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Natalie Portman vs. Mila Kunis In 'Black Swan' Reminds Us Of Other Great Character Foils

Posted 12/3/10 12:00 pm EST by in Commentary


Natalie Portman in Black SwanIt's not a big secret that the two female leads of "Black Swan," played by Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, are intentionally foils of one another. Portman's Nina personifies everything about the White Swan in "Swan Lake." She's poised, contained and rigid, so focused on her quest for perfection that she is seemingly passionless. Kunis' Lily, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the Black Swan: spontaneous, sensual and unrestricted. Together, they make one complete being.

The examination of these two characters' bond takes up a big part of the film, but analyzing character foils is nothing new to cinema. A character foil is described as "a character who represents a sharp contrast with the protagonist and thus serves to stress and highlight the protagonist's distinctive temperament," and plenty of films have them. We decided to take a look at some of our favorites after the jump. Read More...

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JetBlue Flight Attendant Steven Slater's In-Flight Movie Playlist

Posted 8/10/10 11:03 am EST by in Humor


In what is perhaps the most bizarre news twist of the week, JetBlue flight attendant Stephen Slater left work yesterday in grand fashion. After being harassed by an unruly passenger, Slater got on the plane's public address system, spewed some profanity of his own and disembarked via the aircraft's emergency slide after reportedly grabbing some beer from the galley. Slater was of course arrested for his actions, but as anyone who has worked in a service position knows, this was a downright heroic move. Curious what could have compelled him to cross over from thinking about no long suffering fools to making the conscious choice to stop suffering fools, we took a look at Slater's in-flight movies playlist*. And based on his viewing habits... well... it's no wonder he did what most of us will only ever fantasize doing. Find the picks after the jump.

* - No, we didn't ACTUALLY see his in-flight movie playlist. This is all a joke. Read More...

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Oscar's Sci-Fi Snubs: Which is the Most Offensive?

Posted 2/5/10 10:00 am EST by in Uncategorized


Over at MTV Movies main, we posted an article exploring whether the Oscar nominations for “District 9” and “Avatar” could finally snap the Academy’s long-held sci-fi stigma. While writing it, I took a look at the list of the greatest sci-fi films of all time on IMDb -- ranked by hundreds of thousands of votes from moviegoers -– and was floored by some of the titles that earned little or no Oscar recognition.

Below are some particularly egregious crimes against the genre – with the actual Best Picture winner listed in parenthesis. You tell me – all these years later, which film is better remembered? Read More...

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'Star Trek' Boldly Goes, Brüno Gets Sensational And More In The DVD Report For November 17

Posted 11/17/09 6:46 pm EST by in DVD


'Star Trek'While the rest of the planet is looking forward to "New Moon," here in the world of home entertainment it's all about looking back...specifically to two of the summer's biggest films which are now hitting store shelves. From space cadets to a fashion-savy Austrian, this is your DVD Report for Tuesday, November 17.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a group more anxious than "Star Trek" fans on the date director J.J. Abrams was tapped to reboot the franchise. It was a tall order. "Trek" had notably faltered at the box office after the dreadful "Nemesis," and had been unceremoniously dumped from the airwaves after the lackluster "Enterprise." And now here was a guy who openly boasted that he had barely watched "Star Trek." Even his directing credentials were thin -- a few television episodes here and there and one feature film in "Mission: Impossible III." It all made for a very skeptical fanbase for a franchise many thought should lay dorment to catch its breath. Read More...

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David Fincher Talks 'Fight Club' Musical, Britney Spears, And 'Benjamin Button'

Posted 12/22/08 4:13 pm EST by in News


David FincherI've pretty much been chasing another interview with David Fincher since the moment my last conversation with him ended nearly a year ago. Sure, his suffer no fools rep strikes fear in anyone in my line of work but the truth is I found Fincher to be a charming and thoughtful subject on the first go round. Now with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" set for release I got Fincher to sit down for another 30 minutes (not quite enough time to get into "Alien 3" alas....).

You can check out the bulk to the Fincher interview here (including a whole batch of exclusive photos) where he reveals more about his plans for a "Fight Club" musical than ever before. The director likens the stage version to "a rock show — a lot of projection, a lot of computer-generated imagery, a lot of conveyor belts...really cinematic but really twisted." A twisted David Fincher work?!? You don't say...

Be sure to check out our reports on what Fincher told me about his Keanu Reeves "Chef" project, the long gestating "Heavy Metal" flick, and his plans for his adaptation of "Torso," aka what you never knew about Elliot Ness.

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Edward Norton Denies Involvement In 'Fight Club' Musical

Posted 9/25/08 11:06 am EST by in News


'Fight Club'I’m still not convinced that the supposed “Fight Club” musical, which I’ve been writing about since February, isn’t just an elaborate practical joke from director David Fincher and novelist Chuck Palahniuk, although the author himself seemed sincere and insistent when MTV News last caught up with him in August.

What would it be like? How would the songs sound? What from the movie would make it in? Even though we’re no closer to knowing the answers to those questions, we now know what won't make it in – the stars themselves.

“I doubt it will be me and Brad [Pitt],” “Fight Club” star Ed Norton laughed when asked about the possibility of starring in a Broadway revival of perhaps his most iconic role. “I know Brad can’t sing!” Read More...

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Chuck Palahniuk Picks The Showstopping Moment Of 'Fight Club: The Musical'

Posted 8/29/08 9:56 am EST by in News


'Fight Club'There’s a distinct possibility that author Chuck Palahniuk and director David Fincher are seriously messing with us when it comes to a “Fight Club” musical, which the auteur himself first alluded to in an interview with MTV News this past January.

On the one hand, Palahniuk keeps talking about it with us, most recently during an interview for the latest movie to be adapted from one of his novels, “Choke.” On the other hand, it’s absolutely, positively ridiculous. Or, as “Fight Club” co-star Jared Leto remarked when we asked about it in April, “I think that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life."

“It seems bizarre but then ‘West Side Story’ probably seemed bizarre at the time it was made,” Palahniuk countered. Read More...

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