Links: Slayers, Ringers, Tomatoes, Beavers
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 2:00PM 
The blogging police have informed me that if I don't post the "first look" at Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) from Hunger Games I shall be banished forever from the Billion Kingdoms of the Internet. Satisfied? I guess I should read this book. But how to join the rest of the world in loving teenage killers? It's a gene that skipped me by. Except Buffy. But her victims were vampires so that was always kinda fun.
Tom Shone "An Argument Not Worth Having" via the topic of comedy via Bridesmaids.
Acidemic has a wonderfully fluid train of thought piece on Angelina Jolie's career trajectory and Demi Moore's apocalyptic 80s drama The Seventh Sign.
Go Fug Yourself is happy to see Jodie Foster out and about at Cannes with The Beaver. Except for that one accessory that's always attached to her hand.
The Advocate enjoyable interview with Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation and Our Idiot Brother)
Awards Daily Sasha says goodbye to another Cannes
Gallery of the Absurd has a 100% accurate portrait of Stephen King when a new novel idea hits him.
Movie|Line It's true. The Dark Knight Rises has begun filming. Commence endless disposable blogging about what it might be like. Oh wait, that startedback in summer 2008.
Zap2It Buffy or rather Sarah Michelle Gellar is back to series TV on the CW. Ringer, about identical twin sisters and mob targets, has been picked up. First photos follow.
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in RINGER
Throwing Tomatoes...
Serious Film does not much love Thor. It's one of the more scathing reviews you'll read.
Cheering these movies is beginning to feel like cheering a PowerPoint presentation at a meeting of Marvel stockholders.
Ouch!
Slant Magazine is even more vicious to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Reader Comments (11)
I didn't even know SMG was getting a new show. I think of her as the TV version of Kirsten Dunst. For some reason both of their careers have been overlooked because of their genre-roots and people keep forgetting that they're good actors.
I hope Ringers is brilliant.
(And gah, I love Rashida Jones. I'm so glad that she's working at the Parks and Rec office now. So glad she's getting more screen time.)
I loved The Hunger Games trilogy and I'm not one for violence, teen or otherwise (although I do make an exception for Buffy, too, I guess). The book's message is one of anti-violence and anti-war, for sure. Read it! I finished it in two days, same for most people I know who read it, it's just really fast-paced and addictive.
I haven't read the Hunger Games, only know of it from the little I've read about the (supposed) controversy about the heroine's looks, suggestion of ethnicity, etc etc etc - even without knowing that at all, I saw that photo of Jennifer Lawrence with the bronze skin tone and dark hair my own sister comes by naturally and thought, "if they wanted a girl suggestive of 'non-white' ethnicity, why didn't they just - oh, wait, they don't. they want the beauty of non-white features, but still feel safer having a white actress play the part." It just seems weird - if you have to alter someone's looks that much, get someone who looks the part. (And I'm not saying she won't be good, just that I'm already distracted by her bronzer, and that is not the way you want to get my attention.)
Aw, SMG was such a big part of my childhood with Buffy and her teen movies! Love seeing her back.
I hardly ever comment on anything fashion related (my gay genes missed that part and the Barbra Streisand thing... and so many other stereotypes) but looking at (stunning, of course, is there another word ?) Penélope in metallic red, (http://gofugyourself.com/well-played-penelope-cruz-05-2011 ) it instantly reminded me of Kate Winslet in her metallic silver dress and her sleek hair back when she won the Oscar. And then I remembered they became friends during that campaign. So I wonder if they ever give each other fashion advice. And now I'm totally confused, because I'd like to see them together in a movie as kick-ass comic (as in funny) super-heroines duo in metallic outfits.
So my confusion is because I don't know if I'm becoming gay-er being able to relate different outfits years apart or because I might be becoming straight-er if I want to see these two women together... but, probably it's just sleep deprivation.
Janice - The author has been asked if Katniss is white and she has confirmed that she is. SO no controversy. She's just supposed to have dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin tone. Which, you know, is still white but fans complained.
Nathaniel - READ THE BOOKS. Completely addictive. And not what you think they are...
That Slant Magazine’s article is wow.
@Janice, I'm not sure where you read those implications. Reading the book, the character of Katniss is from the region of the Appalachian mountains in the east and is described as white as can be. I didn't get the feeling of any ethnicity at all. The only thing I can think of are the multiple references to a "Seam" look, a look that implies a worker, a person who toils endlessly in the mines, and a poor person, not specifically an ethnic person. As a black girl myself, I would have totally jumped on that if the heroine of the novel were described as ethnic in any way, and it just wasn't the case.
And also, Nathaniel....READ THE BOOKS...SOOOOO F-CKING GOOD.
Saw a two minute or so clip of The Ringer - impressively cinematic, almost (*almost*) like a DePalma thriller. though that's probably just souped up production values for the pilot. still, looks really fun, and it's great to have SMG back on the air.
Man, what an image with SMG. This is now easily my most anticipated new TV show.
Here's a Ringer clip. It does look good, at least from an aesthetical point of view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SCaB09ER9I