“Movie Buzz” Archive
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
We've seen a long, if mixed, record of musicians morphing into movie stars. For every David Bowie, there's a Peter Frampton. Whereas it's hard to argue Barbra Streisand hasn't enjoyed success and longevity on the big screen, Madonna's got her fair share of hits and misses. We won't get into the merits of the Neil Diamond Jazz Singer here; let's just blame all that on Lord Olivier.
Prince. Mick Jagger. Tom Waits. Mariah Carey (we're not talking Glitter, we're talking Precious). Norah Jones.
Who's next? For a while there, it looked like Taylor Swift had the inside track. Not so much now. So: Who should be the next musical artist to score on the big screen? Let's Ask Movie Irv:
Has Irv made the right discovery?
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Sometimes, a movie question appears to present a very limited range of possible answers. Like the question, "Is Marlon Brando the Greatest Movie Actor of All Time?"
You might think the answers to a question like that would typically be limited to the following:
Yes.
Or: No.
Or: What a stupid question.
But then, you would not be a real movie fan, would you? Obsessed with estimating and re-estimating the estimable Brando's wide—ahem—range of impact and influence on the world of cinema in general, and film acting in particular. Where the star of The Godfather "places" in the annals of thespianic greatness can be, has been, and shall always remain one of "those" conversations taking place among truly dedicated film buffs. We are not talking about Charlie Sheen. Because, as we all know, Charlie Sheen Is No Marlon Brando. No, we are talking about the man who not only made A Streetcar Named Desire, but also Apocalypse Now. And Free Money. Which, uhm, also starred Charlie Sheen.
So, let's get to it and Ask Movie Irv. Was Brando, Is Brando, Will Brando Always Be...The One?
Brandophiles, wherever you are, are now free to champion or take issue with Irv's verdict.
Irv Slifkin | In the Director's Chair, Movie Buzz
Although he is only 32 years old, writer-director Ti West has five horror films under his belt and more in the planning stages. And while he is too old, perhaps, to be called a “wunderkind,” the amount of projects he has realized at his age is certainly nothing to sneeze at.
West, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, has a new film about to open in theaters called The Innkeepers. The movie was actually shot and is set in the Yankee Pedlar Inn, an aging hostelry in Torrington,Connecticut, that( in the movie) is about to close. Clerks Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) tend to the place in its final days. A woman and her young child are the sole guests, until an aging actress turned New Age psychic (Kelly McGillis) checks in. Is the place haunted…or not? Luke’s website devoted to the Inn, with live webcam feeds, may prove it is.
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George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
...what movies would you make? Would they be like The Matrix...or like Martha Marcy May Marlene? It was time to Ask Movie Irv this classic question, and he has a pretty clear answer:
Now it's your turn. You've just been handed the keys to a major motion picture studio. Those of you always bemoaning the quality of today's films: have at it! Let's hear your pitches. What kinds of movies would you make?
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Movie fans around the world have something to thank the French for (besides the movie Betty Blue): Ever since the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma promoted the idea that film directors such as Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock, due to the very distinctive and identifiable style of their work, could be designated as the sole "authors" of their films—an assertion with which American critic Andrew Sarris agreed, classifying the controversial argument as the auteur theory—cineastes everywhere have argued endlessly over the idea.
Is the theory legitimate? Are movies artworks for which directors can or should be credited with birthing by virtue of their visions alone? Or, is cinema a more collaborative and industrial enterprise where every craftsperson's talents are as integral to the whole as the man (or woman) calling "action"? For some, this question has an easy answer. For others, the truth is more complex. Let's Ask Movie Irv:
Agreed? Disagreed? Irv is itching to answer another question. Take on his point of view and then give him another meaty, movie-related question to chew on:
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Taking offense; an unexpected emergency; sheer boredom...all reasons someone might give for walking out on a movie. It's safe to say we've probably all done it at one time or another. When the exodus is not forced upon you—that is to say, when it's a matter of you making the choice to abandon the film you just plunked down some hard-earned cash to see—that's when it becomes an interesting story about the relationship between you and the cinema.
Movie Irv has seen many, many, many movies. Has he ever walked out on one? If so, why? Was he overwhelmed by the sugary content of The Sound of Music? Did he feel the shame of a city in the midst of the murky 3-D of The Last Airbender? Perhaps A Serbian Film sent him into the men's room as he lost his lunch? It's time to Ask Movie Irv:
So ends Irv's confession. He's already taken on How You Shop for a Movie Collector and Do You Read the Book Before Seeing the Movie, and now he needs a few more questions. If you want to know when such-and-such is coming out on DVD or Blu-ray, go ask Irv on the DVD Beat and TV Tip Sheet posts. Got a trivia nugget you think will stump us? Ask MovieFanFare or visit our Facebook page. In this arena, we seek the movie-related inquiries that are unusual or challenging. Go for it in the comments:
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Last year, I received The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a Christmas gift. This year, Martin Scorsese's film of it, Hugo (Gee, was the original title too "intellectual"?), is getting tons of high praise. I didn't get around to reading the book before the movie hit the screen; now I face a tough choice.
Am I going to experience novelist Brian Selznick's original vision via the Caldecott-winning book before seeing Marty's new picture? (It shouldn't take long. Lots of big pictures) Or, being a devoted Scorsese fan, will I want to see what the revered filmmaker hath wrought first? At the moment, I'm stuck for a decision. Think I'll Ask Movie Irv:
Have different opinions about the whole book-before-movie, book-versus-movie, movie-better-than-book thing? While you're thinking up mind-tickling new questions to Ask Movie Irv (he's already given you his insights about shopping for movie collectors), ante up with some reactions below.
UPDATED: Since the preparation of this post, I (George, not Irv): read the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret; then saw the movie Hugo. Still not sure if that was the "right" choice or not (If you know the story going into the film, you will already be well aware of the movie's big revelation)...but that was the one I made. Yours?
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Got a question to Ask Movie Irv? Not of the "When is (title X) coming out on DVD/Blu-ray?" variety—he gets plenty of those queries via the Ask MovieFanFare, DVD Beat and TV Tip Sheet threads—and not of the "trivia quiz" type, either; it's all too easy for him to look up the answers to "What was the name of that actor in (that movie)?" or "How many times was (that actress) nominated for the Oscar?"
No, we are looking for some challenges. And we'll open up Irv's new series with a question that, at first glance, would seem like a softball...but is the answer to the question "How Do You Shop for a Movie Collector?" really so simple? Here's Irv:
I have plenty of other questions for Irv already lined up, but you should also play a role in keeping him on his toes. So, think of a question or two and Ask Movie Irv below!
Irv Slifkin | In the Director's Chair, Movie Buzz
Simon Curtis has some impressive British TV directing and producing credentials behind him: The award-winning BBC miniseries Cranford, a 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield with Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen and Daniel Radcliffe, adaptations of Uncle Vanya, Twelfth Night and Edward II, and even episodes of Tracey Ullman’s Tracey Takes Off and the American legal drama The Practice .
So, the director wanted to get things right when he set out to make his first feature film. One couldn’t imagine things going any better than My Week with Marilyn, the entertaining, eye-opening account of the making of The Prince and the Showgirl. That 1956 film starred Marilyn Monroe, who executive produced, and Laurence Olivier, who directed. Here, Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh step into the roles of those iconic performers.
“It was a gamble,” confesses the 51-year-old filmmaker about his project. ”There were other things I had talked about doing. I decided to hold out for this because it was the project I loved.”
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George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
She made her credited feature film debut (as “Party Guest” in director Lewis Milestone's 1929 crime drama New York Nights) at the age of 18; she was tragically gone forever at the age of 26—but, in the years between, “blonde bombshell” Jean Harlow did much to secure one of cinema’s most enduring screen legacies.
Much-requested films starring the beloved actress make their appearance now with the Jean Harlow: 100th Anniversary Collection. Let’s check in with Movie Irv as he gives you a précis on the treats now in store for classic movie collectors:
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
The last couple of months have been good to movie collectors, with studios opening up their vaults and giving fans access to some much-anticipated, little-seen, or truly strange offerings not seen on home video for a while. Let's check in with Movie Irv as he makes a few of his own favorite selections from their recent releases, including the eccentric 1987 comedy-drama Housekeeping from director Bill Forsyth (Local Hero), The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 8-Movie Collection, and more!
Oh, but there's more. Might this be what you call burying the lead? Read on, fans of Jean Arthur:
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Irv Slifkin | In the Director's Chair, Movie Buzz
The rumbling on this Tuesday in late August came out of nowhere, shaking the hotel like a wooden paint stirrer in a blender. Writer-director Sean Durkin, attending a press day for to promote his film Martha Marcy May Marlene, darted out of a hotel suite and into the hallway, wondering what the disruptive movement was.
“Did anyone else feel that?” he asked a couple of journalists and some of the hotel help stunned by the occurrence, as he gingerly walked to the window to examine what was going on in the streets of Philadelphia a few floors below.
There was seemingly no reaction below as people went about their business with nary an interruption.
Durkin got on his cell phone to try to figure out the mystery. The journalists and attendees at a convention across the hotel hallway followed suit.
There was no service on the cells, prompting the confused minions to log onto their Facebook home pages to see what information could be ascertained. Within seconds it was determined that the rumbling was, in fact, an earthquake.
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