Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that, after an extensive search, Baz Luhrmann has cast Austin Butler as Elvis Aaron Presley in the director’s upcoming film about the seminal legend. The announcement was made today by Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
In the movie, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) will explore the life and music of Presley, through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played in the film by two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump,” “Philadelphia”). The story will delve into their complex dynamic spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
Luhrmann stated, “I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist. Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures.”
Butler made his Broadway debut in 2018 opposite Washington in Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh,” under the direction of George C. Wolfe, and received rave reviews for his work in the role of “lost boy” Don Parritt. He will be seen later this month opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Butler, who also has extensive television credits, can currently be seen on the big screen alongside Bill Murray and Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die.”
New York Premiere of Focus Features “The Dead Don’t Die” -Pictured: Vanessa Hudgens, Austin Butler -Photo by: Marion Curtis / StarPix for Focus Features -Location: The Museum of Modern Art
Luhrmann will direct from the current screenplay written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Luhrmann will also produce, alongside multiple-Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), who will once again serve as production designer and costume designer on the film, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman will executive produce.
Principal photography will begin early next year, with filming taking place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
David Bowie, one of rock music’s most talented musicians, and most iconic and lasting figures, died Sunday after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 69.
The rock legend released his final album, Blackstar, on Friday, his 69th birthday.
“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” the official statement read. “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
The message was also posted on Bowie’s official Facebook page.
His son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, posted this photo on his Twitter page.
Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m
As an actor, he appeared as everything from an alien in the movie THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, a singing goblin king in the Jim Henson musical Muppet movie, LABYRINTH, John Merrick, known as The Elephant Man in a three-month run on Broadway, Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, to inventor Nikola Tesla in the Christopher Nolan thriller THE PRESTIGE.
Our deepest condolences go out to David Bowie’s family and he will be sadly missed.
Thanks to Guy Lodge over at InContention for the heads up on this story.
47th Annual Accolade to be Presented During the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Simulcast on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 30, 2011
Los Angeles, California (August 18, 2010) – Ernest Borgnine, who is exuberantly entering his seventh decade of creating memorable characters and award-winning performances, will receive Screen Actors Guild (SAG)’s most prestigious accolade-—the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Borgnine, who has performed in more than 200 motion pictures, five television series and dozens of television films and guest appearances, will be presented the Award, given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which premieres live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. MT.Nominations will be announced on December 16, 2010.
In making today’s announcement, Screen Actors Guild National President Ken Howard said, “Whether portraying brutish villains, sympathetic everymen, complex leaders or hapless heroes, Ernest Borgnine has brought a boundless energy which, at 93, is still a hallmark of his remarkably busy life and career. It is with that same joyous spirit that we salute his impressive body of work and his steadfast generosity.”
Borgnine has been the recipient of industry recognition, critical praise and audience approbation throughout his career. He first drew the public eye in 1953 with his portrayal of the vicious Sergeant “Fatso” Judson, who beat Frank Sinatra’s Maggio to a pulpy death in the Oscar -winning film “From Here to Eternity.” He was memorable as one of the thugs who threatened a one-armed Spencer Tracy in “Bad Day at Black Rock,” then did a 180-degree turn in 1955, starring for director Delbert Mann and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky as the title character in what was to be the year’s best picture Oscar winner, “Marty.”
His touching performance as the lonely butcher won Borgnine an Academy Award®, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe®.
He would receive a second Golden Globe nomination some 52 years later for the title role in the telefilm “A Grandpa for Christmas” and an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1989 for his Mafia boss in “Spike of Bensonhurst.”
During the ‘50s, Borgnine performed frequently on such Golden Age of Television masterworks as “G.E. Theatre” and “Philco Playhouse,” but it was the 1962-66 broad ensemble comedy “McHale’s Navy” that would cement his presence as a household name and earn Borgnine his first Emmy® nomination in 1963. The Television Academy would again nominate Borgnine in 1980 for his portrait of World War I soldier Stanislaus Katczinsky in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of “All Quiet on the Western Front” (again under Delbert Mann’s direction) and just last year for his guest role as a devoted husband coming to terms with his wife’s imminent death in the final episode of “ER.”
Borgnine was also the recipient in 1999 of a Daytime Emmy nomination for his voice work as Carface in the animated “All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series” and the same year began his continuing run as the voice of semi-retired aquatic superhero Mermaid Man in the Nickelodeon smash-hit “SpongeBob SquarePants,” bringing him a whole new legion of young fans. He’s also played an animated version of himself on “The Simpsons.”
Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on Jan. 24, 1917 in Hamden, Conn., son of Italian immigrants Charles (fka Camillo) and Anna Borgnino and grandson of Count Paolo Boselli, financial advisor to Italian King Victor Emmanuel. When he was 2, his parents separated, and he moved to Italy with his mother until the family reunited in Connecticut when Borgnine was 5. After he graduated high school in 1935, finding factory work and driving a vegetable truck did not suit him, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was discharged in October 1941, but a few months later, when the United States entered World War II, he re-enlisted and served until 1945, rising to the rank of Gunner’s Mate 1st Class. After the war, at his mother’s suggestion and with funds from the GI Bill, he enrolled in the Randall School of Dramatic Arts in Hartford, and then honed his craft at the famed Barter Theatre in Abington, Va.. There where he painted scenery, worked as stagehand and drove a truck yet-again, eventually getting a shot at acting in numerous classics. He even traveled with the company to entertain U.S. servicemen in Germany and Denmark, in the role of Guildenstern in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
Borgnine’s big break came in 1949, when he won the role of the hospital attendant in a Broadway production of “Harvey.” His success in live television prompted a move to Los Angeles, where in 1951, he made his motion picture debut in “The Whistle at Eaton Falls.” The staggering catalog of his 200 motion pictures since includes such classics as “Johnny Guitar,” starring Joan Crawford; “Vera Cruz,” with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster; “The Catered Affair,” opposite Bette Davis; legendary ensemble pieces like Robert Aldrich’s “The Dirty Dozen” and Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”; and large-scale productions like “The Vikings,” “Torpedo Run,” “Emperor of the North,” “Ice Station Zebra,” “Flight Of The Phoenix,” “Escape from New York” and “The Poseidon Adventure.” He portrayed controversial FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover in the 1983 telefilm “Blood Feud” and again in the feature “Hoover,” which he also executive produced. He also played real-life boxing coach Angelo Dundee opposite Muhammad Ali (as himself) in “The Greatest.” His latest film “Red,” starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss and Brian Cox, opens in October.
Besides “McHale’s Navy,” Borgnine’s television credits include starring as seasoned police office Joe Cleaver in “Future Cop” (1976-77), as veteran aircraft owner Dominic Santini “Airwolf” (1984-86), and as doorman Manny Cordoba in “The Single Guy” (1995-97). Among his telefilms and miniseries are “Jesus of Nazareth”; “The Trail to Hope Rose,” for which, at age 87, he drove a team of horses and was honored with the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame; and this year’s “Wishing Well.” He had a recurring role on “The Commish” and guest starred in numerous series, including “JAG,” “Early Edition,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Touched By An Angel,” “7th Heaven,” “Family Law” and “The District.” He even appeared in the first “Center Square” in the “Hollywood Squares” when the game show premiered in 1965.
Borgnine has received Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Columbia College Hollywood, Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Lakeland College in Mikwaukee and the University of Northern Alabama. Still deeply connected to Navy years, he maintains contacts with old shipmates from his destroyer days. He was recognized for his support of the Navy Memorial Fund with the Lone Sailor award from the Navy Memorial Foundation and was named an Honorary Chief Petty Officer by the Navy Chiefs. Some 20 years ago, he acquired another Naval title: Honorary Flight Leader for the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Team: The Blue Angels. In 2000, the Veterans Foundation elected him Veteran of the Year. As he celebrated his 90th birthday, he was honored with the California Commendation Medal for his support of the military by the Commanding Officer of the California National Guard. In 2009, he participated in a special tribute to the Navy at the National Memorial Day Parade presented by the American Veterans Center in Washington, D.C.
In 1985, Borgnine received the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Golden Boot Award for his work in film and television Westerns. In 1990, he was named Honorary Mayor of Universal City, where “McHale’s Navy” was filmed. In 1997, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival honored him with the King Vidor Memorial Award. The National Film Theatre of Great Britain honored him in May 2001 for a lifetime of artistic achievement. In 2009, he received a special tribute at the Almería, Spain International Film Festival and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival, which screened his then-latest feature “Another Harvest Moon,” in which he starred opposite Piper Laurie, Anne Meara and Doris Roberts.
In 2002, Borgnine received a lifetime achievement award from his mother’s birthplace, Carpi, Italy. In honor of his Italian parentage, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. For a quarter century, he marched as the Grand Clown in “The Great Circus Parade” in Milwaukee. A Freemason for 60 years, he is proud to have been honored with the 33rd Degree of the Masonic Order of the Grand Cross. He was honorary chair of the Scottish Rite RiteCare Program, which sponsors 175 childhood language disorders clinics, centers and programs nationwide, and narrated “On the Wings of Words,” a film about the RiteCare Program.
Borgnine’s 2008 autobiography, “Ernie” was a “New York Times” bestseller. He lives in Beverly Hills with his wife of 37 years, Tova, QVC’s on camera spokesperson for Tova cosmetics,
The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. Jeff Margolis is the executive producer and director. Kathy Connell is the producer. JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Scott Bakula, Shelley Fabares and Paul Napier are producers for SAG. Gloria Fujita O’Brien and Mick McCullough are supervising producers. Benn Fleishman is executive in charge of production. Rosalind Jarrett is the Executive in Charge of Publicity. Jon Brockett is the Awards Coordinating Producer.
Anyone who read the last story I posted about Bruce Campbell knows that I’m a big fan and that I tried like crazy to get an interview with him when he was in New York. I finally settled for a two-part question about Bubba Nosferatu that I got on tape during one of his Q & A’s. Well things finally worked out and on Black Friday, when all of you were shopping, I was on the phone with Bruce Campbell. We covered a variety of topics including My Name Is Bruce, the accuracy of IMDB and yes, we even dabbled in discussing Evil Dead 4. Enjoy!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to one of those Hollywood Red Carpet movie premieres? See the stars from the movie and local celebrities walk the red carpet and maybe even score an autograph? Your chance is coming to you THIS WEDENSDAY! On November 19Th, at ST. Louis’ AMC Creve Coeur 12 Cinema, is the St. Louis premiere of the new film ‘Seven Pounds’ and live and in person on the red carpet will be none other than Will Smith Himself!!!!! The red carpet will also feature some local celebrities from the St. Louis Rams.
This is free to come out and catch the festivities, but this event is being held to benefit St. Louis’ Food Bank and the Urban League, so if your coming out brings some canned goods from your kitchen and help out those less fortunate. The Foodbank collects and distributes more than 13 million pounds of food for the local community in need, and they need your help with the holidays coming up. If you bring some canned goods you will not only see Will Smith…you may be able to catch his new film ‘Seven Pounds’  before anyone else sees it. That’s Right! A few lucky fans (that bring canned goods) will win premiere tickets to see the movie ‘Seven Pounds’ that very evening with Will Smith and the Rams.Â
‘Seven Pounds’ is the story of Ben Thomas (Smith), an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. I saw the preview last night and this movie looks AWESOME! Don’t miss your chance to do something great for the community and to see Hollywood’s brightest star Will Smith in person!
Here are the details again:
What: Will Smith Red Carpet Premiere Of His New Film, ‘Seven Pounds’.
Where:AMC Creve Coeur 12 Cinema, 10465 Olive Street Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63141
When:Wednesday, November 19Th, 2008 (Red Carpet Arrivals begin at 5:30pm., Screening  begins at 7pm.)
His Name Is Bruce OR, How I Became Bruce Campbell’s Stalker For 2 Days
Two days ago I posted my review of My Name Is Bruce, the newest film from B-Movie Icon Bruce Campbell. I gave it 4 out of 5 buckets of Bean Curds. To see why or to understand what the hell Bean Curds has to do with anything, read the full review here. You’d also see that I upped the rating to 5 out of 5 if you attend a screening that Bruce Campbell hosts. He just kicked off a nationwide tour of the film, where he introduces and follows the film with a Q & A for several screenings in each city he visits. I went to a few of the NY screenings and made several attempts to get an interview with the man himself. What follows is the story of my failed attempts, a rundown of Bruce’s answers from the Q & A’s I attended and if you skip down to the bottom, 2 videos of Bruce. The first is an entire 20 minute Q & A, which is hilarious, and the second is what I am calling my 2 question sorta semi-interview with Bruce Campbell. Enjoy!
I consider myself a Bruce Campbell fan. I personally believe the Evil Dead trilogy is the greatest horror trilogy of all time, despite the fact that Army of Darkness is an action comedy and Evil Dead 2 is more funny than scary. I loved his autobiography, enjoyed what I read of Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way and generally feel that Bruce is the best part of whatever terrible movie he is in. There are also some other great movies he stars in like Bubba Ho-Tep and Man With The Screaming Brain, which was his directorial debut. The point is that I am a fan so I was really looking forward to this movie. I saw Bruce live before so I was looking forward to the Q & A almost as much as the film. I also was going with the goal of scoring an interview with him. A task that I learned is not an easy feat, even when you talk directly with him a few times.
The last time I was at Sunshine Cinema, I attended the Good Dick screening, which was hosted by Marianna Palka and Jason Ritter. After the Q & A, they exited through the main lobby, which requires walking to the back of the theater. I thought Bruce would do the same so I sat in the aisle seat of the last row on the right side of the theater. Bruce entered through a stage door on the front left side of the room. Fuck. I knew I would not get close enough to talk to Bruce this time so maybe I’d bring it up during the Q & A after the movie. If not, I told my friend Kenny that we would have to stick around for the next showing.
Bruce comes out and introduces the film. He jokes if anyone has any questions about a movie they have never seen before. He uses this joke at every other intro to the film that I attended and it got laughs every time. He tells us how the NY Times, Village Voice and TimeOUT NY all trashed the film so he hopes we enjoy it more than them. He also reminds us that the Bruce Campbell in the film is a fictional character that is only somewhat based on the real Bruce Campbell so don’t get pissed off at him when he rips on his fans, which happens a lot in the film.
The movie plays. It ends to a round of applause and some people clap along to the theme song played over the end credits. Bruce comes out and things get interesting. If you’ve never seen him in person, think of Ash Williams and that is Bruce in person, minus the chainsaw for an arm. Bruce is completely self-deprecating and he hurls insults at the audience throughout but it’s all in good fun.
The film is a “redemptive story†and a “cautionary tale†of what could happen to a promising actor held back by crappy B-movies.
Someone asked if he reads the Burn Notice fan boards since she submits fan fiction on there. He asked if “Sam and Michael get it on†in her fan fiction. He never lets the fact that she writes fan fiction go and he picks on her the whole night.
“There is a code for each monster†– Every monster has to have a weakness and this particular monster’s is bean curd. The crowd laughed so Bruce told them that My Name Is Bruce is an “extremely well researched picture.†Guan Di really is the Chinese God of War and was also the Patron Saint of Bean Curd because before Guan Di became a deity, he was a bean curd seller.
If Bruce Campbell were elected President, he would “rule with an iron first†but he has done so much crap and made so many bad movies that it would take them only about an hour to rule him out as president. “I inhaledâ€
 Someone gave him a bottle of homemade blueberry liquor and Bruce asked for any other gifts, which he went around collecting.
When speaking to someone in the front he told them they were too close to watch the movie. “It’s all chin!â€
Someone asked if the movie could get any more masturbatory since the film is basically 86 minutes of Bruce Campbell and why he is so awesome. The crowd booed and Bruce said the film would only be masturbatory if he took himself seriously. He then told the guy to go home and jerk off while thinking about him.
Has no plans for a 3rd book.
Someone realized that no one complimented the film yet so he told Bruce the film was awesome. Bruce gave the guy $5. The guy got a few more bucks out of it when he changed it to “fucking awesome!â€
Will Ferrell took over his spot as spokesperson for Old Spice.
Jack of All Trades has the best TV theme song ever.
The Olympics stole the theme song from Briscoe County Jr.
Someone requests an autograph and is booed. Please don’t waste time with personal requests. (Shit, there goes asking him for an interview)
Most Obsessed Fans? A while back a guy approached him who had the Army of Darkness poster tattooed on his back. “The entire back was the poster.†Someone in the crowd screamed that he has it on his arm. Bruce said yeah, “guys like thatâ€
Someone said something that made no sense and just stared at Bruce silently afterwards. Bruce replied, “Did you have a question or are you just gonna keep being weird?â€
He never met Mike Nichols or most of the other people he wrote about in his book Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way. No one cares who he is, that’s why no one has sued him yet over the book.
Most low budget director’s blow.
 At the Halloween screening a day before, he exchanged Hawaiian shirts with a girl who came dressed as him. She came back to this screening and he asked where his shirt is. She said it’s hanging on her cardboard cutout of Xena. He replied “I could have called that one†He then asked if she was friends with the girl who wrote fan fiction and if they weren’t, he suggested they should hang out.
Someone asked if there will be My Name Is Bruce The Musical and Bruce said “Why not?â€
 Doesn’t have a favorite film that he has worked on cause he isn’t dead yet.
Someone yelled out that this was his favorite so Bruce gave him $2.
 Someone asked what they had to do for $10 and Bruce said kill the movie critics at the NY Times, Village Voice and TimeOUT NY.
There are several 3 stooges references in the film. 3 Businesses are named after the stooges. (Moe’s Manure, Shemp’s Whiskey and Larry’s Livery)
 Believe it or not, his cameos are the most important part of each Spiderman movie. In the first one he names Spiderman. In the second one he does not let Peter in to the play, hence he is the only man to defeat Spiderman. In the third film, Peter goes to him to advice. People in trouble go to Spiderman for help and Spiderman goes to him for help. Therefore, he is the better of the two.
Don’t try to find the cabin from the Evil Dead. You will be shot.
Could you say groovy for me? “I could if I was your monkeyâ€
“Thank you for supporting this theater.â€
Bruce left and we decide to stick around for the next showing. I had a note as backup in case I didn’t have time to talk to him. We went back on the line and waited till close to midnight. Then we found out the theater changed for the midnight showing and we were on the line for a special screening of Nightmare on Elm Street. We run upstairs to the ticket taker and I play dumb. I ask what theater Bruce is in and he tells me Auditorium 3. I thank him and we run up to the theater. We enter in the middle of Bruce’s intro. I head down to the front row and Kenny sits a few seats away.
Bruce asks if anyone has any questions since he would not be back for a Q & A after this screening since it was so late.
Someone asks if he will be playing Mysterio in Spiderman 4. Bruce says that everyone asks him that and he doesn’t even really know who that is so he asks the person to tell him about the character. “Why do fans torment me about him?†After hearing the description and getting a confident yes that a battle between Spiderman and Mysterio would be awesome from the questioner, Bruce said Ok, he would play him.
The movie he hates the most is Frogs.
A strange man asks him to sign a miniature wooden bowling pin. Bruce agrees only because it is the most unrelated thing anyone has ever asked him to sign. Bruce asks the guy for the story behind the pins and he explains that his friend owned a bowling alley and gave them out as gifts and now he makes celebrities sign them. Bruce asked who else the guy has. Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep were the first two he named. Bruce requested that his pin go right next to Eastwood’s. He kept going back to the man and asking him personal questions because he was just so fascinated by him.
His biggest fear is this movie. He then asked the crowd what their biggest fears are. Kenny yelled out apples, which caused Bruce to crack up. He asked why and Kenny told him that they are red on the outside but white on the inside and it’s deceiving. He then started naming types of apples. Bruce and everyone else laughed. As far as I know, he made up this fear but I do plan on leaving an apple in his locker at work.
He filmed the movie in Oregon, his home state. In fact, most of the movie was filmed on his property. They built the entire town of Gold Lick on his land but he did not say if the town is still up or if they took it down yet.
He then thanked everyone for coming and supporting his film and the theater.
That’s when I sprung into action. I popped up and told Bruce that I was a writer for We Are Movie Geeks. He held the mic out and we had a private conversation in front of everyone. I told him that I loved the film and he would be getting a good review from us. He said finally, “one good review this weekend.†I then showed him on my note where I wrote, “Fuck the NY Times†and he laughed. He told me that if I killed the papers that gave him a bad review, he’d make it worthwhile. I told him that I didn’t need the $10 and he laughed. I then mentioned I’d love to do an interview with him and in typical Bruce Campbell fashion, in an overly sarcastic way he said, “I’ll be in touch†and then walked out the door. I decided right then that I had to go back the next day.
I go home, order the tickets and come back the next day with my dad who is a big time Bubba Ho-Tep fan. I sit in the front row again. Bruce comes out and introduces the film. He asks if anyone has any questions about a movie that no one has seen and hen tells the crowd he will be back after the before walking off. I pop up and hand him my review of the film, as well as a little note thanking him for talking with me and once again asking for an interview. He said he remembered me from the night before and then leaves. He was not too open to the idea of an interview.
He comes back after the film for the Q & A. I decided that if I wasn’t going to get an interview with him, I’d steal one. So I took out my camera and filmed the entire Q & A. Below is the complete unedited footage. I would consider it mostly audio only since the video quality is really bad. It was a dark theater and I used my cheap minidv. The part with the tattoo came out pretty good though and there are some very funny visual moments that are decent quality.
After this Q & A, I still was not satisfied. I knew I was not going to get a one on one interview with him but I at least wanted my question answered. I’m not sure if it was the fan inside of me or the budding journalist but, you guessed it, I decided to stick around for one more screening. I settle back in to the front row and watch as Bruce comes out. He asks if anyone has any questions about the film and he does not see my hand go up. He then talks a little about the film and tells everyone that he will be back after the film for a Q & A. He starts waking off. I stop him and tell him I have a question†¦
That ladies and gentleman is how you get a 2 question sorta semi-interview with Bruce Campbell. One day I hope to actually get a real interview with the man but for now that will do just fine. Did I act as a stalker or was I just really persistent? You decide.Â
What does one do when the ancient Chinese deity Guan-Di, God of War and Protector of Bean Curd, has been “unreashed†by a group of dumb teenagers defacing an old burial ground in your quant little mining town?
You Call Bruce Campbell, that’s what you do.
The town of Gold Lick is being threatened by Guan Di while Bruce Campbell is off making the hilariously low budget ‘Cave Alien 2’. This Bruce Campbell also happens to be an alcoholic, sex-crazed, depressed loser who pretty much hates his fans and feels his career is in the toilet. Jeff, the only surviving teenager from the initial incident with Guan Di, kidnaps Bruce and takes him back to Gold Lick in order to defeat the demon. Jeff also happens to be the world’s biggest Bruce Campbell fan, with his bedroom being a shrine to the man and his work.
As you can tell, the movie is very self referential and very self-deprecating. Bruce makes fun of himself, his fan base and low budget horror movies but it’s all in good fun. Perhaps my favorite line in the entire film comes when Bruce realizes he is in the trunk of the car of one of his fans. I won’t ruin the line but I will say that the delivery is perfect and it captures the whole spirit of the film. There is also a great attention to detail throughout the movie, with perhaps the most being the amount of Bruce Campbell memorabilia crammed into Jeff’s room. There are numerous references to many fan favorites but there are also some fake films not really in the Campbell filmology. I consider myself a big fan and even I was not sure whether or not some of the films were real, which added to the fun. Bruce even uses some lines of dialogue straight from his other films and takes on a hilarious “Ash†persona to pick up chicks.
“If you’re good I’ll show you my boomstick.â€
Bruce Campbell is flat out hysterical in the film, but I also want to give a nod to Ted Raimi. Raimi plays several characters with my favorite being Wing, an old Chinese caretaker. I just want to say that Wing kicks the shit out of the Rob Schneider’s Chinese priest explaining circles in ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry’ in the completely over the top stereotypical Chinese character category. I’d also like to point out that this is Campbell’s second time behind the camera as director and he does a much better job this time around, although I did enjoy ‘Man With The Screaming Brain’.
The movie is just a lot of fun. I will admit that it did slow down a bit in the middle but the ending more than makes up for it. The beginning was also pitch perfect, especially the over the top performances and actions taken by the dumb horny teenagers. If you are looking for scares or lots of gore, stay away. If you are looking for a fun movie with lots of laughs, a little bit of violence, some funny slapstick, low brow humor and “the greatest actor of his generation,†then look no further. ‘My Name Is Bruce’ is the next best thing to ‘Evil Dead 4’.
I just want to add that Bruce Campbell is currently touring with ‘My Name Is Bruce’ visiting theaters across the US. He usually appears at 2 or 3 of the later showings to introduce the film and then does a Q and A about it afterwards with the crowd. If you are going to see the film, I highly recommend you go to one of the later showings because the man is amazing in person. He is very laid back and has a lot of fun with the audience. It’s actually less like a Q and A and more like an open conversation since he asks as many questions as the fans. Check out www.bruce-campbell.com for a listing of where he is showing the film and what times he will be in attendance.
And as per Bruce’s request, on his behalf I would like to extend a big fuck you to the critics from the NY Times, TimeOUT NY, and the Village Voice who trashed the film. The film really is funny and they just didn’t get the point of it.
[Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets of Bean Curds, 5 out of 5 if you go to a showing that Bruce is at]
Oh Ringo! Most of you I would hope are familiar with the great Ringo Starr. The reason that I can put this on the site is that not only is he an Ex-Beatle, but he has also been in quite a few movies, examples…Caveman, the made for TV Alice and Wonderland aka Alice Through The Looking Glass as the mock turtle, not to mention such Beatle-riffic films as HELP! and A Hard Days Night, and on several children’s shows… Such as Shining Time Station…
Ringo Starr has announced on his official web page www.ringostarr.com that he will no longer sign autographs. For years if you sent him pictures, objects, basically anything related to him, he would happily sign it! Due to being overwhelmed and his busy schedule he and his pen hand have decided to call it quits! Anything postmarked after the 20th will not be signed! On his website it even asks for people to stop sending fan mail! I have nothing but respect for Mr. Starr. The Beatles are possibly my favorite band in the universe. Having said that, I was really put off by his video. He could have easily said that he cannot meet the many requests that he receives, or that its time to finally retire his mail request autographs… instead, he says to NOT SEND HIM FAN MAIL ANYMORE! THAT HE WILL NOT SEND AUTOGRAPHS ANYMORE BECAUSE HE IS TOO BUSY!
So… If you really want a picture signed, you better send it before the 20th… The address that I have is
When they told me there was a film coming out with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman I couldn’t wait to see it. It turned out to be one of my top 10 films of 2007. The film is “The Bucket List” and its out on DVD!
In case you missed it last year, the story is another take on the odd couple. You have Edward Cole (Nicholson), a corporate billionaire, who is stuck sharing a hospital room with “grease monkey” Carter Chambers (Freeman). They are like mixing oil and water..but have one thing in common …Cancer. They are both dying. Over the course of their treatment the two developed a bond. Cole discovers a list Carter had prepared “the bucket list”, things he wants to do before he “kicks the bucket”. Cole’s answer to this “Let’s Do It! I’m buying.” So over the course of their adventure in fulfilling the bucket list the bond of Carter and Cole turns into a unbreakable friendship. The Bucket list also features an outstanding performance by Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) as Cole’s personal assistant.
I’m not just telling you to go out and rent The Bucket List on DV..this one should be in your library so that you can enjoy it over and over nad over again!
