wrote, produced and directed Curiosity & The Cat, his first 35mm feature film - a low budget thriller which cost only $30K. Many of his friends from the Frankfurt days were part of the project. The film was nominated for the Max-Ophüls-Award and the Prize of the Minister President of the State Saarland. Alvart then worked as a writer for several German features and TV shows. In 2005, he debuted Antibodies, his second work as a director. When it premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival he was named as one of "Five Directors To Watch" as well as the "German New Face of Cinema" at The AFI Festival. Antibodies was also invited to the Edinburgh Film Festival as well as many others, winning numerous awards.
Trivia random: Wrote the script of "Killer Queen" at the age of sixteen.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Quaid, Dennis
Nome di battesimo: Quaid, Dennis William
Data di nascita: 9 April 1954
Altezza: 6' (1.83 m)
Coniuge: Kimberly Quaid::(4 July 2004 - present) 2 children, Meg Ryan::(14 February 1991 - 16 July 2001) (divorced) 1 child, P.J. Soles::(23 November 1978 - 23 January 1983) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori:
- Footloose (2011) .... Rev. Shaw Moore (rumored) [attore]
- Soul Surfer (2011) .... Tom Hamilton [attore]
- The Tent (2011) .... Corey [attore]
- Legion (2010) .... Bob Hanson [attore]
- The Special Relationship (2010) (TV) .... Bill Clinton [attore]
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) .... General Abernathy / Hawk [attore]
- Horsemen (2009) .... Det. Aidan J. Breslin [attore]
- Pandorum (2009) .... Payton [attore]
- Smart People (2008) .... Lawrence Wetherhold [attore]
- The Express (2008) .... Ben Schwartzwalder [attore]
Biografia:
Dennis Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of an electrician. He studied drama in high school and in college, but dropped out before completing his studies, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career. His brother, Randy Quaid, had already began to build a successful career, but Dennis initially had trouble finding work. He began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays with his band, the Sharks.
Trivia random: He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in march 2005 in Austin, Texas.
Citazione random: [On The Express (2008)] At its core, it's about living your life with grace. If God bestows grace upon you, that you should live your life to its full effect. You know, Ernie Davis embodied that in his short life. He touched everybody around him.
Salario massimo: $60,000, per Playing by Heart (1998)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.