I’m beyond excited that one of the best films of 2009 is coming out relatively soon now on home video! I urge anyone that is a fan of the film to hop over onto Twitter and tweet why you think Sam Rockwell should be nominated for Best Actor and be sure to include the hashtag:

#samrockwelloscar

Related Coverage:
::: View 710×1000
::: Duncan Jones Official Twitter Account
::: Kevin Spacey Official Twitter Account
::: Duncan Jones Official Moon Blog
::: Official Site

Image Source:
Official still that was used in the original US release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month – January 2009

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Thursday, January 29, 2009

LET THERE BE LIGHT, indeed!

This is one groovy poster and by far my favorite Dark Star poster of them all. Interestingly enough this is a poster you more than likely will hate or not like at first, but then over a day or two, it will hit you. It might even hit you as you listen to a song by Beck called Volcano or (insert song here) but I promise at some point your fondness for this poster will grow and grow and grow and…

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month – January 2009 (Archive):
::: January 29 – Dark Star (1974)
::: January 28 – Emperor of the North Pole (1973)
::: January 27 – The Manitou (1978)
::: January 26 – The Black Windmill (1974)
::: January 25 – Howard the Duck (1986)
::: January 25 – Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
::: January 24 – Violent City (1970)
::: January 24 – Mr. Majestyk (1974)
::: January 24 – Hard Times (1975)
::: January 23 – Bullitt (1968)
::: January 23 – The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
::: January 23 – The Great Escape (1963)
::: January 23 – The Magnificent Seven (1960)
::: January 22 – BRAINDEAD (1992)
::: January 22 – Frontiere(s) (2007)
::: January 21 – The Gauntlet (1977)
::: January 21 – Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man (1976)
::: January 20 – Thunder and Lightning (1977)
::: January 19 – Race with the Devil (1975)
::: January 18 – Car Wash (1976)
::: January 17 – The Living Daylights (1987)
::: January 17 – Licence to Kill (1989)
::: January 17 – The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
::: January 16 – Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
::: January 15 – The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)
::: January 14 – The Graduate (1967)
::: January 13 – Excalibur (1981)
::: January 12 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
::: January 11 – Omohide poro poro (1991)
::: January 11 – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
::: January 10 – Take a Hard Ride (1975)
::: January 9 – Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
::: January 9 – Yatterman (2009)
::: January 8 – Game of Death (1978)
::: January 7 – Crime Busters (1977)
::: January 6 – Sisters (1973)
::: January 5 – Crime Boss (1972)
::: January 4 – White Lightning (1973)
::: January 3 – The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
::: January 2 – Rolling Thunder (1977)
::: January 1 – Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)
::: January 1 – Army of Darkness (1992)
::: Preview – Cannonball! (1976)
::: Previous Japanese Posters Featured @ Cinema is Dope

Japanese Cinema Sites I Highly Recommend:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

* If you don’t see your site listed here and it covers Japanese cinema please comment below so that I can review it and possibly include it in future lists.

About Japanese Poster Artwork Celebration Month:
To kick off 2009, I can think of no better way of doing so than celebrating Japanese poster artwork. The emphasis will be more of western films through the lens of Japanese poster artwork and of course some of my own personal all-time favorites. At a future date I’ll probably have a month devoted to solely Japanese films and their poster artwork. So be sure to tune in each day during the month of January as I have an incredible amount of incredible Japanese posters that will be on display. Hopefully at the end of this I can convert many of you into life long fans of Japanese posters!

Please help and spread the word on the January 2009 themed Japanese Poster Celebration Month here at Cinema is Dope. Tweet your friends. Mention it in your Facebook status or Friendfeed. Link to it on your blog. Any support is greatly appreciated!!!!!

You can follow along at these specific urls/web addresses:
::: www.cinemaisdope.com/category/movie-wallpaper-japanese-poster-celebration-month/
::: http://tinyurl.com/japanese-poster-2009

Starring in these posters will be: Antonio Sabato, Bruce Campbell, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, David Carradine, Dustin Hoffman, Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, George Lazenby, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Jack Nicholson, James Coburn, Jennifer Billings, Jim Brown, Jimmy Wang Yu, John Boorman, Kate Jackson, Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, Michael Caine, Peter Fonda, Richard Pryor, Roddy McDowall, Sergio Leone, Sidney Poitier, Susan Strasberg, Warren Oates, William Devane and many more…

If you’re interested in Japanese cinema, I highly recommend the following Cinema is Dope picks for January 2009. For this months book selection we have Behind the Pink Curtain by Jasper Sharp. For video recommendation this month we have Linda Linda Linda.

Additionally fans of Japanese cinema will want to pick up this amazing Yasujiro Ozu tribute shirt from Mondo Tees!

As always when in Austin, Texas, be sure to check out Weird Wednesday (January/February 2009 lineup) or Terror Tuesday (January/February 2009 lineup) and of course Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

My current favorite restaurants in Austin that are an absolute must visit are Clay Pit (be sure to place an order of naan bread) and Uchi. Be sure to tell them CinemaisDope.com sent you if you visit.

Image Source:
Official artwork that was used in Japanese poster artwork for the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile
::: Previous Japanese Posters Featured @ Cinema is Dope

Coming Soon – February 2009 @ Cinema is Dope is Lee Marvin Month!!!

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Monday, December 15, 2008

Chalk down the set decoration, costuming and lighting here and throughout this film as some of the best in cinema history. Absolutely inspired!

Caption:
200 miles above the Earth’s Equator, pilots and a stewardess from a commercial spaceliner relax in the lounge area of Space Station Five. In the background are (left) a picture phone where space travelers can dial a number and see and talk with people on Earth. At the right is the Earthlight room, a restaurant whose windows provide spectacular views of the planet Earth 200 miles away.

MGM presents a Stanley Kubrick production, “2001: A Space Odyssey” starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. The epic drama of adventure and exploration, in Cinerama, was produced and directed by Kubrick from a screenplay by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke and was filmed in Super Panavision and Metrocolor.

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Cinema is Dope Movie Wallpaper

Amazon.com Link:
Buy the 2001 – A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]

Image Source:
Official issued still that was used in its original US release.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Sunday, August 3, 2008

Something about this image and its framing seems agelessly ingrained in the conscious of cinema, 40 years and counting. If your a fan of this film be sure to head out to the 41st SITGES – INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF CATALONIA (October 2-12, Sitges, Spain) as it will be doing a grand tribute and screening of it this year.

The 41st edition will be dedicated to 2001: A Space Odyssey
Press Release Link

The 41st edition, to be held from October 2nd to the 12th, will be dedicated to the 40th anniversary of 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Stanley Kubrick, and will be attended by, among others, actors Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea, special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull and Jan Harlan, executive producer and Kubrick’s assistant.

Amazon.com Link:
Buy the 2001 – A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]

Image Source:
Official issued still that was used in its international archival re-releases.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

My mini-review of WALL•E, is now up on Twitch (view here).

“In the world of animation, pantomime is the thing that animators love best. It’s their bread and butter and they’re raised on it instinctually. John Lasseter realized this when he animated and directed his first short for Pixar, ‘Luxo Jr,‘ featuring two lamp characters who express themselves entirely without dialogue. The desire to give life to an inanimate object is innate in animators. For the animators on ‘WALL•E,’ it was like taking the handcuffs off and letting them run free. They were able to let the visuals tell most of the story. They also discovered that it’s a lot more difficult to achieve all the things they needed to.”

- WALL•E Director Andrew Stanton

Image Source:
Official still used in a US release for this film.

Related Links:
::: Official Site
::: IMDb Profile
::: Wall-E Wiki