Tag: Movies
Julia Roberts: Eat, Pray, Offend the Locals
by Eva Holland | 09.24.09 | 9:51 AM ET
There’s trouble on the set of “Eat, Pray, Love” in India: Apparently, local villagers were banned from praying in their ashram during an important religious festival because filming was going on inside. Said one local police officer:
There are more than 100 policemen outside the Ashram Hari Mandir and almost equal number inside the premises, both uniformed and in civilian disguise. Nobody can breach this cover and no outsider is allowed to enter the ashram, no matter whosoever he or she is. We have strict instructions.
Now that’s what I call a “hearts and minds” strategy.
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Yahoo! BuzzHappy 70th Birthday, ‘The Wizard of Oz’
by Eva Holland | 09.22.09 | 1:57 PM ET
One of the all-time classics is celebrating its 70th anniversary this month, with a brief return to theaters and a fancy new Blu-Ray disc. Beyond all its other accomplishments, the film deserves a mention for summing up the feelings of many a traveler over the years: “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Road, Movie’
by Eva Holland | 09.18.09 | 3:08 PM ET
The Indian flick, which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, follows a young man as he attempts to escape the family business, traveling Rajasthan in an old truck loaded with film projectors and movie reels. To judge by the trailer, it’s going to be a good one:
There’s no word on North American distribution plans beyond TIFF, but if “Road, Movie” makes a splash at the festival—and assuming last year’s “Slumdog Millionaire” explosion has left plenty of viewers wanting another taste of India—I’d bet it will turn up in select theaters before Christmas.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘A Moveable Feast’
by Eva Holland | 09.17.09 | 10:29 AM ET
Hemingway’s classic Paris memoir looks to be getting the book-to-big-screen treatment: The author’s granddaughter, actress Mariel Hemingway, has acquired the film and TV rights and is moving ahead with the project. There are no details yet, but plenty of intriguing questions. For instance, how might the movie handle the editing controversies of the book’s two dueling print editions? And who will play Hemingway, not to mention the cast of literary all-stars—Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald and more—that surrounded him in Paris?
As always when a favorite book is being adapted, I’m nervous and skeptical. But I’m also very, very curious to see how this one plays out. (Via EW’s News Briefs Blog)
R.I.P. Patrick Swayze
by Eva Holland | 09.14.09 | 8:55 PM ET
The actor has died at age 57, after a two-year battle with cancer. Swayze starred in the surfing favorite “Point Break,” and his biggest success, “Dirty Dancing,” recently made our list of great summer vacation movies.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Up in the Air’
by Eva Holland | 09.11.09 | 12:59 PM ET
The first trailer for the much-anticipated adaptation is here. Check it out:
“Up in the Air” will be making a big, red-carpeted splash at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend. Beyond that, it goes into limited release Nov. 13 and—with a recent bump-up in the schedule—hits theaters nationwide on Nov. 25.
Finding ‘The Third Man’ in Vienna
by Eva Holland | 09.03.09 | 4:21 PM ET
Paul Gogarty’s Graham Greene-themed tour of the Austrian capital goes well beyond that famous Ferris wheel.
‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Update: Eating in Rome With Julia Roberts
by Eva Holland | 08.31.09 | 2:33 PM ET
The actress has been spotted at restaurants and markets around the city as filming for the first phase of Eat, Pray, Love gets under way. Meanwhile, since our last update, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis and (rumor has it) James Franco have all signed on to the project—fine additions to an already outstanding supporting cast.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘2012’
by Eva Holland | 08.27.09 | 10:43 AM ET
I caught the trailer for “2012” on the big screen last night, and let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many global landmarks and tourist must-sees being smashed to bits in one three-minute clip. Go ahead, try to count ’em up:
Gives new meaning to “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” doesn’t it? The flick hits theaters in November.
Why Japan Hearts the Amish
by Michael Yessis | 08.19.09 | 9:26 AM ET
Blame Harrison Ford. At least a bit. The movie Witness “stoked the trend” of Japanese fascination with the Amish, according to an intriguing story Jon Rutter.
Beyond that, he writes, the societies have “deep parallel currents.” Among them: “Both espouse collectivism, religious faith, hard work and frugality.” He adds: “Both exhibit marked deference to elders and have deliberately distanced themselves from the outside world.” (Via The Morning News)
Bollywood Mega-Star Questioned at Newark
by Eva Holland | 08.17.09 | 1:52 PM ET
"My Name is Khan" poster via Bollywood Hungama Shah Rukh Khan is one of Bollywood’s best-known stars, and his apparent detention for questioning at Newark Liberty International Airport this weekend has touched off a minor diplomatic incident between the U.S. and India. The silver lining for the actor? Plenty of free publicity for “My Name is Khan,” his upcoming movie about—wait for it—an Indian traveler’s struggles with racial profiling in America.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘When in Rome’
by Eva Holland | 08.17.09 | 10:25 AM ET
Girl goes to Rome. Girl meets boy in Rome. Magic Roman fountain causes boy and girl to fall in love. Yes, the latest flick in the grand tradition of movies about young Americans finding romance in Europe is en route. The latest incarnation stars Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel and the aforementioned magic fountain. Here’s the trailer:
Movie Tourism Hot Spots Worldwide
by Eva Holland | 08.13.09 | 2:25 PM ET
Over at BootsnAll, Victoria Brewood rounds up some of the most famous movie locations outside America. They’re all solid choices (though “South America” is maybe a little too broad to be very useful for the keen movie tourist) and mostly linked to high-impact flicks, like “Star Wars” or “Lord of the Rings.” From my own experience I’d add a few spots in England, for the “Harry Potter” franchise and Udaipur’s Lake Palace, in India, where “Octopussy” was filmed.
Oh, and don’t forget about that friendly neighbor to the north—after all, a lot of those “American” movies you’ve seen were actually filmed in Canada.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Paper Heart’
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 3:36 PM ET
Publicity still via IGN The genre-bending new romance/comedy/documentary stars comedian Charlyne Yi as she travels North America interviewing strangers in an effort to understand what love’s all about. An assortment of celebrity buddies pop up as she goes—Yi is a peripheral member of the Judd Apatow crew—and, eventually, she runs across Michael Cera, of “Juno” and “Superbad” fame. The “doc” takes a new direction as the two strike up a relationship and the crew struggles to capture it all on film—but, as CBC’s Lee Ferguson points out, it’s not clear how much of the footage is genuine, and how much staged.
Genius meta-movie or hipsters gone too far? I’ll look forward to finding out, hopefully in between some armchair travel goodness. Here’s the trailer:
The Critics: ‘A Perfect Getaway’
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 9:07 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN Remember that movie about beautiful people murdering each other on an isolated Hawaiian hiking trail? It’s landed in theaters, and the reviews are piling up.
The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Cole sets the scene: “Newlyweds Cliff and Cydney are excited to be in Hawaii. He’s a screenwriter without a credit. She’s a rich girl without a clue. And they’re looking for a honeymoon adventure to fuel an interesting marriage. To that end, they’re going to backpack around one of Hawaii’s most rugged islands, climbing slippery cliffs and scooting, doused in insect repellent, through heavy jungle.”
Of course, it isn’t long before things go pear-shaped, when another hiking couple turns up dead. Cue a murderous shell game with the remaining three couples—throughout which, according to Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News, director David Twohy “uses the beautifully shot waterfalls and vistas of Hawaii to distract from some glaring plot holes.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt offers Twohy a backhanded compliment, lauding a “genuinely unexpected twist” in an “otherwise gimmicky, formulaic suspense thriller”—and, disappointingly, notes that the movie was mostly shot in Puerto Rico, not Kauai.
‘The Cove’ Takes Aim at Dolphin Encounters
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 2:00 PM ET
A new documentary hopes to dampen the demand for “dolphin encounters,” the ever-popular swim-with-dolphins attractions found worldwide. “The Cove,” which won the Audience Award at Sundance before opening in theaters this past weekend, examines the killing and capture of dolphins in coastal Japan—and its star, Ric O’Barry, says explicitly that one of the filmmakers’ goals is to make tourists “think twice before buying a ticket.”
Picturing a staid moralizing tale? Think again. The movie is being billed as part “Flipper” and part “Bourne Identity”—here’s the surprisingly dramatic trailer:
Nina and Tim Zagat: Movie Critics
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 1:14 PM ET
In the Atlantic, the restaurant-reviewing power couple weighs in on Julie and Julia, the culinary comedy that opened this weekend. (Via The Daily Dish)
R.I.P. John Hughes
by Eva Holland | 08.06.09 | 5:45 PM ET
Hughes, who wrote “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” has died of a heart attack at age 59. Other travel movie favorites from the prolific writer-director included “European Vacation,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and “The Great Outdoors”—the last two made our lists of great travel race movies and great summer vacation movies, respectively, while we gave “Vacation” the World Hum Travel Movie Club treatment for its 25th anniversary last summer.
For my part, I’ll never be able to visit Chicago without thinking of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” another Hughes classic.
A Global Foodie Tour on Film
by Eva Holland | 08.06.09 | 10:04 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN With Julie and Julia set to open tomorrow, bringing a true food-blogging tale to the masses, the Globe and Mail’s Alexandra Gill decided to come up with a list of 10 cooking-centric movies—and winds up offering a global culinary tour-by-DVD. There are stops in Taiwan, Denmark, New Jersey, Mexico, and—no surprise here—three trips to Paris.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘The Tourist’
by Eva Holland | 08.04.09 | 3:18 PM ET
The French thriller Anthony Zimmer is being remixed for English speakers as “The Tourist,” starring Charlize Theron and Sam Worthington. Theron will play an agent who seduces an unwitting American tourist in order to lure a criminal mastermind out of hiding, while Worthington will play either the tourist or the agent’s dastardly quarry—either way, if the trailer for the original is anything to go by, there will be plenty of intrigue on TGV trains and other French eye candy for armchair travelers. The movie is due out in late 2010.
Here’s that original trailer, un-subtitled I’m afraid: