Tag: James Franco

This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (Nov. 5, 2011)

While you were too absorbed wondering whether or not Kim Kardashian’s wedding was a sham and in pondering the prospects of Herman Cain in light of the sexual harassment allegations, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed this week. Check out the links below.

Movies

FDR
"An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe." -- Stripes

John Goodman and Justin Timberlake are in cast of upcoming Coen Brothers film about the 1960s folk scene, Inside Llewyn Davis.

We have nothing to fear but . . . Bill Murray is playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in an upcoming film.

Albert Brooks turned down roles in Dead Poets Society, Big, Pretty Woman, and Boogie Nights. Regarding the latter, he was up for the Burt Reynolds role, not the Mark Wahlberg role.

What’s the story of Terrence Malick’s upcoming untitled film with Ben Affleck (in editing now)?

The new James Bond film, featuring Javier Bardem as the villain, will be called “Skyfall.” I wonder if Bardem will flip a coin. I also wonder why the New York Daily News story at the link still has Bardem’s name misspelled in the headline a day after posting the story.

James Franco plans to communicate with Tennessee Williams via Ouija Board.

New movie “Tower Heist” make use of anger at Wall Street.

In more serious film news, an Iranian appeals court overturned a sentence of prison and 90 lashes for actress Marzieh Vafamehr for appearing in a film.

Music

Director David Lynch is releasing his first music CD. Hear it on NPR.

Writer-critic Chuck Klosterman wrote an article about the new Metallica and Lou Reed album . . . and how it relates to quarterback Tim Tebow.

The official version of “Smile” from the Beach Boys was finally released. Also, here and you can stream all 40 tracks. (via @ThatEricAlper)

Fallon spoofs Bieber. It’s not my baby, baby, baby. . .

Liz Anderson, writer of several hit country songs for Merle Haggard and others, passed away. She co-wrote “I am a Lonesome Fugitive.”

Television

60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney passed away on Friday in New York City. Embedding is disabled, but you may watch his final regular appearance on 60 Minutes here.

Ellen DeGeneres talked about her experience on American Idol in a new interview.

Conan O’Brien officiated a gay wedding on his late-night show.

The U.S. State Department is employing a secret weapon to teach tolerance in Pakistan: Sesame Street. But Elmo leaves Big Bird in U.S.

What’s the deal with this missing Regis guy?” Jerry Seinfeld will be first guest host on Live! with Kelly.

What was your favorite story this week? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Pop Culture Roundup for December 2012
  • “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Short Review)
  • The First Farm Aid
  • How Does “Inside Llewyn Davis” Rank In the Coen Brothers Canon? (short review)
  • Lou Reed RIP: “Dirty Boulevard”
  • Red Band Trailer for Upcoming Coen Brothers’ Film: “Inside Llewyn Davis”

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    127 Hours (Short Review)

    During a time when I lived in Arizona, I often went hiking in the desert by myself. There is something about being alone in the wilderness by yourself that is rejuvenating. After seeing 127 Hours, though, you will think twice before heading off into the wilds alone.

    127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston

    In 2003, Aron Ralston was out hiking and climbing rocks when he fell in a canyon and a boulder trapped his arm. For the next five days, he struggled to stay alive and to try to figure out a way to escape. Anyone going to see the movie probably already knows how it ends. Knowing that, 127 Hours, which is based on Ralston’s book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, is pretty much what you expect.

    Although I had hoped to be surprised in some way, there was not a lot beyond what I expected. The accident happens early in the movie, and then it builds toward the brutal ending, and it is rather explicit even if some of it is thankfully blurred out.

    The ending, though, was somewhat surprisingly uplifting. In the loner’s struggle to get back to civilization and to get help from other people, there is a release from the anxiety. I am not sure, though, whether or not the release came from the telling of the story or whether, as in Mel Gibson’s The Passion, the movie slowly beats you into submission with its brutality so that you feel the emotion when you are finally released from that brutality.

    Is it worth seeing? If you know what happens and you are still curious, 127 Hours is worth seeing. James Franco, as always, does a good job, which is important in a movie such as this where the lead actor must carry the film. The scenery is captivating and best seen on a big screen. And it is a compelling true story about what a human being can do in desperate circumstances.