Blogbdon » Movies

J.D. Salinger Was Mad Funny

Brandon — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:44 +0000

American author J.D. Salinger passed away yesterday at the age of 91. Most famous for his definitive coming-of-age novel “Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger was similarly known for his self-imposed life of “recluse.”

But success, once it arrived, paled quickly for him. He told the editors of Saturday Review that he was “good and sick” of seeing his photograph on the dust jacket of “The Catcher in the Rye” and demanded that it be removed from subsequent editions. He ordered his agent to burn any fan mail.

With all the time he had by himself, though, Salinger also became known for his letter-writing, much of which reflected his disgust for the outside world. So, you could imagine that when someone approached him about doing a movie adaptation of “Catcher and the Rye,” his response was not exactly friendly. The following is from the fantastic blog Letters of Note:

Ever since its release in 1951, a steady stream of eager producers, directors, screenwriters and actors have unsuccessfully attempted to bring J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye to the big screen, all falling at the first hurdle when confronted with Salinger’s resolute refusal to sell the rights to his novel. The letter below, written in 1957 in response to an enquiry from a Mr. Herbert (and currently for sale here), is a perfect example of the opposition faced and provides an entertaining glimpse at the author’s reasoning.

[via (the amazing) Letters of Note]

Let’s Play “Guess That Director”

Brandon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:30:56 +0000

The game is “Guess that Director,” and since the 0 degree weather in Copenhagen doesn’t exactly lend itself to games, I’m just going to give you one hint: the motherfucker loves explosions . No? Ok, well it’s Michael Bay , and it seems as though Victoria’s Secret has decided to shift their marketing campaign towards subtle, inside-film-joke humor, as they have allowed Bay to direct one of their new ads in what must be one of the funniest commercials ever produced. As per usual, Bay stays true to form, disregarding his subject matter and shoving in hard rock and bombs:

[via LikeCool]

“The Golden Age of Video” (video)

Brandon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:39 +0000

This thing is just amazing. I put it on my Facebook account last week and, while I don’t think that putting it on my blog will actually result in any more people watching it, I’m going to do it anyway. Highly recommended; just check it out:

[via (where else?) Kottke]

Why You Should Read My Blog

Brandon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:00:43 +0000

Because I find awesome shit like this. Now guess the movie:

And the rest are that awesome too. Check them out here at Paul Rogers.

And if you don’t know the answer, you suck.

Do the Helen Keller

Brandon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:20:24 +0000

This is probably uncharted Blogbdon area, but it’s entirely too amazing to not post about. I guess if I had really thought about it, I would have come to the conclusion that Hellen Keller had to have been able to communicate with someone in order for her story to be told. But I had no idea that she was able to talk, let alone that what is depicted in the following video, a 1930’s newsreel featuring Helen and her famed instructor Anne Sullivan, was even possible. This is truly incredible stuff:

[via Kottke]

The Complete Transcript of Quentin Tarantino’s Speech at Last Night’s Inglourious Basterds Premiere

Brandon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:16:34 +0000

“So, are you ready to see some Basterds?” [Mild applause]

“I said, are you ready to ready to see some Basterds fuck up some Nazis?” [Louder applause]

“Yeah, motherfucker!” [throws microphone on the floor]

Just pretty freaking badass.

BONUS: From another article on Vulture, here are Tarantino’s 20 favorite movies of the past seventeen years (in alphabetical order, no less) (or watch the video here):

Anything Else (2003)
Audition (1999)
Battle Royale (2000)
The Blade (1995)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dogville (2003)
Fight Club (1999)
Friday (1995)
The Host (2006)
The Insider (1999)
Joint Security Area (2000)
Lost in Translation (2003)
The Matrix (1999)
Memories of Murder (2003)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Speed (1994)
Supercop (1992)
Team America: World Police (2004)
Unbreakable (2000)

[via Vulture & Hollywood Elsewhere & Movieline]

Happy 4th of July from Blogbdon (so Watch this Clip from “Independence Day”)

Brandon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:38:36 +0000

Get it? “Independence Day?!”

Um, happy 4th of July from Blogbdon to all of my many, many readers, many, many, many readers (i.e. Connor and fam):

[via YouTube: “Independence Day” - Speech By The President (Bill Pullman)]

The Tarantino Mixtape

Brandon — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:51:10 +0000

Makes you simultaneously want to shoot heroin/a gun, enter a twist contest and vomit profusely all at the same time (in a spectacularly good way):

[via designyoutrust]

The New Borat: Bruno (with those two dots over the u)

Brandon — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:45:52 +0000

Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie Bruno, also known as Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt, comes out July 10th, and the first trailer has finally surfaced. I would wait until you got home to watch this one:

[via FILMdetail]

Tyson – The Documentary

Brandon — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:02:03 +0000

With the Internet abuzz about the surprisingly fantastic reviews for Adventureland and the so-sick-it-makes-you-want-to-cry awesomeness of the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer, it seems completely reasonable that an upcoming low-profile documentary might be overlooked amongst such buzz, despite the fact that it has the potential of being the most entertaining hour and a half of film of all time. In choosing to depict Mike Tyson's life in a documentary, the director has chosen a subject born with the God-given ability to make every word that comes out of his mouth incredibly entertaining (due either to the content of those words, or, um, his cadence in speaking them). Couple 90-minutes of Tyson highlights/commentary with the fact that it garnered a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and we have a movie that sits near the top of my to-see list for this year (but that, like the others on my list, I will almost definitely be too lazy to go see in the end). The documentary, ironically-titled "Tyson," (I made that irony thing up; but if it actually is ironic, give me props on that one) opens nationwide on April 24th, my birthday, clearly indicating my future in professional boxing. Also clear is the fact that I need to get some sleep, so, after all that writing, please just watch the damn trailer...it's bomb: