http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hollywood/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:59:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2051306/posts The tragic story of Roman Polanski, his life, his suffering and his crimes, has been told and retold until it assumes the status of legend. After the loss of his parents in the Holocaust, after raising himself on the streets of Nazi-controlled Poland, after moving to America to acclaim as the director of "Chinatown," after the murder by the Manson family of his wife and unborn child ... what then? He was arrested and tried for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13- year-old girl, one of several charges including supplying her with drink and drugs. Then he fled the country... Chicago Sun Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2051306/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:59:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051271/posts A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . . Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W." There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051271/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:55:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2051181/posts DHP Review: Towelhead Posted by Dirty Harry on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 During the Q&A, after a sneak preview of Towelhead, writer/director Alan Ball said of child rape, “Society wants us to believe that’s a soul destroying event, I don’t believe that.” The context of such an incendiary statement is important and can be found in his film, the story of a thirteen year old Arab girl, Jasira, (Summer Bishil) who‘s raped by her Army Reservist next door neighbor (Aaron Eckhart), molested by her mother‘s boyfriend, and sexually manipulated by Thomas (Eugene Bradley), a young man she goes to school... Dirty Harry's Place http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2051181/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:05:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050578/posts Hollywood's conservative underground 'Friends of Abe' group meets quietly EXCLUSIVE: A group of politically conservative and centrist Hollywood figures organized by actor Gary Sinise and others has been meeting quietly in restaurants and private homes, forming a loose-knit network of entertainers who share common beliefs like supporting U.S. troops and traditional American values. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050578/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:41:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050111/posts Usually, celebrity magazines gush over celebrities, from what they're wearing to the stupid political causes they pimp. But I must hand it to Us Magazine. While the glossy celebrity tabloid is guilty of featuring a several-page spread in its July 28th issue, with quotes and essays from myriad celebs telling us what they do to be green, Us does devote almost a a full page at the end to slam them for their hypocrisy. I believe it's TMZ, which has no prob slamming and dissing celebrity hypocrisy, for pushing Us and other magazines to tone the drooling down a notch.... debbieschlussel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050111/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050069/posts The comedy director who gave us such immortal movie lines as “Oh stewardess, I speak jive” and “Don’t call me Shirley” is now leveling his sights at documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. David Zucker, the director and writer who helped create “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” franchise has called on Hollywood’s tiny but tightly knit Republican A-list crowd to help him make a broad yet unusually right-leaning political satire titled “An American Carol.” The low-budget indie co-stars Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer with Oscar-winner Jon Voight, cinema icon Dennis Hopper, model-heiress Paris Hilton and frequent Zucker stooge Leslie Nielsen in minor roles.... politico.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050069/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:36:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049946/posts Who would have guessed that the latest Batman movie would have a conservative point of view? Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049946/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:29:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049987/posts The Dark Knight has no use for FISA By Sharon McGovern This is not a review, though I submit The Dark Knight kicks a** so very hard. Instead, this will be a brief look at themes employed in TDK; a sequel to Batman is a NeoCon. If you haven’t already contributed to the movie’s astonishing opening weekend take, you might want to decide right now if you want to read something that gives away a number of its plot points. The Dark Knight begins with “the bat man” having become a fixture in Gotham. He inspires resentment for the toll... Modern Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049987/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:06:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049787/posts What do you do when you're a fat, washed up actor who could never act, is tired of waxing your back, and now can't attract movie-goers? Oh, and you can no longer attract media attention as Mr. J-Lo a/k/a Ben-Lo? Well, if you're Ben Affleck, you become a reporter for ABC News. Affleck has been hired by the network news division to shoot a "documentary" (sounds like Michael Moore, only not as fat . . . yet) for "Nightline," the ABC's latenight news show. Yup, sadly, I had to "read" the July 14, 2008 issue of Us Magazine to learn... debbieschlussel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049787/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:43:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048858/posts Ok, after all the hype and reviews, I went to see Dark Knight yesterday. I go to the movies to be entertained and, like Ghoshbusters, I'm probably the only person out there who wasn't as entertained as all the hype suggested. The movie was too long and too intense. Too much needless violence. The movie should have ended when Two-Faced was revealed (and the coin flip thing grew old pretty quickly) but instead it went on for another 30 or 40 minutes. Bottom line, the Jason Bourne flicks still out do this one. Share your thoughts if you've seen the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048858/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:11:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049185/posts The Dark Knight Review There has never been a movie quite like “The Dark Knight,” Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated sequel to his reboot of the Batman franchise, “Batman Begins.” While that first film was certainly a great picture, this movie may forever change the genre. It is nothing like the hoards of generic comic book movies that come out this time of year. And unlike so many typical comic book films, it actually produces something for everybody. Spectacular action sequences? Check. A gripping storyline? Check. Heartbreaking romance? Check. Oscar-worthy acting by an A-list cast? Check. Gorgeous visuals and cinematography? Check. Bottom... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049185/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:49:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049752/posts The Media Mob has learned that a team of Hollywood insiders is currently working on a screen adaptation of Truth And Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power—the 2005 book by former CBS News producer Mary Mapes, in which she defends the 60 Minutes II story by Dan Rather about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, which ran on CBS in September 2004 and eventually led to her ouster from the network. Who would want to turn "Rathergate" into a feature-length film? According to sources familiar with the situation, Producer Mikkel Bondesen,... The New York Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049752/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:23:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049647/posts WASHINGTON, July 22, 2008 – After matching servicemembers re-entering the civilian work force with military friendly employers, “Hire a Hero” is stepping outside its box and trying some matchmaking of a different kind. The troop-support organization has teamed with Dreamworks Television and Mark Burnett Productions to help two deserving military couples have their dream weddings. The gesture is a thank you for their service and commitment to the country, according to the Hire a Hero Web site. “Providing something like this is just great,” said Rob Barr, a Hire a Hero representative. “It’s showing support for the troops, and... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049647/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:37:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049618/posts It’s official: we do not favor the hysteria surrounding the Olsen twins. While Elle and Harper’s Bazaar proclaim one of the twins - Mary Kate as a style icon, we here at The Fashion Time consider her hippie-drippy style weird and ridiculous. The first thing you should know about Mary Kate – she loves full length dresses and skirts. Maxi never looks good on short women. She loves belts which make her waist appear too skinny, and cause her to look like a victim of anorexia. She loves fur and is always criticized by PETA. She loves weird vintage pieces... The Fashion Time Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049618/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:56:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049518/posts A note from Radarsite: Why do so many Jews vote Democratic? Recently, in response to Gary Fouse's explosive reports on antisemitism at UC Irvine, and some other related articles, this question came up. And it is a good one. Why are so many American Jews so avowedly left-wing, even at the expense of supporting Israel? How can this be? How can American Jews align themselves with the pro-Arab, anti-Israel, Muslim-appeasing left? How could American Jews be so heavily involved in anti-American organizations like the outrageous ACLU? How did this happen? While I certainly do not pretend to have any... Radarsite http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049518/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:13:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049469/posts Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84. Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica. "She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."... 7online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049469/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:46:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049361/posts The Media Mob has learned that a team of Hollywood insiders is currently working on a screen adaptation of Truth And Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power—the 2005 book by former CBS News producer Mary Mapes, in which she defends the 60 Minutes II story by Dan Rather about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, which ran on CBS in September 2004 and eventually led to her ouster from the network. Who would want to turn "Rathergate" into a feature-length film? According to sources familiar with the situation, Producer Mikkel Bondesen,... New York Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049361/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:33:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049396/posts The Mediator (the quarterly newsletter of the awesome evangelical outreach to Hollywood, MasterMedia Internatonal) reports that Oprah Winfrey now airs a one-hour daily radio show on her XM satellite radio channel that takes listeners through the 365 lessons in the New Age tome "A Course in Miracles." The folks at MasterMedia got their information from truthorfiction.com If you're not familiar with the teachings of A Course In Miracles (which were supposedly channeled to the author by Jesus) you can check out the quotes on the truthorfiction page above (some of the quotes are from other New Age books, but... Thermonuclear Thought http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049396/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:42:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049053/posts It's not a comic book movie. That's the first thing you should know when your kids ask to see "The Dark Knight," this summer's biggest blockbuster. The film is vastly more true to Frank Miller's famous alternative view of The Batman than to the zap-pow camp of Adam West's TV portrayal and sanitized DC comics that filled our childhood. So how do you answer? Should your children see "The Dark Knight?" We turned first to our resident film fanatic and visual designer, Chuck Kim, the first of the Yahoo! Kids team to see the box office smash. "I would not... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049053/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:15:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048856/posts Chicago Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert today said he, like Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper, is severing ties with Disney-ABC Domestic Television's "At the Movies" in anticipation of major changes for the nationally syndicated program. Roeper said in a statement late Sunday that he would leave "At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper" next month after eight years, having failed to reach agreement with Disney on a new contract. Industry sources said that Disney is contemplating a reinvention of the movie review show with more of a Hollywood focus, along the lines of CBS Television Distribution's "Entertainment Tonight." Ebert, who has... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048856/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:58:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048600/posts God it must be fun to be Meryl Streep. She always seems to be having a blast. It’s certainly fun to watch her in “Mamma Mia!” You don’t often get to see 50-something women be as randy and rowdy as the boys in “Superbad.” But that’s what Streep, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters do while they steal the film away from every young hot body on that Greek island. And what an island. Sigh. If I lose my mind and get married I’ll head to that gorgeous church at the top of those winding stairs. What a magical place. It’s... Seacoast Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048600/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:29:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048586/posts Will Hollywood ever wake up and realize that all films about the Iraq war aren't doomed to failure — it's their bias that's the problem? Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048586/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:41:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048517/posts Holy blockbuster, Batman! The Dark Knight grossed a behemoth $155.3 million from Friday through Sunday, according to early estimates, to score the biggest three-day opening in box-office history, while leading the way on a weekend for the record books. The second Batman movie from star Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan finished at No. 1 (as anticipated, duh!), and, assuming the early estimates hold, it set new standards in just about every category imaginable. It scored the biggest three-day opening weekend of all time (beating Spider-Man 3's $151.1 mil bow). It achieved the best opening day and single day in... EW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048517/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048146/posts Batman is a neocon By Sharon McGovern In conservative circles there is a tradition of wailing and gnashing teeth over American movie culture. It’s well deserved. There is much about the industry that is despicable, movies are dauntingly complex to make, and most of what passes as film criticism—which might serve as a corrective or guide—is degraded and lame. It’s a near miracle that decent movies are made at all, let alone any that would please the notoriously fussy and uptight Right. The folly of the war in Iraq has been a defining theorem in Hollywood for the past few... Modern Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048146/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:30:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2047849/posts FR Reviews? The critics seem to like it. Rotten Tomatoes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2047849/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:39:26 GMT