NYTimes Critics' Pick: 'Carrie' (1976)

Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man (pic)

(+ web-shooters!)

Not sure exactly why they're releasing it now (probably because they're about to begin filming costumed scenes in public and better to get a jump on the paparazzi) but Sony has released the first shot of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.

The costume is different from the Sam Raimi version while remaining true to the classic design. The biggest change seems to be in the gloves, which have more of a homemade feel than gloves as part of the costume. The material also has a different texture to it, avoiding the "fish scale" look made popular in Tobey Maguire's costume. This looks more...mesh (though if you look closely there is still some of that honeycomb design).

Speaking of looking closely, if you zoom into the hi-res version, you can see what appears to be artificial web-shooters on Spider-Man's wrists. This would mark a return to the classic comic character who didn't have organic web-shooters as a result of the radioactive spider bite but instead built them, creating the web fluid in a lab.

As for Garfield, he looks a lot more Peter Parker than I thought he might. I was worried his solid portrayal of a college student in THE SOCIAL NETWORK might make it harder for audiences to believe him as a geeky high schooler, but it works. Will be curious to see how he got those slashes across his face and chest (three slashes...from a lizard, perhaps?).

So what do you think of the costume, of Garfield and of Garfield in the costume? 1

¹ Joblo

Inappropriate Temperaments

Bleak

Delicate

Detached

Dreamy

Eerie

Ethereal

Gloomy

Hypnotic

Intimate

Melancholy

Ominous

Smooth

Somber

Soothing

Weary

Wintry

Calm/Peaceful

Delicate

Dreamy

Gentle

Intimate

Atmospheric

Bittersweet

Brooding

Ethereal

Nocturnal

Restrained

Soothing

Warm

Reflective

Sentimental

Wistful

Laid-Back/Mellow

Coupland Quote of the Day

"You know, I think the people I feel saddest for are the ones who once knew what profoundness was, but who lost or became numb to the sensation of wonder, who felt their emotions floating away and just didn't care. I guess that what's scariest: not caring about the loss. "

New Wave pick of the Day: The the - "This Is the Day"

Evan Dando recommends... 'The Phantom of the Paradise' (1974) by Brian De Palma

Animation of the Day: Beavis & Butthead, Pavement - "Rattled by the Rush"

Charlize Theron "in talks" to play Ripley in Alien prequel

Charlize Theron has dropped out of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover biopic- "making her available for casting in Ridley Scott's ALIEN prequel."1

1 Merrick, Ain't It Cool News

'X-Files 3' news + 'Goats'

In an age when Natalie Portman turns down a role alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, or the lead in 'Gravity' - a film in the works by by Alfonso Cuaron, starring Robert Downey Jr. - yet commits to 'No Strings Attached', 'Thor', & 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium' - we have cool Gen X'ers like David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson... who, thankfully, have very clear intentions... & are not so... confused.

These are David Duchovny's thoughts on making another an 'X-Files' film: "I’m always game. It always rides on Fox. [Chris Carter] is game. I know [Gillian Anderson] is game. We all, at this point, love the show. We all, at this point, would love to work with one another again. We’re all good friends and miss one another, and miss working together. We worked together so hard for so long, so closely. We had some ups and downs personally, sure. But in the end, they are really like family to me. We’re all like this little X-Files family and I, for one, would love to continue. And I think there’s a lot left in the show. You know? And I think we can continue to make good movies. It’s just a matter of spending enough on a movie that can compete in the summertime. We made a movie and released it in the summer, but it wasn’t really a blockbuster movie. And it got kind of overshadowed by the bigger ones. So, we’re saying, make us big. We’ll fight with the big boys.” 1

David Duchovny has also just joined the coming-of-age indie drama 'Goats' - alongside Vera Farmiga, Will Arnett.

"The coming of age story follows 15 year-old, Ellis (Phillips) as he moves from Wendy, his flakey, new age mother's (Farmiga) South-Western home to an East Coast prep school where his estranged father Frank (Burrell) was once a star student. For Ellis, this means leaving behind the only real dad he has ever known, Goat Man (Duchovny), his pot-smoking, goat herding mentor, and ultimately needing to evaluate his new prep school lifestyle that's in stark contrast to his stoner upbringing. Rounding out the cast are Keri Russell as Frank's new wife, Minnie Driver as Wendy’s best friend and yogic advisor Johanna, and Will Arnett as Wendy’s boyfriend Bennett."2

1 Showbiz Spy Interview

2 Joblo

The Simpsons + Douglas Coupland

Even a more quality sitcom like 30 Rock can’t always get it’s jokes right - there have been plenty of cringe worthy moments - considering the jokes per minute factor - it’s bound to happen I guess. But if ’30 Rock’ featured only Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin for half an hour each week - I’d still tune in - yet I don’t have cable - so I turn to Hulu - every few weeks or so... and catchup. And when humans' wisecracking, and silly banter leaves one exhausted - I turn to The Simpsons - always capable of cheering me up - I think most sane people must be hard-wired to always enjoy The Simpsons - we must literally be incapable of not . The A.V. Club has compiled some Simpsons quotes (1993-1999) - all explained in context. A.V. Club is going through some 2-D, hipsterish sort of nostalgia... they seem at a distance from the "alternative nation," as they refer to it. But I digress... it's a worthy sort of gesture. The A.V. Club - Beyond "D'oh!": Simpsons Quotes for Everyday Use "[The Simpsons]... have created a self-sustaining mythology of archetypes and stories that unite mankind far better than NATO, Esperanto, or metric... You can find people in just about any mood, and after a bit of Simpsons banter, a more cheerful, psychic hemostasis emerges.” - Douglas Coupland, The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh! (Psychology of Popular Culture series)

R.E.M. - 'Lotus' (video)

Let's admire Michael Stipe's rugged, yet sculpted physique & sharp corners - take in Peter Buck's vague, kinda sad, kinda neat little riff… R.E.M. were in limbo at this point - come to think - they might still be there. Song Grade: A-

R.E.M. - New Music - More Music Videos

NYTimes Critics' Picks: 'East of Eden' (1955)

Reading these...(what'd ya care anyways...grumble-grumble)

Nü R.E.M. It's good.

Here's the new single from R.E.M. (below) - "Oh My Heart," courtesy of Douglas Coupland himself via Twitter.

The new album is appropriately titled Collapse Into Now: hopefully not a sincere request from Michael Stipe.

Homogenous riffage recalls “Losing my Religion”... try listening to it twice. Initially, you’ll distract yourself and not really hear it. The second time around that subtle bit of “Losing my Religion” shines through.

Song Grade: B+

Best Films of 2010

'Responsive', a very short story

The nurse had placed me at almost the exact spot I’d asked him to be the day I arrived here - the day he leaned into that once intimate pocket between neck and shoulder, and asked where I’d like to sit during the remainder of the afternoon... from where I was, and without the ability of turning my neck - the only reasonable answer could have been the balcony... “the balcony...please...” - with his hands firmly gripping the very new black plastic of the handles outfitting my very new wheelchair - he strolled me gently onto the veranda... he’d committed to doing this daily - and each day I committed to perfectly recreating the exact tone I delivered that day of my arrival - hoping to preserve his courteous demeanor - yet the wider my goulish smile got, the further he kept me from the balcony. I did not protest; I settled on experiencing the view from the edge of the french doors leading one onto the veranda. As he guides me toward my spot by the window, I quietly pray he keeps up his pace - a day by the wayside, buoyed by the unblemished view of the street below- at the last moment, he stops suddenly - catching himself and placing me just outside the balcony - delicately shifting me slightly; making the final adjustment, he miscalculates my point of view - and keeps me almost parallel to the wall... with a less than average view of Bourbon St below. I am entirely dependent on the staff here - I do not want to be a bother, so I smile, or at least manage something close to it, and the gentleman nurse moves on to tend to another patient. The light in the room shifts from a bright yellow, to a cold blue as the sun is overcast - the environment unveiled and exposed in true horror fashion - somewhat thickening the melancholy that suddenly comes over me. I believe the patients who voice every one, or at least a majority of their concerns - receives a less regarded form of treatment - nothing harsh, or malicious - just subtle shifts in tone - cold stares, and blank faces - no thoughtfulness, or consideration - two words my mother exclaimed harshly for the sake of high drama, and to herself as household chores remained undone, never registering with me until just recently... could this be a result of the dramatic trimming of brain capacity due to the accident? It’s not exactly the words themselves - it’s about having one’s presence reduced - in a freshly wounded state... I look forward to kindness nowadays... soft features enveloping into a smile, as I try to do the same and realize the muscles in my face tend to be shifty these days - when one’s permanent vantage point is always a few feet below any reasonably placed mirror, one forgets how they look like - or rather, I’ve forgotten how I should look like... the image of myself as a younger man is still very much vibrant and clear to me... now, likely a fleshy mold - a poor artist’s horrid clay rendering of a younger me... grimacing, looking ill... how I imagine I must appear to the staff here.

'Scream 4' - first review (very positive)

Review by Pittsburgh, PA resident Danielle Rocks following the first public test screening

"It was phenomenal! What can I say.

I was the first in line, and my friend and I waited in the line for about an hour and a half. They let a bunch of ethnic minorities in first, but once we got in, the excitement hit.

This outshines the 3rd one easily.

Definitely the bloodiest of all of them, but I feel like they’ll edit some of it down. An unrated DVD would be nice to have though.

All the acting was superb. Not one flaw.

The opening scene was hilarious and brutal.

Definitely a lot of great Williamson writing.

The characters all felt very genuine. Gale was back to her bitchy self, and had a bunch of great one-liners.

The music seemed to be recycled Beltrami music from 1-3 but it worked well.

The ending was insanity. Easily the best of all the series, in my opinion, anyways.

It didn’t end when I thought it would, and they even commented on that in the movie.

The crowd experience was great, and everybody was totally into it. Cannot WAIT to see this in theaters come April. Hopefully they don’t change anything. Loved it loved it loved it."

Courtesy of scream-trilogy.net