Tag: Quentin Tarantino

FIVE QUESTIONS: PAM GRIER Pam Grier will appear Saturday at the American Cinematheque in Hollywood to sign copies of her new memoir “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts” and a screening of “Foxy Brown” and “Jackie Brown,” but the 61-year-old star doesn’t dwell too much on her screen past. She is too busy with her hectic life, which includes philanthropic ventures and a variety of projects, including a co-starring role in an upcoming Tom Hanks movie and her recent work in the romantic comedy “Just Wright.” With films such as “Coffy,” “Foxy Brown” and “Sheba Baby,” Grier became the queen of blaxploitation films and, with the echoes of pop culture, a touchstone figure for the hip-hop generation. Quentin Tarantino revived her star power when he featured her in 1997’s “Jackie Brown” and her memoir reveals new layers to her Hollywood story — including stormy romances with Richard Pryor, Kareem ...

Rachel Abramowitz has been keeping us up to date on the 1980s-era revival with her report on the “Karate Kid” and another on “Red Dawn,” and today she’s got an update on “The Smurfs” movie. There are so many things to worry about in the world these days, but you can cross one off the list: Quentin Tarantino won’t be playing Brainy Smurf in the big-screen version of “The Smurfs” after all. “There were conversations about it, but it didn’t work out,” says Hannah Minghella, president of Sony Pictures Animation, which is making the movie with a blend of live-action and animation. “Quentin is such a fanboy that it was part of the appeal.”  Tarantino won’t portray the little know-it-all Smurf, but other notable names are l ining up with intense interest about joining the tribe of miniature blue imps. “You have no ...

As we reflect on the glory (or the tedium) of the 82nd Academy Awards, here’s an imaginary visit to a Hollywood where movie posters live up to the high standards of truth in advertising: These are part of great collection cooked up by the jokers at College Humor, you should check out the entire gallery right here… And this one may be my favorite of the fanboy-leaning films in the mocking collection…    – Geoff Boucher  Images: CollegeHumor.com MORE RANDOM SILLINESS Top 10 vintage Batman toys … including a somewhat lewd watergun  VIDEO: Iron Man versus Bruce Lee Captain America and Spider-Man meet … Abe Lincoln? VIDEO: “SNL” flashback: Superhero party circa 1979 George Lucas at 3 a.m.? Think Jar Jar Binks rubberwear VIDEO: “Watchmen,” now Saturday morning safe

I went to the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday and the highlight was spending time with the cast members of “Inglourious Basterds.” On the red carpet there’s more talk about fashion than film history, but Christoph Waltz of “Inglourious Basterds” stopped midway down the rug on Sunday to ponder his place in the cinematic history of dairy products. I had just told Waltz (who would soon pick up the night’s trophy for best actor) that he and director Quentin Tarantino were responsible for the scene with the scariest glass of milk ever. “Oh, I don’t know, there was a very ominous glass of milk in a Hitchcock film, let’s not forget.” Ah yes, of course, Cary Grant climbed the stairs with some glowing, poisoned milk in “Suspicion,” but to my mind Waltz matched that classic moment with his heartbreaking interrogation of a ...

“Inglourious Basterds” just hit store shelves on DVD and Blu-ray and the Hero Complex caught up with one of the film’s most memorable Nazi killers, Eli Roth, the filmmaker-turned-actor who finds himself now as part of a cast that was just nominated by the Screen Actors Guild as the best ensemble. I talked to Roth about the role, the changing legacy of director Quentin Tarantino and his own experience dealing with a surprising new fan base. SPOILER ALERT: A MAJOR PLOT POINT IN “INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS” IS REVEALED IN THIS POST. GB: So this was Quentin Tarantino’s highest-grossing film ever — it’s pulled in $312 million worldwide. It’s  interesting to consider. “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs,”  which seem like such towering films in pop culture, but in reality I guess they only reached a narrow audience… ER: And you’re going to tie this into my being on the ...

Hero Complex brought you an exclusive, in-depth piece yesterday on the future of Stan Winston Effects, the storied special-effects house founded by the late, great wizard of Hollywood. Now Gina McIntyre, who writes about horror for the H.C., brings us a chat with Greg Nicotero, another master of movie mayhem and the executive producer of a new documentary about the artistry of horror that airs tonight on Starz. If your DVD library contains multiple copies of the “Evil Dead” films, this one’s for you. The documentary “Starz Inside: Fantastic Flesh” features interviews with the makeup artists responsible for creating some of the most gruesome moments in horror cinema: Dick Smith, Tom Savini, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin and Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX, the Van Nuys-based shop that, during its 20 years in business, has amassed a lengthy ...