Tag: Movies
The Telegraph’s Top Hotels on Film
by Eva Holland | 04.03.09 | 10:16 AM ET
The Telegraph rounds up 10 real-life hotels that have taken starring turns in major films—and from where I’m sitting, it’s a very good list, with a nice mix of classics and more modern fare. My favorite? Tokyo’s Park Hyatt, which played such a crucial role in creating that bang-on sense of travel’s isolation and disconnectedness in “Lost in Translation.”
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Yahoo! BuzzFilmed Here: ‘Men in Black’
by Eva Holland | 04.02.09 | 12:15 PM ET
Photo by Eva Holland I celebrated the spring weather this week by heading out to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, aka “the Central Park of Queens,” for a wander in the sun. I didn’t know much about the park, beyond the name of the nearest subway station—so imagine my surprise when I walked through the gates and saw ... an extra-terrestrial spacecraft?
More precisely: what I saw was the observation tower of the now-abandoned New York State Pavilion (a relic from the World’s Fair), which served as a murderous alien’s would-be get-away vehicle in the climactic scene of the 1997 Will Smith flick, Men in Black. I’d seen the movie before, of course, but had never known where that final battle was set. Coming across the “space ship,” and the nearby Unisphere (which also plays a role in the battle), got me thinking about action movies and the major landmarks they use as props.
Anthony Hopkins Takes Lead in Upcoming Hemingway Movie
by Eva Holland | 03.26.09 | 10:21 AM ET
The veteran, Oscar-winning actor has been cast as Ernest Hemingway in an upcoming indie titled “Hemingway and Fuentes,” Hollywood.com reports. Andy Garcia—who will also co-write and direct the movie—will play Gregorio Fuentes, a friend of Hemingway’s in the author’s final years who is said to be the real-life inspiration for Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea fame.
As always when a beloved literary figure or book is involved in a Hollywood production, my first reaction to this news is gut-clenching anxiety. Hemingway’s stories and novels—not to mention his Paris memoir, “A Moveable Feast”—have done as much as the “official” travel literature canon to make me curious about the world over the years, and unfortunately the movie industry has let book-lovers down too many times. But on the other hand, Anthony Hopkins is a fabulous actor who makes smart script choices more often than not, so I suppose there’s reason for hope.
What do you think of Hopkins as Hemingway? (Via Alltop)
Movie Tourists Haunting a Connecticut House
by Eva Holland | 03.23.09 | 12:00 PM ET
Publicity still for "The Haunting in Connecticut" via IGN Hollywood’s latest big-screen horror story isn’t even in theaters yet, but The Haunting in Connecticut is already drawing visitors to the real-life suburban home that spawned the urban-legend-turned-movie—and its living residents are not pleased. “Most people are respectful. They stay on the road. They might take a picture,” homeowner Susan Trotta-Smith told the AP. “But we have had a few problems with people kind of rudely coming up to the door and scaring our kids, telling them the house is haunted.” Added a local police sergeant: “There are creatures looming in the night but not inside the house. They happen to be people who are trespassing on the property, looking in windows and that kind of stuff. People are going to be disappointed. There are no ghosts.”
The movie is based on stories about the house—a former funeral home—that went around the paranormal research community in the 1980s. It lands in theaters on Friday, but don’t expect a glimpse of the real deal; filming took place in Manitoba.
Is an ‘Angels and Demons’ Boycott in the Works?
by Eva Holland | 03.23.09 | 10:00 AM ET
Publicity still from "Angels and Demons" (via IGN) Get the Big Picture blogger Colin Boyd rounds up rumors from Reuters and Italy’s La Stampa newspaper about a possible Vatican-backed boycott of the upcoming Dan Brown adaptation. The movie—which has already spawned the inevitable bus tours—hits theaters in May, and Boyd is doubtful that a boycott would have much impact (or at least, not the sort of impact the Vatican is hoping for) on its potential success. He writes: “Perhaps there is no better, more effective form of advertising and buzz-building than a good ol’ fashioned protest. I can’t think of any product or service, actor or athlete who became less well known following a public ignoring session.”
What Some Locals Have To Say About SXSW
by Sophia Dembling | 03.20.09 | 3:56 PM ET
Twitterers are all a-twitter about the fun they’re having at SXSW in Austin, and the party is only just getting started. But are long-time locals having as much fun being descended upon by the hipster masses? I polled a few of my Austin buddies about the fun they’re having ... or not.
Brook Silva-Braga on ‘One Day in Africa’
by Eva Holland | 03.19.09 | 1:19 PM ET
Over at Brave New Traveler, Ian MacKenzie interviews the creator of the backpacker documentary A Map for Saturday about his latest project and the challenges of telling a story about Africa. Brook Silva-Braga had the idea for his new documentary, One Day in Africa when he was offered the chance to cross the continent from north to south. “The trip offered a great chance to visit a large part of the continent but the disadvantage of moving through each place pretty quickly,” he said. “So the solution I came up with was to profile people throughout Africa but only for a single day.” In choosing his six subjects, Silva-Braga said he “wanted to avoid the easy traps of filling stereotypical boxes like ‘the guy with AIDS’ and ‘the woman in a refugee camp.’ Instead I was looking for people who could articulate what was important to them and give a sense of what life in their community is like.”
“One Day in Africa” will be making the rounds on the spring festival circuit; it premieres at the Cleveland Film Festival next week. Check out the wanderlust-inducing trailer:
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Where the Wild Things Are’
by Eva Holland | 03.19.09 | 11:00 AM ET
Yet another beloved tale of childhood exploration is getting the Hollywood treatment. Cue the chorus of groans, right? Maybe. But while a live action movie version of Where the Wild Things Are might seem like a disaster waiting to happen, I’m actually cautiously optimistic about the adaptation. The always original Spike Jonze is directing, and Jonze also collaborated with novelist Dave Eggers on the script. Meanwhile, the cast includes Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener and James Gandolfini. A talented group like that couldn’t get Max’s journey to the land of the Wild Things all wrong, could they? (Let’s hope not.)
Get the Big Picture has a sneak peek of the first poster for the movie, which is due out in the fall.
What We Loved This Week: Twitter, Portland’s Cheap Eats, ‘Before Sunrise’ and More
by World Hum | 03.13.09 | 2:18 PM ET
Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days:
Valerie Conners
Trip-planning via Twitter and the fabulous tweeps following @worldhum. I’m heading to Buenos Aires in April and have been posting questions out to our twitterverse of followers, looking for tips on sights, food, estancia tours and more—the response has been so warm and incredibly helpful. What an amazing resource. Some great ideas have crossed my path and are making their way into my itinerary.
Eva Holland
I watched one of my favorite travel movies, “Before Sunrise,” again for the first time in a couple of years and was thrilled to find that none of the crazy, spontaneous magic of Jesse and Celine’s one night in Vienna had worn off. Here’s a classic sequence:
Headed to Austin for SXSW?
by Eva Holland | 03.12.09 | 11:26 AM ET
Well, consider me envious. The sprawling festival somehow stays right on top of the music, film and new media/tech scenes, and it’s hosted by one of the country’s favorite smaller cities to boot. Just in case you haven’t already got your every minute mapped out, I’ve rounded up some last-minute recommendations and ideas.
The SXSW Insider’s Guide has a hot thread debating the year’s must-see bands (and hey, some of the posters even give helpful rationales/context for their picks), while the Screengrab bloggers offer their picks for must-see documentaries (parts one and two) and narrative feature films.
Hollywood Heads to Bollywood
by Eva Holland | 03.10.09 | 3:12 PM ET
Turns out, it really is a small world after all. Kylie Minogue has wrapped up filming for an upcoming Bollywood flick, “Blue,” making her one of the first big-name Western stars to land on a Mumbai sound stage. “I don’t feel that I’m necessarily at the forefront of a Hollywood-Bollywood crossover because I don’t consider myself Hollywood,” Minogue told the Telegraph. “But I do think this could be the start of something. The fact that I’m here shows it could be the start of something.”
Early signs suggest she’s right—Sylvester Stallone is set to do the Bollywood thing later this year. And—rumor has it!—Arnold Schwarzenegger will be joining him. Could the Bolly/Hollywood fusion become another wonder of our shrinking planet?
I’m all for it.
Travel Movie Watch: Pixar Takes to the Sky
by Eva Holland | 03.09.09 | 9:11 AM ET
The animation giant has dabbled with travel before—“Cars” landed on our list of great travel race movies not so long ago—and now, its latest offering looks set to take viewers on the road (or in this case, into the air) again. Up is due out in May, and follows the adventures of a grumpy old man who turns his house into a flying machine and takes off to see the world, accidentally bringing a Boy Scout in tow. Unlikely premise? Well, sure. That’s why it’s a cartoon. But I’ll bet Pixar has some fresh and fun things to say about adventure and the life-altering power of a great journey. The trailer is below.
What We Loved This Week: Kutiman, the Scorpions, Meat (Glorious Meat)
by World Hum | 03.06.09 | 4:14 PM ET
Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Rob Verger
I loved this hilarious pro-flying bit by comedian Louis CK on the Conan O’Brien show. My favorite part? When he says, “Everybody on every plane should just constantly be going, ‘Oh my god, wow!’”
Valerie Conners
Meat, glorious meat! Went to one of Philly’s more interesting restaurants, Ansill, to try the special “European Barbecue.” It involved a plethora of mysterious meats (think quartered hearts and kidneys from an unidentified beast) and very tasty grilled meats served with a variety of dipping sauces. The experience brought me right back to my days living in Leuven, Belgium, and one of my fave restaurants there.
Promo Videos Gone Wrong: ‘Tourist’
by Eva Holland | 03.05.09 | 9:46 AM ET
OK, OK. So this isn’t precisely a promotional video from a hapless tourism board. But still, this hilariously dated trailer for a 1980 made-for-TV movie, Tourist—described as “an adventure-filled journey through the glamor capitals of Europe”—fits the bill and gets a chuckle or two, don’t you think?
Is ‘One Week’ Canada’s ‘Into the Wild’?
by Eva Holland | 03.03.09 | 3:41 PM ET
For such a vast (and, like its neighbor, public-transportation-challenged) country, Canada hasn’t produced as many great road trip movies as you might expect. Sure, there’s the quirky Thunder Bay-to-New Orleans indie, Highway 61, but most of the action takes place south of the border. And Dan Aykroyd’s brief cameo in “Canadian Bacon” never gets old, but if you want to be a purist about it, that’s an American-made movie. So there’s a void waiting to be filled here—and this week, we may finally have a candidate to fill it.
One Week stars Joshua Jackson as the terminally ill Ben, who decides to give up the daily grind and ride a vintage motorcycle from Toronto to Tofino, British Columbia, visiting corny landmarks and touching random strangers’ lives in unexpected ways as he goes. (Sound familiar?) Throw in a few cameos from Canadian rockers, an inevitable hockey reference or two, and some stunning wide-angle shots of mountains and prairie, and you get—as the Globe and Mail’s Liam Lacey puts it—an “alarmingly life-affirming road movie.” The film opens across Canada this Friday. There’s no word yet on a U.S. release, but we’ll keep you posted; I’m betting the scenery alone will make this one worth seeking out. Check out the trailer and see for yourself:
All the ‘Slumdog’ News That’s Fit to Print
by Eva Holland | 02.27.09 | 11:25 AM ET
If I hadn’t already used the unstoppable Slumdog line a few weeks ago, you can bet I’d be putting it into play now. Since its big win at the Oscars, the name has been popping up everywhere, and frankly—despite the fact that I loved the movie—I’m reaching my saturation point.
Let’s briefly review the latest developments, and then (I promise) I’ll clam up on this movie-turned-full-blown-phenomenon. Here goes: the two young stars may or may not be the leads in a real-life love story, flats are being rented and trust funds set aside for the youngest child actors (who are slum-dwellers in their off-screen lives, too), and amidst all the media noise the film’s box office haul has just passed the $100-million mark. Oh, and did I mention that there’s a Broadway musical in the works?
Whew. With all the gossip flying around, it’s easy to lose track of the things that got everyone talking “Slumdog” in the first place—namely the movie’s unforgettable sounds and colors, and the universality of its fairy-tale story. So for my last word on this subject, I’ll call on rapper M.I.A. She’s got a video reminder, after the jump:
‘Up in the Air’: The Movie
by Eva Holland | 02.25.09 | 10:23 AM ET
World Hum’s been keeping an eye on Walter Kirn’s travel-centric novel, Up in the Air, since the site was brand new. The book, which follows frequent flier Ryan Bingham as he embarks on a mileage-running binge, brought us both one of our favorite terms—Airworld—and one of our favorite fictional travelers. So naturally, the news about an upcoming film adaptation provokes both excitement and anxiety.
The good news? Early signs about the production are positive: Jason Reitman, who did great work (in my book) with both “Juno” and “Thank You For Smoking,” has signed on as writer-director, and no less a heavyweight star than George Clooney will be playing the mile-hungry protagonist. There’s no firm release date yet, but Jaunted notes that “Up in the Air” was spotted filming at Detroit’s DTW yesterday.
Richard Gere: World-Changing Innkeeper
by Eva Holland | 02.24.09 | 11:05 AM ET
The Hollywood superstar recently bought and restored a derelict 18th-century Westchester inn, and—as he and his wife recently told New York magazine—they’re hoping to make it into much more than a spot for a good meal or a night’s rest. “I want this to be a place where the minds of people who could change the world would meet,” said Gere. (Via NewYorkology)
A Very International Oscars
by Eva Holland | 02.23.09 | 2:38 PM ET
Last night’s Oscars ceremony is likely to be up for debate for some time—among the most contentious issues, for me, is the fact that the cast of “High School Musical” got more screen time than most nominees—but one thing is certain: it was the most international Oscars since 2004, when Charlize Theron thanked everyone in South Africa, and the winners from “Lord of the Rings” managed to name-drop just about everyone in New Zealand, too.
In the 2009 edition, there were acceptance speeches smattered with Spanish (Penelope Cruz, for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) and Tamil (A.R. Rahman, the composer for “Slumdog Millionaire”), there were shout-outs to Mumbai (from the assortment of “Slumdog” winners, who took home 8 awards between them), and there were two separate winners from Japan.
My favorite globally-flavored Oscar moments, after the jump:
Ang Lee to Direct ‘Life of Pi’ Adaptation?
by Eva Holland | 02.23.09 | 11:25 AM ET
The movie version of the bestselling novel, which follows the story of a young boy adrift on a life raft with a Bengal tiger after a Pacific Ocean crossing gone wrong, has been in the works for years. Now, after a series of ups and downs, it looks as though the film may be moving forward: Ang Lee, the Oscar-winning director of “Brokeback Mountain,” is in “the final stages of talks” to sign on as director, the Globe and Mail reports. Said the book’s author, Yann Martel: “If Fox closes a deal with Ang Lee, I’ll be very happy. He’s a superb director with a varied and dazzling output ... He’d do a great job with ‘Life of Pi.’”