Dog Days and Blurb Whores.

Welcome to August, a month where heat makes you do crazy things. This hasn't been a very wet or hot summer but it's definitely been American. Just a few little bits o' news and commentary today before I sign off for the week. David Hudson, if he survived his family vacation, will be back full-time next week.

Just a couple of things, then, before I sign off...

1.) Ewan MacGregor, in an interview in the Independent UK, declares his role in the upcoming in an interview in Young Adam is "possibly the most introverted and complicated part that I have ever played." He also sounds pretty tired of Star Wars (aren't we all?) and launches some shots at the British financiers who held up Young Adam. But the best part is sex, talking about his purportedly rowdy sex scene with Emily Mortimer, that is.

2) "Gigli" is making people giggle, unintentionally. Looks like the first true bomb of the Summer (which is impressive), a Glitter of '03. In the LA Times, Manhola Dargis calls it "nearly as unwatchable as it is unpronounceable" and that it would stink even without the two stars. Amusing, too, is the SF Weekly: "The best that can be said about it here is that it doesn't beat out The Ladies Man as the most abrasively awful film of the past five years, though whoever chose to greenlight a film about a mobster baby-sitting a retarded youngster who helps him to 'convert' a lesbian really should be fired." So, it's not good, is what you're saying?

3) Speaking of critics n' blurbs, this is nothing new but I've been thinking even more than usual lately about those people who for lack of a better term can rightly be called "blurb whores" -- pseudo-critics whose names and effusive quotes can be seen on every movie advertised on TV and in the papers. No matter how terrible the film obviously is, there they are, the Pat Collins and Jeff Craigs (does anyone actually listen to "Sixty Second Preview") and the Joe Schlabotnick of Spring Break Newsletter or whatever. People who make Gene Shalit look like Pauline Kael.
Anyway, here's an amusing summary of how the term "blurb whore" started.

And then I thought I'd open up a discussion -- what is the most ridiculous blurb-whore-blurb you've seen in recent times? I also like ads that take blurbs from reviews where the critic obviously didn't even like the film. "Interesting..." -- NY Times. (From a longer review, "The premise was interesting for about twenty minutes but then the whole film fell apart.") Here's a real one: "Completely over the top" -- aintitcoolnews.com, for Boat Trip. (Btw, is Cuba Gooding slumming or what?)

You can tell a blurb whore by how cutesey-catchy they try to be, summarizing their thoughts in dumbed-down sound bites. A good new example is: "This final sequel is icing on the wedding cake! You will love, honor and cherish 'American Wedding.'" --Amber Benson, WB-TV. Hey Amber, were you in my Russian Cinema film theory and criticism class at SF State?

Actually, since the arrival of Richard "I Like Everything" Roeper, "Two thumbs up!" sounds even more ludicrous.

So pick (on) your favorite blurb whore quote.

4) Courtesy AICN: The trailer for the new Woody Allen movie doesn't even feature Woody Allen, Sigourney, or any of the more adult stars of the film -- it focuses on Jason Biggs (from American Wedding to Woody) and Christina Ricci. Check it out.

5) Lastly, some other cool news: GreenCine's throwing its first ever Film Trivia Night, on August 7th in San Francisco. Sort of a celebration of our 1st anniversary, sort of an excuse for a party, sort of an excuse to give away some gifts, etc. It's at the Orbit Room, Market at Laguna, 7PMish. Here's the Craigslist announcement. Another one will appear on the GC site soon. I've been roped into hosting. Eek.