The Killers have released their annual Christmas song. This time, the video for “Christmas in L.A.” stars Owen Wilson lamenting life in Los Angeles, dreaming of a white Christmas.
As was the case with The Killers’ seven previous Christmas singles, all proceeds from “Christmas in L.A.” go to to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS as part of a partnership with (RED).
In addition to Owen Wilson, the video for “Christmas in L.A.” also features an appearance by Harry Dean Stanton. And see if you can spot the animated Warren Zevon too. Check out “Christmas in L.A.”
Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis star in the upcoming movie Masterminds. The film, based on a true story, is directed by Jared Hess, who also gave us Napoleon Dynamite (2004).
Masterminds is based on the story of a real bank robbery that happened in 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a bank supervisor stole $17 million and ran off to Mexico. It was one of the largest bank robberies in history. Check out the trailer for the upcoming comedy take on the story.
For more about the real Loomis Fargo and Company heist, check out this video.
Masterminds hits theaters on August 7, 2015. Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1994, writer-director Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson produced their first short film together. The black and white short, Bottle Rocket, would later provide the basis for the 1996 feature film of the same name, which also starred Owen and his brother Luke Wilson.
As The Playlistrecently noted, it is interesting to watch the entertaining short film and recognize the absence of many of the trademark techniques that would later populate Anderson’s films. For now, you may watch the entire short film Bottle Rocket below.
What do you think of Bottle Rocket? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Happy Halloween! You probably have a favorite horror movie, but this week my favorite horror movie that was never made is The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders. Saturday Night Live ran the trailer that imagined how a horror film might look if it were made by writer-director Wes Anderson. The clip incorporates references to Anderson’s films, including The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Rushmore (1998), and Moonrise Kingdom (2012). Edward Norton, who guest-hosted one of the better recent SNL episodes, also does an excellent turn as Owen Wilson. Check it out.
FYI, Merriam-Webster defines “coterie” as “a small group of people who are interested in the same thing and who usually do not allow other people to join the group.”
What is your favorite part of The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Below are some good reviews of some good movies that we liked that you might have missed. Both of these movies, which are very different, are available on Blu-Ray and DVD.
How Do You Know (2010) seemed to fly mostly under the radar as just another romantic comedy, perhaps partly because of the generic-sounding name. It bombed with critics and bombed at the box office, perhaps partly due to poor marketing, as explained in The Washington Post. But How Do You Know was written and directed by James L. Brooks, who also directed and co-wrote screenplays for As Good As it Gets (1997) and Terms of Endearment (1983). And like those two movies, How Do You Know features Jack Nicholson, although in a smaller role than the previous films. While How Do You Know does not live up to those predecessors, it does have a touch of the Brooks magic in that it is not a predictable romp with two-dimensional characters like so many modern romantic comedies. The film features nice performances by Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd. If you have high expectations, though, you might agree with Manohla Dargis at The New York Times that it is “an airless, sometimes distressingly mirthless comedy.” Okay, the reviews are pretty much horrible (except this one from Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald). At the beginning of the film, I felt like something was missing, but as it went on, it was entertaining. It is not great, but if you are looking for a decent romantic comedy and go into it with modest expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised by this film.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) has critics and audience ratings of 90+% on the Rotten Tomatoes website. I do not think everyone will love it, and suspect that the high rating among audience members is because the people who would see this movie are the ones who would like it. Among others, Movie Habit gives the movie a good review. The South Korean film starts off with a boy being raised by a monk in an isolated area, and it follows the boy as he grows into a man. The movie has dialogue, but not a lot, so it is almost like watching a silent movie in a beautiful setting full of symbolism. I am still trying to decide how much I like it, but unlike How Do You Know, I will remember this one for a long time.
{Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}
What did you think of How Do You Know and of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring? Leave your two cents in the comments.
