His vast experience gives him an air of good-humored calm that you could almost mistake for complacency until the camera rolls, and you see his focus and efficiency nail each scene on the first take. He once told me that he’s never asked for a second take — he’s happy to do one if you have an idea for him to try, but he brings a definitive interpretation to every line.
From Christoher Nolan’s appraisal of the great Michael Caine at Variety, part of a collective of similar sentiments.
Aaron Eckhart dropped by “The Tonight Show” Monday night. Of course, I wasn’t able to catch it, but here’s the “Dark Knight” stuff (Michael Caine will be on the show tonight):
…I could honestly care less about “Inglorious Bastards.” I don’t care who is losing their shit over the screenplay. If Mr. Tarantino wants to show us something worth our time, I’m happy to be first in line. But enough of the foreplay.
I was working on this piece yesterday (nothing major — just pulling together the YouTube clips), but I wasn’t aware how the list was going to pan out. “Carrie” at the top? Not so sure about that.
But The Times critics like to be contrarian. Just take a look at their Top 100 Films of All Time list, which places Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” rather brazenly at #2.
Anyway, debating and sussing out the best of movie endings ever could have us chatting into the night. Most of my favorites are recent examples, but that’s probably due to what the 1990s did to the screenwriting form.
Scribes began giving a lot more thought to how the audience would feel when leaving the theater. Twists and emotional-punches became a currency of sorts, which is probably why there are more films from the decade than any other on The Times’ list.
I will say I’m glad there was room for “Seven,” “Memento” (which I re-watched recently and absolutely adore) and “E.T.,” three (perhaps) out-of-the-box choices that don’t leap to mind when the subject comes up. And it’s impossible to argue against “The Usual Suspects,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Planet of the Apes.”
If I were to suggest a some additions, I might begin with “Heat,” “Citizen Kane,” “A History of Violence,” “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Boogie Nights,” to name a few.
The Times’ list of the best movie endings of all time:
1. “Carrie”
2. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
3. “Casablanca”
4. “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”
5. “Chinatown”
6. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
7. “Some Like It Hot”
8. “The Italian Job” (1969)
9. “The Usual Suspects”
10. “The Sixth Sense”
11. “Thelma & Louise”
12. “The Wizard of Oz”
13. “Les Diaboliques”
14. “Dr. Stranglelove”
15. “Gone With the Wind”
16. “The Shawshank Redemption”
17. “Planet of the Apes”
18. “Memento”
19. “The Blair Witch Project”
20. “Seven”
I might pull together my own top ten soon enough.
What are your favorite movie endings?
A couple of Bat-stories around the web this morning (both of which I first came across at Hollywood Elsewhere).
The first is this New York Times piece from Michael Cieply, about “Dark Knight” screenings rolling out as early as 6:00 a.m. in some cities due to the blast of ticket sales for showtimes around the clock. Here’s a look:
Movie theaters have sometimes opened their doors at odd hours for their most highly anticipated films, say, an entry in the “Star Wars” series, and midnight shows have become part of the summer blockbuster ritual.
But all-night sellouts far in advance of an opening have come only with the near ubiquity of online ticket sales. Fandango.com, for instance, reports well over 1,500 wee-hour showings for “The Dark Knight” in theaters that typically do not open their doors before about 10 a.m.
I expect to be a wee hour guy. Despite the fact that the press screening drops Monday (the day I return to the states), I don’t think I’ll make the show. So Thursday at 3:15 a.m. I’ll be with the masses over at Universal CityWalk.
Meanwhile, Reel Geezers star Lorenzo Semple Jr. has cranked out a remembrance for Variety detailing his days as a scribe for the “Batman” television series. If you can get past his woeful ignorance of the character int he first half, you might actually have a laugh at the direction he and Bill Dozier took the material and why. Check it out:
Days of innocence, days of Andalusian heaven! From the very beginning, Bill Dozier and I had seen millionaire Bruce Wayne and his Bat regalia as classy comedy, hopefully appealing to kids as an absurdly jolly action piece and to grown-ups for its deadpan satire, entirely nonfraught with psychological issues. I mean, golly gee!
Personally, I love the old “Batman” show. I recognize it for what it is and have a lot of fun with it. I think it also says a lot for the character, that it has given way to so many (vastly) different interpretations. But I was a kid once. And pre-Tim Burton, I was plopped in front of the tube watching reruns of King Tut wreaking havoc — and tuning in, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel each and every week to see what happens next.
The special edition of the old “Batman: The Movie,” by the way, is out on DVD and Blu-ray. I’ll be picking it up sometime next week I’m sure.
Slightly. Here’s a taste:
I wanted that movie that Nolan was chasing. I really wanted that movie. But as is the nature of the dramatic arts, there is a mystical and undeniable gut feeling when you know that even the best film has come to its natural end. And in The Dark Knight, this occurs more than half an hour before the picture actually ends… maybe an hour…
But he makes a mistake positing that Nolan would ever offer a “director’s cut.” The director has infamously debunked such ideas, making it clear that his definitive vision of a film is what is on the screen.
Read the rest of Poland’s review here.
It’s a question that just came to me this evening when talking with some friends. What would you say is the most watched film of all time? How many films would even be on that list of contenders?
Off the top of my head I would have to consider “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Maybe “Titanic,” given the givens.
We could maybe be so bold as to propose “The Shawshank Redemption” or “The Lord of the Rings” films. And isn’t “Finding Nemo” the best-selling DVD of all time? I guess that means it has to be on the list.
“The Lion King?” “Fantasia?” “Gone with the Wind?” What do we think?
Disney doesn’t seem to have a whole lot to offer at this year’s exhibition, though everyone will certainly be greatly anticipating any goodies from the upcoming Pixar effort “Up,” announced today as part of the proceedings. From the press release:
From the inventive storytellers that have taken you into the worlds of space, toys and superheroes, comes the extraordinary adventure that will take you to a lost world where anything can happen, and everything will. Meet director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) as he presents the first-ever look at Disney•Pixar’s new animated 3-D adventure comedy, UP in Hall H on Saturday, July 26th 3:00 – 3:30 PM.
I have my own fascinations with the year 2012, by now making leaps and bounds in the pop culture stratosphere some 20 years since Jose Arguelles first began scaring the shit out of everyone back in 1987.
I’ve read the books. I’ve always got one toe in the cosmos, so I’m certainly interested in the harmonic convergence that is supposed to occur on December 21, 2012. At 11:11 a.m. GMT, to be exact.
Frankly, most of the stuff that fascinates me about the fated day has less to do with the Mayan long count calendar than it does with the expected geological turmoil forecast. I recommend Lawrence Joseph’s “Apocalypse 2012” despite its hyperbolic (or perhaps not-so-hyperbolic) title. If a former New York Times journalist can dig into things with such precision, it’s no longer safely reserved for the loonies.
So despite the fact that Rolland Emmerich was obviously going to be the guy to exploit the supposed apocalypse around the corner, I still had a strange sort of anticipation built up. Then, this afternoon, I saw that the folks at Collider had gotten their paws on a copy of the script…and boy did my heart sink.
This thing (I know — duh, right?) looks to be a total rehash of everything we’ve seen out of the “disaster movie” genre before, and that’s too bad. Despite the hysteria, it really is a concept worth exploring in a film.
Also this month, LA City Beat is carrying a cover story about 2012. It’s a good primer for those somewhat interested, but I’d suggest digging into Joseph’s book for a good immersion. And if you really want to go out there a bit, I recommend Daniel Pinchbeck’s “2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl.”
Regarding today’s post about movie stingers, was anyone aware that this scene from “American Gangster” (which was featured in trailers for the film), actually shows up after the credits? I didn’t discover this until today. Had no idea.
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=8hyWalAVo7s
I really won’t be caught dead at another San Diego Comic-Con so long as I live (though I will be attending what should be a fun after party Friday night). But studios are beginning to announce their line-ups and I guess it’s time to start rooting through what would be worth checking out.
Warner Bros. has apparently revealed its schedule, though the only thing I’m interested in is “Watchmen” and “Terminator Salvation.”
But let’s face it, the “Terminator” thing will be a whole lot of hot air, much like the “Watchmen” thing was last year. In any case, I’m hoping Zack Snyder has some schnazzy stuff to reveal this time around. I have high hopes (and a really good feeling) about this thing.
If you saw “Hancock” over the weekend, you probably noticed a brief scene in the middle of the closing credits sequence featuring Mike Epps and meant as a funny punch for your theater exiting pleasure.
It got me thinking about inter- and post-credit sequences — called “stingers” — and whether they ought to be eliminated altogether. I ask this despite a history that includes a precious few great examples in films like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and perhaps extending way back to the point-and-shoot moment of “The Great Train Robbery” that sent audiences screaming out of nickelodeons in 1903.
Most of the time, these moments are random, useless and nothing more than a send-off treat (like in “Hancock”). Other times, they might be an “Easter egg” for those who know to stick around, like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury scene at the end of “Iron Man.” (There are also stingers after the credits of “WALL-E” and “Kung Fu Panda” this year.)
More often, however, they have the potential to leave viewers who weren’t aware somewhat burned. Or otherwise irritated — like Eric Snider of Cinematical, who dug into this issue in May.
The question actually brings up another point, which is, are the closing credits of a film a part of the greater artistic whole? Plenty of opening credit sequences provide direct commentary on a film and could therefore be argued part and parcel of the piece. But with few exceptions, closing credits are a tacked-on necessity that even those featured in the roll wouldn’t consider any part of a directorial vision or collective filmmaking result — even if they are beautiful or interesting (i.e. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”).
Then again, used to the right artistic effect, a subtle stinger might actually add to the overall canvas of a film. Such is the case, I thnk, with the sound of children’s laughter after the credits of “Children of Men.”
Typically, the existence of stingers just annoys me. I’m more at ease with the inter-credits stuff. As I was leaving “Hancock,” the Mike Epps scene kicked in and we all stopped and watch — har, har — off we go. Fine, fair enough. But if I miss something I realy want to see (like in “Iron Man”), it’s quite irritating.
That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the scenes, however. And I do have a few favorites.
My top 5 movie stingers of all time after the jump! (spoilers obviously involved)