Today's Mood

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Stanley Cunningham: Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in this country. A lot of generations have lived here and died here. Almost any place you go in this city has a history and a story behind it. Even this school and the grounds it sits on. Can anyone guess what this building was used for a hundred years ago, before you went to this school, before I went to this school? Yes, Cole?

Cole: They used to hang people here.

Stanley Cunningham: No, uh, that, mm-mm, that's not correct. Uh, where'd you hear that?

Cole: They'd pull the people in, crying and kissing their families 'bye. People watching would spit at them.

Stanley Cunningham: Uh, Cole, this, this building was a legal courthouse. Laws were passed here. Some of the very first laws of this country. This whole building was full of, uh, lawyers, uh, lawmakers.

Cole: They were the ones that hanged everybody.

Happy 25 to M. Night Shyamalan's horror classic! For some reason I resisted loving this movie for a long time, but I have given up that ghost (ha) for awhile now. I think I used to just see it as its twist and nothing more? I don't really even remember now. But Shyamalan's second act as a filmmaker, which I mentioned in my review of Trap yesterday, has me appreciating him more than ever. 

Happy 25 to Toni Collette proving how she can make entire generations of people start sobbing uncontrollably in one minute flat pic.twitter.com/w9MzZZynlY

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) August 6, 2024

10 Off My Head: Siri Says 1995

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There's been a tweet going around on Twitter for the past week where the Twitterati were asked to name their favorite movie for the year they turned 18, and in a weird happenstance of serendipity this week's edition of my "Siri Says" series will be doing just that. That is to say that today I asked Siri, the person who lives inside of my telephone, for a random number between 1 and 100 and she gave me 95, so we will be listing our favorite Movies of 1995. Which was the year I turned 18. (Go ahead, do your math, I'm ancient.) And as long as you've got your calculators out you can agree on this as well -- all of these movies are turning 25 this year to boot! 

Amazing! I was seeing an actual literal ton of movies in 1995, as I both worked in a video-store -- this was a year after Pulp Fiction came out and all of us Film Nerds had to work at video-stores, it was a rule -- and I began my tumultuous trek through Film School that fall. When I started this I was ready to say I saw everything that came out that year but then I began making this list and there are weird random ones that fell through the cracks and seem to've remained there -- I think you'll be surprised by some of the titles I've never seen, yonder down below. But first, my faves...

My 10 Favorite Movies of 1995

To Die For

(dir. Gus Van Sant)

-- released on October 6th 1995 --

Leaving Las Vegas

(dir. Mike Figgis)

-- released on October 27th 1995 -- 

Se7en

(dir. David Fincher)

-- released on September 22nd 1995 --

Babe

(dir. Chris Noonan)

-- released on August 4th 1995 --

The Doom Generation

(dir. Gregg Araki)

-- released on October 27th 1995 --

Showgirls

(dir. Paul Verhoeven)

-- released on September 22nd 1995 --

Safe

(dir. Todd Haynes)

-- released on June 30th 1995 --

Clueless

(dir. Amy Heckerling)

-- released on July 19th 1995 --

12 Monkeys

(dir. Terry Gilliam)

-- released on December 8th 1995 --

Sense & Sensibility

(dir. Ang Lee)

-- released on December 4th 1995 --

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Runners-up: Before Sunrise (dir. Linklater); Shallow Grave (dir. Danny Boyle); Living in Oblivion (dir. Tom DeCillo); The City of Lost Children (dir. Jeunet & Caro); Dolores Claiborne (dir. Taylor Hackford); Crumb (dir. Terry Zwigoff); Party Girl (dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer); To Wong Foo... Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (dir. Beeban Kidron)...

... Unzipped (dir. Douglas Keeve); Strange Days (dir. Bigelow); Kicking & Screaming (dir. Noah Baumbach); The Usual Suspects (dir. Bryan Singer); Copycat (dir. John Amiel); Mighty Aphrodite (dir. Woody Allen); The Brady Bunch Movie (dir. Betty Thomas); Home For the Holidays (dir. Jodie Foster); Toy Story (dir. John Lasseter)...

... Casino (dir. Scorsese); The Passion of Darkly Noon (dir. Philip Ridley); The Celluloid Closet (dir. Aldo Fabrizi); The Day of the Beast (dir. Alex de la Iglesia); Dead Man Walking (dir. Gregory Dark); La Haine (dir. Kassovitz); Jeffrey (dir. Christopher Ahsley); Waiting To Exhale (dir. Forest Whitaker); Flower of My Secret (dir. Almodovar)
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Never seen: Billy Madison (dir. Tamra Davis); Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (dir. Bill Condon); The Quick and the Dead (dir. Raimi); Tank Girl (dir. Rachel Talalay); Friday (dir. F. Gary Gray); Vampire in Brooklyn (dir. Wes Craven); Things To Do in Denver When You're Dead (dir. Gary Fleder); The Prophecy (dir. Gregory Widen); Bad Boys (dir. Michael Bay)...

... Pocahontas (dir. Mike Gabriel); The Bridges of Madison County (dir. Clint Eastwood); Hackers (dir. Iain Softley); Empire Records (dir. Allan Moyle); Goldeneye (dir. Martin Campbell); The Crossing Guard (dir. Sean Penn);  Clockers (dir. Spike Lee); Othello (dir. Oliver Parker); Fallen Angels (dir. Wong Kar-wai); Braveheart (dir. Mel Gibson)

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What are your favorite movies of 1995?

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Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be...

... believing in taking care of myself with 

a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine 

with Kumail Nanjiani.

Kumail is on the cover of the new issue of Men's Health (thx Anna) showing off his brand new Eternals bod -- something we've all known was coming ever since he first posted those great big beefcake photos back in December -- and oh lordy it doesn't disappoint. Besides the workout video (which I have dutifully capped the ever-loving shit out of below)...

... and the interview with him, they have had him recreate several icons of meaty man testosterone iconography, such as Patrick Bateman (up top), Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and the infamous Top Gun volleyball scene. (Of which I'm tempted to do a "Who wore it best?" with Glen Powell in the trailer for the sequel.) It's all so sweaty and veiny and goofy and stupendous I feel like I've gotten my own workout for the day just looking at these things. While I get some rest y'all hit the jump for a few dozen snaps...

Thom Yorke's Daily Battles

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The only movie that's getting a gala screening at the New York Film Festival that I haven't posted about yet -- the other two are Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, posted about here, and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, posted about here -- is Edward Norton's Motherless Brooklyn, which is the Closing Night Film. But today's given us a marvelous excuse to fix that! A song from Motherless Brooklyn was just released, and not just any ol' song -- it's a song by my main squeeze Thom Yorke! It's called "Daily Battles" and you can listen to it right here:

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Rolling Stone debuted the track along with some words from Norton about how the song came to be, read that all here. Oh and also at that link there's a cover version of that same song done by Wynton Marsalis! Something for everybody! Motherless Brooklyn is an adaptation of the Jonathan Lethem novel of the same name, which Norton transferred from the modern-day New York borough to a 1950s Noir-ish setting. They also released some pictures this week, featuring Norton and Willem Dafoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Alec Baldwin Bruce Willis, and I'll share them after the jump...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Malcolm: Do you know what "Yo no quiero morir"
means? It's Spanish. It means "I don't want to die."
What do you think these ghosts want when they talk
to you? I want you to think about it, Cole.
I want you to think about it really carefully.
Cole: Just help.
Malcolm: That's right. That's what I think too.
They just want help, even the scary ones.
I think I might know a way to make them go away.
Cole: How?
Malcolm: Listen to them.
Cole: What if they don't want help? What if they're
just angry and they just want to hurt somebody?
Malcolm: I don't think that's the way it works.
Cole: How do you know for sure?

M. Night Shyamalan's now classic ghost story came out twenty years ago today. I thought the film was overrated for a very long time (besides Toni Collette's astonishing work of course -- that could never be overrated) but I've come to terms with its canonical place by now. I still think Signs is Shyamalan's best film (Mel Gibson be damned) but I'd rank this as his second best, I think. Where do you all stand on The Sixth Sense?

Glass in 150 Words or Less

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Glass ultimately feels more like an under-pencilled sketch than a finalized film, a real shame given the 19 years between this and Unbreakable, and when Shyamalan does pull together all of his threads with one of his typical third-act reveals, well, it's telling that I use the word "reveal" instead of the usual "twist"since I never felt twisted; it all comes up wanting. Bruce Willis and Sam Jackson never convince us they even want to be here - they both seem drugged even when their characters aren't supposed to be drugged. At least James McAvoy is having fun and giving it his all, and when he's twisting (ahh there's the word) through all his character's alters the movie is having fun too. Still, that's not a movie, that's an acting reel. Here's hoping James uses it to get some future roles worthy.

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James McAvoy Three Times

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Although everybody knows to avoid reading reviews of M. Night Shyamalan movies before they come out given his predilection for twists you don't want ruined - a good trick he's played on us all, financially speaking - I've seen seen enough review tweets and headlines to know that Glass is getting its can kicked by the critics. What a shame! After all these years you couldn't come up with something that works, Night?

Insert that gif of Tyra Banks saying she was rooting for an America's Next Top Model contestant, we were all rooting for an America's Next Top Model contestant, right here. Still I plan on going this weekend anyway if for nothing else but the trailer show James McAvoy half-naked a whole bunch. Did I say "if for nothing else"? Yeah I mean nothing else. Just that. Just plenty!

The Commercials For Glass...

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... are now nothing but shots of James McAvoy

raging out half-naked, and they are working on me.

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Can we hope the movie follows suit? Just one long shirtless action sequence, please. For now (before the film is out on January 18th) let's pretend it is so, and hit the jump for the fifteen or so gifs that will help us pretend it is so...

Once Upon a Twink in Hollywood

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Quentin Tarantino has already been shooting Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for a few weeks now (we posted some shots from the set a month ago) but that hasn't stopped the casting department from slowly dropping new names on us that've been added to this thing's ridiculously sprawling cast, and this week has brought a few of the biggies. Seen above twinking like his life depends on it is Austin Butler, who was on The Carrie Diaries and will also be on Tell Me a Story, Kevin Williamson's upcoming hunk-fest that also stars James Wolk and Billy Magnussen and so forth. Austin has joined Tarantino's movie as "Tex" Watson, Charlie Manson's right-hand man, a real horror show himself. 

Tex was basically the handsome bait that Manson used to lure in the girls, from what I recall (I read Helter Skelter in high school, as one does, so it's all a little vague). Anyway I guess Austin will be hitting the Lady Clairol counter soon. But besides Tex the two most important characters in the Manson Saga whose casting had as of yet gone unaccounted for have been cast this week...

... the Polish actor and goddamned good doppleganger Rafal Zawierucha is playing Roman Polsanki, and to that I give a high-five. He looks perfect (although he'll have to share a bottle of bleaching agent with Austin, obviously). I can't speak as to Rafal's acting, all of his work looks Polish to me, but I trust Tarantino & Co. to know what they're doing at this point. I suppose that's a good rule of thumb by now. And then...

... there's our Manson himself. That's Damon Herriman, an Aussie actor who's been on a ton of TV including what I gather was an important role on Justified (a show I never watched). The funny thing is I immediately recognized him all the same, but from a really weird place - he had the small role of "Roadkill Driver" in the 2005 House of Wax remake!

That scene was so gross it's apparently burrowed its way into my head permanently. Which is a damn good connotation for me to have when it comes to Charlie Manson, at least. Anyway besides all those fine folks several other names have been dropped - Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter Maya Hawke is playing a character called "Flower Child" -- I just saw her play Jo in the PBS adaptation of Little Women opposite Julian Morris aka the reason I watched the thing...

... not realizing whose daughter she was, spending the whole thing being irritated that she had stolen Uma Thurman's voice. She sounds so much like her mother it's eerie - she and Denzel's son John David Washington should have a contest to see who sounds more like their famous parent. 

Wait, what am I talking about? I seem to have gotten off track. Right, casting. Also added to the cast -- a bunch of actresses that I don't recognize plus two I do: Lena Dunham and Rumer Willis. Dunham is playing the Manson Girl Catherine "Gypsy" Share and while they don't list who Rumer's playing I wouldn't be surprised if she's also a Manson Girl. She's got the look. Yadda yadda I am tired of talking about this movie now, hit the jump for a little more of Austin Butler if you like...

Pics of the Day

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The first official pictures of M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming film Glass, which unites the characters in 2016's Split with the characters in 2000's Unbreakable as foreseen by the final scene in the former, are here - head over to EW for the whole shebang. I focused in on James McAvoy in spite of Bruce Willis & Sam Jackson though, as is my wont dammit. McAvoy, as we've taken note of from all the shirtless time he spent roaming around the set, went and got himself real real juiced for this movie. Glass is out on January 18th.

Breaking James McAvoy

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Come here baby yeah
U sexy motherfucker pic.twitter.com/GK85AvwAnd

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) February 2, 2018

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On the positive side after tweeting out the above I now have Prince stuck in my head, but on the negative side I also now feel ashamed because I have remembered that there were some more amazing new pictures of James McAvoy...

... on the set of the Split / Unbreakable sequel called Glass making their way around recently and I never posted them. Okay then let's make ourselves feel positive, and feel some other upwardly-mobile feelings as well, and post a big bunch of those after the jump...

Pics of the Day

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The best part of Split, M. Night Shyamalan's surprise hit starring James McAvoy as a multiple personalitied crazy-pants locking young ladies up in the basement of a zoo, was James McAvoy, and even more specifically the last act when James McAvoy got half-naked (not Last King of Scotland naked, but that was a whole lot of naked) just to juice up the proceedings, and so these pictures from the set of Glass, Night's sequel (that's swinging the series together with his previous movie Unbreakable), are promising! They know what we want to see. Hit the jump for more...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Death Becomes Her (1992)

Madeleine: You should learn not to compete 

with me. I always win! 

Helen: You may have always won, 

but you never played fair! 

Madeleine: Who cares how I played? I won! 

Death Becomes Her came out 25 years ago today!

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I Am Link

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--- We All Come At Night - I know that audiences are apparently all pissed off about the misleading commercials for It Comes at Night but... well I don't give a shit, I loved it. (Here's my review.) The disconnect between this sort of thing (meaning "other people" and "me people" has played out so often when it comes to slow arty horror movies at this point I am not moved by it. (Ever since general audiences gave Wolf Creek an "F" I have no time for them!) Anyway if you saw the movie tell me your thoughts and feelings, and in exchange I will link you over to this amusing bit of behind-the-scenes - Black Phillip, the already legendary goat from The Witch, makes a cameo!

--- Cherish Is The Word - Lisa Kudrow & The Comeback Crew (except for Robert Michael Morris, RIP) were at a TV festival in Austin several days ago and they didn't officially announce a third season of the show like I was hoping they would but Kudrow did tell the crowd that a third season is a distinct possibility. Even though the second season had a note perfect ending, I thought, I really do believe we'll see Valerie Cherish again - the character is still too ripe and rich for her not to. In related news I sure do miss Kellan Lutz' bare breasts. Make sure they tag along!

--- A Death Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Did I somehow entirely miss the news that Eli Roth is remaking Death Wish - the brutal 1974 Charles Bronson revenge classic - with Bruce Willis? I checked and I never posted about it but the news doesn't seem entirely new...? I don't know. There's too much damn news and so much of it sounds the same. Eli Roth remaking Death Wish with Bruce Willis just seems about right. So anyway the movie has just been dated for November 22nd, so plan your Thanksgivings accordingly. (Whcih reminds me - where the hell is Eli's Thanksgiving slasher movie???) As an aisde I have never seen Death Wish. Should I?

--- The Red Woman - By now you have probably heard that Jessica Chastain is going to play the Big Bad in the next X-Men movie, which will revisit the previously mucked up tale of Dark Phoenix. Well technically Phoenix (aka Jean Grey aka Sansa from A Game of Thrones) is the Big Bad, but we're supposed to love her too much to feel that way and side against the people that want to stop her from blowing up all existence. Also good news - Fassbender is returning. I hope they do a decent job. I haven't read a ton of superhero comics but I read the Dark Phoenix saga and that shit is good.

--- Good N Scary - Our good friend Joe Reid made quite the marvel of a list of the Best Horror Movies of the 2010s over at Decider -- click on over and he'll tell you why they rock and where you can watch them all right this minute.

--- Everything Wonderful - I don't know about you but I'm sure not done thinking about and enjoying thinking about Wonder Woman, so here go forth and take in Nathaniel's list of 10 Best Moments in Patty Jenkins' already classic superhero movie over at The Film Experience. I mean if it was me making that list I would have found somewhere to stuff Chris Pine's junk, but then that's usually a concern of mine, even if we're not even talking about Wonder Woman specifically.

--- Speaking Of Super - I know everybody's hoping that Joss Whedon taking over Justice League after director Zack Snyder's personal tragedy (his daughter committed suicide recently) will mean big positive things for the movie since we've all been feeling a bit over Snyder's aesthetic for a bit, and I was right there with you, but I also sort of felt it might be too late to change the project much... but the news that Whedon just canned the old composer and has hired in his place Mr. Danny Elfman.. well, it means something? Elfman's music for the first two Batmans is iconic.... but Elfman's music for the past fifteen years give or take not so much. But hell, if he just reuses his old Batman music that would be fine. Do that.

--- And Finally a clip from the just about to start second season of Preacher has been released via EW, and from what I hear (I haven't had a chance to watch it yet) it involves some dick talk. Okay "circumcision talk" but when Dominic Cooper is in the room you'll have to excuse me for thinking about dicks, it like the thing in Six Degrees of Separation about elephants. Only with dicks.

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