Best Poster Of The Day: 'Red 2' Anthony Hopkins

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Newest Attempt to Sell 'Hitchcock'

New trailer plays much like the featurette that rolled out yesterday -- dry, so dry, and 'entertaining' though, yes, that goes in quotes. So far, 'Hitchcock' looks entertaining only in a conceptual way. It's informed with what might meet a textbook definition of that word, but real fun? -- doesn't seem like it.



















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Sexual Subtext

First poster is better, more conceptual, and graphically a nod to the style of the day, but this one is more fun in a purposefully not-that-subtle way.

Hitch's attitude toward women has been taking a beating lately.

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'You've Got Nudity In Here!'

Captivating. Can't take your eyes off. Everything, all the period stuff, Hopkins as Hitch, the forward motion, all look great. Great trailer.




















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'Hitchcock' Gets Classic Shattered Glass Poster

Not bad. Hopkins looks great.

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Poster for '360'

Quite a pedigree here. With Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, Ben Foster, and Maria Flor. Directed by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener, City of God) and written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon).

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Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock

Wow. Hey, they have the same initials. AH. Cosmic.

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Cast of 'Thor' Interview

'Thor' B-Rolls

B-Rolls usually have an awkwardness. Actors go through the motions of physical action scenes, or deliver dialogue heavy with portent without the support of vfx, music, or sound effects. It looks like a high school stage play rehearsal.

These two more so than most. There's so much green-screen in a movie like 'Thor' it's almost painful watching making-of footage. These guys just look so silly standing there, in character, reacting to the director's narration describing action from an invisible player who will be added months later using CGI.

But, that being said, shining through it all is a sense of hard work and conviction that goes into each second of raw footage. Especially in the second roll, in the scene with Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins.

Kenneth Branagh shows a lot of confidence. Seems there was good energy on set.

All in all, easy to watch. Makes me want to see the movie, which, frankly, I had no intention of before.

'Thor' Making-Of Featurette

'The RiTe' InTernaTional Trailer

They're Taking This very seriously. Nicely crafTed. Hope iT's good. I'll make popcorn, you open The Champagne.

Over On NPR

Terry Gross with Uma Thurman. How Gross gets these actors to open up is a wonder. They just seem to want to connect in ways you don't find in other interviews.

And, this tidbit on the math and technique of card counting featured in '21'. Apparently, it's as easy as 1 - 1 + 0 - 1 + 1 + 0 + 1...on and on for hours. Anyway, anybody can do it if they concentrate, and are crazy about winning money.

Laura Sydell re: Hannibal Lector. One of my favorite characters realized beautifully by Anthony Hopkins.

The piece, part of NPR's In Character series, is easy enough to listen to, but what I found most interesting are the comments of Helen Morrison, a psychiatrist who has made a study of serial killers which has resulted in a book, 'My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers'.

According to Wikipedia's (hopefully accurate) appraisal of Morrison's work, these killers have a few things in common, including:

Serial killers do not possess a concrete personality; rather, their minds tend to be a collection of disparate roles and facades they shift at will.

Okay, that's not much of a shock. Got it.

While such killers are often charming in person, their charm wears off if one interrogates them for several hours without a break. This is caused by strain - because their charm and personality are artificial, they cannot keep it up forever.

Once their personality constructs break down, serial killers fall into a bestial state. In this state, they lack any trace of humanity, and are nothing but urges and, occasionally, anger.

Now that I find interesting. This, however, I had never even thought of as being a possibility:

By examining additional cases from a cross-cultural and cross-historical sample, she claims that when serial killers receive enough psychiatric help (professional or otherwise) to fully comprehend their actions, they invariably commit suicide.

Invariably? You mean, someone has tallied the numbers on this? There's a movie in this last thing.

Very much makes me want to read Morrison's work. So -- I went looking and found this excerpt (if you can call 196 pages an excerpt).

After a few pages this book goes on my 'must read' list.