This is a guest post written by Darius Monsef. Darius is the Creator & Executive Editor of COLOURlovers.com. He is a creative consultant, entrepreneur and Internet Astronaut.

When a new viral video pops up on the internet it can reach upwards of 20,000,000 views… that’s more than can be said about any of Eddie Murphy’s latest films. Advertising agencies and major brands have begun to tap the creative class for commercials and funny sweded movie remakes… but how far off are we from a completely user generated feature film? [Read more →]

Tags:   Cloverfield · Eddie Murphy · George Lucas · Jack Black · Mos Def · MTV · Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation · Spike Lee · Steven Spielberg · The Blair Witch Project5 Comments

When Swede Warner Oland was hired to play Asian characters Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu in the 1930’s, it was because at the time Hollywood was reluctant to hire authentic Asians as leads. You’d think in the years since, casting agents would leap at the chance to prove how much progress we’ve made. You’d be wrong. Let’s look at a few examples where, for better or worse, you have to ask, “Why?”

Note: this post isn’t criticizing the acting performances (some, like Pacino’s and Montalban’s– inspired, others…not so much), it’s merely commenting on the casting choices themselves.

[Read more →]

Tags:   Akim Tamiroff · Al Pacino · Bernardo Bertolucci · Breakfast at Tiffany's · Charlton Heston · Christopher Lambert · Dick Van Dyke · Fu Manchu · Highlander · John Wayne · Keanu Reeves · Little Buddha · Marlon Brando · Mary Poppins · Mickey Rooney · Mike Myers · Pete Postlethwaite · Peter Sellers · Ricardo Montalban · Scarface · Sean Connery · Space Seed · Star Trek · Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan · The Conqueror · The Teahouse of the August Moon · The Usual Suspects · Tony Montana · Touch of Evil · Walt Disney · Warner Oland29 Comments

We apologize for the recent dearth of entries on Cineleet, but Cineleet staff has been busy recently with our “real” jobs. Updates are coming soon, however, so stick around, it’s gonna be a fun summer. In the meantime, I’d like to point some traffic towards my personal favorite film podcast, Filmspotting, featuring Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson, two wonderful blokes from Chicago.

Adam and Matty are focusing a series of podcast segments on great sci-fi movies of the 1970’s, a couple of which are featured in our tribute to Charlton Heston. I’m going to be listening along, and I recommend you do as well. Here’s their lineup:

• The Omega Man (’71)
• The Andromeda Strain (’71)
• Silent Running (’72)
• Soylent Green (’73)
• Logan’s Run (’76)
• The Man Who Fell To Earth (’76)

Filmspotting #208: Iron Man / The Omega Man / Top 5 Box Office Bombs (That We Like)

Tags:   Adam Kempenaar · Charlton Heston · Filmspotting · Logan's Run · Matty Robinson · podcast · Silent Running · Soylent Green · The Andromeda Strain · The Man Who Fell to Earth · The Omega ManNo Comments.

Yeah, I’ll admit it. I hate westerns. Oh, there are a small handful I truly enjoy, classics like John Ford’s The Searchers or revisionist Westerns like Unforgiven, but in general it’s hard for me to get enthused about dusty plains, cowboy hats and country music. But what if we consider the Western genre as one not confined to a certain era or locale? Westerns are generally defined as morality tales that take place in an untamed wilderness, featuring a antihero with a vague, often shady past, who adheres to a code of honor more powerful than the code of law. Villains are often entirely ruthless and cruel (even sometimes when working as a representative of the law). And the populace is typically completely subjugated by the villain to the point where they call upon the hero to rescue them. I have no problem with stories containing the characteristics I’ve just described…just not Westerns. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few Westerns where the basic tenets of the genre have been taken out of the crusty, dusty old west. [Read more →]

Tags:   A Fistful of Dollars · Akira Kurosawa · Big Jake · Coen Brothers · dashiell hammett · Escape From New York · Ethan Coen · Firefly · Gary Cooper · George Lucas · George Miller · Javier Bardem · Joel Coen · John Carpenter · John Ford · John Wayne · Joss Whedon · Kurt Russell · Lee Van Cleef · Mad Max 2 · Mel Gibson · No Country For Old Men · Outland · Peter Hyams · Sean Connery · Serenity · Sergio Leone · seven samurai · spaghetti western · Star Wars · The Magnificent Seven · The Road Warrior · The Searchers · Tommy Lee Jones · toshiro mifune · Unforgiven · western genre · Yojimbo8 Comments