movies

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The Favorite Movies of 42 Famous People

Presidents & Politicians What's with presidents and High Noon? 1. Barack Obama -- The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) When Katie Couric asked then-presidential-candidate Barack Obama what his favorite movie is, he replied, "Oh, I think it would have to be The Godfather. One and Two. Three not so much. That saga -- I love that movie. ...I think my favorite has to be, the opening scene of the first Godfather... It sets the tone for the whole movie." 2. Ronald Reagan -- High Noon... READ ON

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How Movie Effects Fool Your Brain

In this funny 15-minute TED Talk, special effects guru Rob Legato explains, shot by shot, how he made visual effects work in Apollo 13, Titanic, and Hugo. In addition to making great models, he did it by observing what people noticed versus what they saw. A sample quote regarding the Saturn V launch he recreated for Apollo 13: "[The shot was about] what they remembered it looked like -- but not what it really looked like." Legato's message here is relevant for any kind of artist: it's more important to... READ ON

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How "2001" Became the Space Odyssey We Know

James Cameron narrates this documentary on the classic film 2001. It includes archival footage of the late Arthur C. Clarke in the 1960s touring spacecraft manufacturing facilities, footage of designers putting together models, snippets of archival footage of Kubrick, interviews with various luminaries, and various other amazing stuff I've never seen. It also features interviews with Doug Trumbull and others who did special effects for the film. If you're a 2001 fan, this is 43 minutes of candy. Skip... READ ON

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"2001" Trailers, Then and Now

Stanley Kubrick's 2001 is a moody sci-fi masterpiece. Its pacing is, by modern sci-fi standards, slow -- but those of us who love the movie see that as part of its appeal. It's a slow burn, so to speak. Recently a speculative trailer for 2001 has been making the rounds. In this new trailer, the movie is marketed as a modern summer blockbuster, using the conventions of modern sci-fi/action trailers -- loud techno, lots of cuts, and goofy onscreen text with that "slam" sound to drive it into your dumb... READ ON

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You Betcha: A "Fargo" Documentary, Yah

"It's Siberia with family restaurants," -the Coen brothers explain Minneapolis in this half-hour documentary about their film Fargo. The film, entitled "Minnesota Nice," explores that eponymous ultra-polite culture of Minnesotans, and how that politeness can be repressive, even leading to violence. Also notable is a discussion of whether the film is entirely fictional -- although the film itself has a title card claiming to be based on real events, it's presented as fiction...except that it appears to be... READ ON

Big Question

Who Ensures That "No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This Film"?

GARY HERSHORN/Reuters/Landov That’s the work of the American Humane Association, who actually trademarked the phrase. The AHA first set up a committee to investigate abuse of animal actors in the early 20th century, when the horses used in many Western films were at risk for injury on the set. During filming of the 1939 movie Jesse James, a horse and its stuntman rider were sent over a 70-foot cliff into a river. The stuntman just lost his hat, but the horse broke its back and died. Spurred by... READ ON

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The Movie That Caused PTSD

Most people think of TV movies as cheesy, inferior versions of their big-screen counterparts, but no other movie has caused as much fear in its viewers as the BBC film Ghostwatch. The movie was shown on Halloween in 1992 and purported itself to be a real, live, on-air investigation of a haunted house, starting off the segment with the following... READ ON

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31 Bizarre Foreign Titles for American Movies

Film is perhaps America's greatest cultural export. That said, not every American film title translates well into other languages. To bridge the gap, foreign marketers take some very intriguing creative liberties. Many of the best mangled film titles come from China, where they are downright magical at jazzing up boring old English titles. 1. Pretty Woman – I Will Marry a Prostitute to Save Money 2. As Good as it Gets - Mr. Cat Poop (Apparently, Jack's character name, "Melvin," sounds a lot... READ ON

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Adam Savage Made His Own "Indiana Jones" Bullwhip

In this eight-minute video, MythBuster Adam Savage describes the construction of a replica Indiana Jones bullwhip. Savage made his first bullwhip in the early 90s, then got some advice from master whip maker David Morgan -- so Savage bought a piece of kangaroo hide (apparently kangaroo leather is exceedingly strong) and proceeded to make another whip, an 11.5-foot long one. (For the record, that's way longer than normal, making Savage's whip both dangerous and awesome.) The video is full of geeky whip... READ ON

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9 Baffling Movie Merchandise Tie-Ins

Every summer, movie season collides with merchandising mania to create a perfect storm of licensed nonsense. We, the human race, have proven to Hollywood time and time again that we will empty our pockets for anything with our favorite movie logo hastily slapped on it. But at least most of that junk allows us to momentarily remember why we loved the movie: Thor’s hammer. A Star Wars X-wing toy. Then there are these. 1. James Bond Scented... READ ON