What We’re Thankful For: A Movie Special
Posted on Thursday November 25, 2010, 13:00 by Chris Hewitt in Empire States
It’s Thanksgiving today across the Pond. Empire, of course, is a stiff-upper-lipped, drive-on-the-left, already-bought-three-Royal-Wedding-commemorative-mugs Brit through and through, but that hasn’t stopped us from reaching out to our American cousins, and taking a moment to consider what it is in the movie world right now that makes us thankful. It’s deep. It’s profound. It comes with a side order of vegetables and some cranberry sauce.
Chris Hewitt, News Editor
Right now, I’m thankful for:
Seth Rogen’s laugh. The greatest cinematic chuckle since Sid James, it promises raunch and debauchery in equal measure.
The viral video of Nicolas Cage losing his shit. I’m an unabashed, unashamed fan of Cage, an actor who never puts vanity before performance, and who isn’t afraid of stepping out onto a metaphorical ledge every time, and this video drives that home in four and a half hilarious minutes.
That Guillermo del Toro is finally getting to make At The Mountains Of Madness, his dream project. Let’s hope he can bring his vision to the big screen totally unfettered.
Helen O'Hara, Deputy Online Editor
I'm thankful for:
The fact that I decided to keep my eyes open during THAT bit of 127 Hours, because it wasn't as awful as I expected and the film was the better for watching it. Honest.
Lee Unkrich not messing up the third Toy Story movie, because it would have been awful if that series had finished on less than a high note.
While we're on animation, the fact that How To Train Your Dragon was so damn good, and that Disney are continuing their renaissance with Tangled.
This job, which - while involving low pay and long hours - has allowed me to visit some INSANE movie sets (sometimes literally insane, but more on that in a future issue of the magazine) and meet some extraordinary people in the last little while. I even got to go to Disneyland! Believe me, we at Empire know how lucky we are.
Alastair "Ali" Plumb, Online Writer
I'm grateful the Coens are making a new True Grit. Though I'm a fan of the original, rewatching it recently and reading up about the book, I can see there's plenty of opportunity to make a, well, grittier movie. Plus, as Ray Winstone agrees, there's no finer choice than Jeff Bridges to step into the massive, well-worn boots of John Wayne - a cinematic figure so colossal, it's a wonder Bridges agreed to it at all. That said, it was the Coen Brothers asking, so he could hardly say no...
I'm grateful the BBFC saw the error of their ways with the unfair classification of The King's Speech, changing it from a 15 to a 12a, I'm grateful Natalie Portman worked for months on end perfecting her ballet, because she really is excellent, and I'm grateful that Helen exists. Because I'm a suck-up.
Also: I'm thankful for Bakewell Slices. They are the yum.
Phil de Semlyen, Staff Writer
Things I'm thankful for...
Colin Firth
Michael Fassbender as Jung/Rochester/Magneto/anything
Emma Stone
Mark Strong
David Fincher
The cast of Contagion
Duncan Jones
Making movies in your bedroom
Making movies in a volume
Andy Serkis
Tomas Alfredson making Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Aaron Sorkin's keyboard
Danny Boyle
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
The new Muppets movie
Tom Hardy in Inception
Cinema pick'n'mix, specifically cherry cola bottles
Things I'm not thankful for..
Green Hornet
Green Lantern
Green Zone
Green Card
Any films beginning in the word 'Green'
James Dyer, Editor-in-Chief (Digital)
"I'm thankful for nothing."
Amar Vijay, Creative Director (Digital)
"I don't have time - being creative, sorry."
Lucy Quick, Editorial Assistant
Right now, I’m thankful for:
The Social Network! I watched it for the third time last night and enjoyed it as much as the first. Note to self: must update status…
Getting the chance to see The King’s Speech, a wonderful, moving film that makes you snort with laughter in places. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are just a dream to watch, definitely my favourite film of this year.
The final installment of Twilight being just around the corner. Not only am I dying to see it but once it’s finished I’m hoping my unhealthy Rpatz obsession will come to an end!
And our readers have given it a go too…
The arrival of Back To The Future on Blu ray. @andyffgibbons
(Hard to argue with this one. BTTF’s cinematic re-release means it could even be the best film of the year…)
I'm thankful for Jason Statham constantly taking his shirt off in all his movies @mooseymoose29
(We’re thinking he should put sponsors’ logos on his chest)
We're thankful that Terence Davies is shooting a new feature film. :-) @Filmhouse
(With you there – and to repeat, it’s NOT a remake of Deep Blue Sea. Although that would be awesome)
Thankful that Never Let Me Go is finally being released next year! @birchmanste
(February 11, 2011, to be precise)
Harry Potter @samjblackburn
(And The Tweet Of Gratitude)
That they are still plundering Philip K Dick's extensive back catalogue for future sci-fi movies @RenZelen
(We’re thankful they’re not plundering Andy Dick’s back catalogue…)
That I can now buy movie themed hard drives :: gadgets and movies combined@creativebloke
(We want this so bad we’re prepared to build a time machine to help us)
Uwe boll, the man has given me a reason to hate. @irkyle
(We don’t hate the good Doctor. We just ignore him completely)
Thankful for actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Bringing mainstream acting some class @ArthurBlackBlue
(Agreed. Premium Rush could establish him as an action star…)
Jennifer Lopez spending time with her children and not on the big screen @saz2kool
(Strictly speaking, she did The Back-Up Plan this year. But nobody’s counting that, right?)
I'm thankful for @ChloeGMoretz because without her, Kick-Ass and Let Me In wouldn't have become my favorite movies of 2010. @stiofandafyyd
(Fair enough – but no love for Aaron Johnson, Nic Cage and that creepy little kid from The Road?)
I'm thankful that the Twilight saga is almost through. I'm sick of it! @CleverName24
(We don’t know what you mean…)
I'm thankful for @eliroth's existence, speaking of whom, when is he going to make #Thanksgiving? @jadetrtn
(Over to you, Eli…)
David Fincher! @iheartbcn
(It took 99 tweets before we were satisfied with this one)
That Emma Watson can now act without using her eyebrows! A seasonal miracle! @jesuisbienseule
(Was she unable to act without using them before? This requires further study)
Sergio Leone! His Westerns have shaped cinema and majorly influenced many of the film-making techniques used today. @_AdamYoung
(One day, they’ll say the same about Brian Levant’s comedies, like Jingle All The Way)
I'm thankful that there'll never be another Saw sequel. Thank the lord that all that rubbish is over! @ScarletGarden
(Give it ten years for the reboot…)
The resurrection of Hammer films @Mikelown
(We always knew they’d come back from the dead…)
I am thankful for how to train your dragon FINALLY being on dvd! @welshficwitch
(Come on – it didn’t take THAT long!)
Thankful for Inception and Toy Story 3. Still the best from an otherwise lacklustre year. @DukeLukemsEgo
(Scott Pilgrim, The Social Network, Kick-Ass, Monsters and Up In The Air might beg to differ…)
I'm thankful for Jeff Goldlum. #thanksgiving @JacobAnderson3D
(So are we. And here’s why)
Duncan Jones - bringing back bleak, sinister and intelligent sci fi like only the British know how @KingOfKingsSt
(Don’t just tell us – let @ManMadeMoon know, and quick! Before he changes his Twitter name to @ManMadeSourceCode…)
Blu-ray release of Beauty & The Beast. My childhood in crystal clear HD, awesome! @Dametokillfor
(Be Disney’s guest…)
I am thankful for Inception. A brilliant, original piece of cinema. Saved me from the masses of book adaptations and sequels @Rock_Cakes
(We’re thankful for the spinning top they sent us. But we’d rather have had an alarm clock)
Every time I go to the cinema and there ISN'T a Gulliver's Travels trailer. @Electricspectre
(What, you mean you’re keeping yourself pure, in case of spoilers?)
Natalie Portman’s ass in that thong for Your Highness. @Doctor_Tardis
(How dare you, sir! She is a serious actress, not a sexualised commodity! Which bit is that again? We’re going to go back and rewatch it again and again in PROTEST!)
2D Cinema. @TheFILMBlog
(Come on, granddad, get with it – 3D is where it’s at, hepcat!)
I'm thankful that CN has agreed to do The Dark Knight Rises, not thankful for him picking a fnar fnar title! @MartinCoe
(CN hopefully meaning Christopher Nolan, and not Cartoon Network. Although we’d kinda like to see //that// film too…)
