Sponsored Video: “The Beauty Inside” Video Series

“The Beauty Inside” is a special video series mixing normal people with real life actors. The series has an interesting and unique premise, about a 20-something man named Alex, whose appearance changes on a daily basis. You can imagine that this makes life a bit challenging for him. Alex finds his work to be a solitary sanctuary for his constantly changing appearance.

Life is anything but normal for Alex (voiced by Spider-Man 3 star Topher Grace). While his soul and spirit remain the same every day – hence his inner beauty – his physical appearance changes routinely. He can be man, woman, short, fat, beautiful, ugly, old or young. In order to keep track of who he is, Alex documents his changing physique with a Toshiba Portege Ultrabook laptop. I’d call that a necessity in his case.

Tons of talent has helped to bring this project to life. Director Drake Doremus (Like Crazy) infuses the project with an intimate visual style. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) is one of the main actresses in the videos. Perhaps more importantly, there are many random people – like you – who help to show the strain that Alex’s changing look has on his life and relationships. It is very interesting stuff, so be sure to take a look at the video below. Enjoy!

This post has been sponsored by Intel & Toshiba, but all thoughts are The Film Nest’s.

Sponsored Video: Shake It  Up with new Tic Tac “Strawberry Fields” Mints

You remember Tic Tacs right? Those cool mints – that come in all sorts of breath freshening and livening flavors – in the clear, shakeable container? The perfect companion to “date night.” They fit comfortably in jeans pockets or hidden discreetly in your purse (assuming you can find them in there). Yes, those! Well, Tic Tac is reintroducing itself of sorts.

Tic Tac has a new “Strawberry Fields” flavor. They want you to shake up the fun. You remember that Seinfeld episode where Jerry was constantly struggling to kiss his date because she kept sitting to his right and not his left? Jerry kept trying to come up with creative ways to get his gal on his left so he could make his move to kiss her more easily. But alas, he was foiled at every opportunity whether he made an excuse or she beat him to his spot on the couch forcing him to sit on her left. No fun, right? Well, it’s just like that!

This cool ad below mentions that 74% of all people tilt their head to the right when they kiss (yay! -for once I am in the majority!), but Tic Tac asks you to shake it up. By going left, perhaps? We don’t want to end up like Jerry and miss the kiss, so shake it up and be able to kiss to both sides! They even have a free mobile app to help you out with the process. Check out this video for a bit more info and enjoy!

This editorial is sponsored by Tic Tac. The thoughts are all The Film Nest’s.

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ Teaser of the Trailer Which is Set to Debut on 9-13-2012

Director Steven Spielberg, who is currently listed in our poll question as one of the best directors working in Hollywood today, is back with one of our most anticipated films of the year with Lincoln. The film, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular 5th President of the United States, hints at what we can expect from the film…his historic freeing of the slaves to be in focus. This would make sense, since the director has previously tackled The Color Purple and Amistad among his many films, which showcase the plight of African-Americans throughout our history.  Check out the teaser trailer for the film, with a snippet from Lincoln’s famous speech and come back on Thursday for the debut of the full-length trailer. Enjoy.

Sponsored Video: Universal Studios Classic Thriller ‘Jaws’ Releases on Blu-ray Disc

Have you really ever wanted to go into the ocean ever since seeing Jaws? Admit it, you probably haven’t. You might have wanted to, sure, but in the back of your mind you were haunted by the possibility of an epic-sized great white shark like Jaws looming underneath your toes, sight unseen.  Okay, maybe it’s just me, but back in 1975, Jaws freaked me out. It stayed with me for some time. Even thinking about it kind of creeps me out. Fortunately, with the release of Jaws on Blu-ray, you and I get to be freaked out all over again.

That’s right, Jaws is set to debut September 3rd on Blu-ray disc from Universal Studios. The soundtrack – “duh, duh…duh, duh, duhduhduhduhduh!!!” – still reverberates through our minds. That is the definition of an effective film score, one of the true classics. Then there was the cinematography…nothing but bright blue waters, silent before something lurks, ready to attack. And of course there are the classic lines like “I think you’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Understatement of the year, that line. Great ad-lib.

Jaws is a film that would help launch director Steven Spielberg’s career into the pantheon of top notch filmmakers. He’s still there. It’s the type of movie that has been often imitated and never duplicated. Countless water scare affairs have tried, but none have succeeded in quite the same way. Time to revisit it, don’t you think? Take a look at the video below, which highlights the film’s Blu-ray release. Then look for the disc – with a re-mastered 1080p image and tons of special features – to relive a modern classic. Just make sure you are not planning a beach trip any time real soon. Enjoy!

Article is sponsored by Universal Studios. Thoughts are all The Film Nest’s.

Quentin Tarantino Presents The Man With The Iron Fists

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, the leader or the head when “they form like Voltron” as he was once described by its band members is directing his first movie. He has the blessing and support of Kill Bill‘s Quentin Tarantino, which may put some fannies in the seats. He has an Oscar winner in the lead role in Gladiator‘s Russell Crowe (a seemingly odd pick, but one that intrigues). He has a femme fatale in Lucy Liu. He has a subject that he supposedly knows a lot about, the martial arts. And he has scored the film and now has released the list of big names on the soundtrack.

I am wondering though, can any of this work to make this a movie worth seeing? The trailer didn’t look particularly good. It looked low budget, low brow and cheesy (perhaps intended, but still). I’ve heard from people who see almost anything and even they said this “looked real bad.” I am wondering if the pic is going to be pulled off or not. The film is set to be released this November, so the time to see if diminishing. Still, for now we have a big name packed hip-hop themed soundtrack. Unfortunately, I don’t know how often the music makes a movie, unless its a musical. Check the list and let us know if you have any interest in the film…in particular, do you have any more interest in it now that the soundtrack track list is released? Holla.

The complete soundtrack list:

01 The Black Keys & RZA – “The Baddest Man Alive”
02 Ghostface Killah, M.O.P & Pharoahe Monch – “Black Out”
03 Kanye West – “White Dress”
04 The Revelations feat. Tre Williams – “I Forgot To Be Your Lover”
05 Talib Kweli & RES – “Get Your Way (Sex as a Weapon)”
06 Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Kool G. Rap – “Rivers of Blood”
07 Method Man, Freddie Gibbs & StreetLife – “Built for This”
08 24 Carat Black – “Poverty’s Paradise”
09 Killa Sin – “The Archer”
10 RZA & Flatbush Zombies – “Just Blowin’ In The Wind”
11 Corrine Bailey Rae – “Chains”
12. Pusha T & Raekwon – “Tick Tock”
13. Frances Yip – “Green is the Mountain”
14. The Wu-Tang Clan – “Six Directions of Boxing”
15. Mabel John – “Your Good Thing Is About To End”

The Man With the Iron Fists debuts in theaters this November 2nd.

Looper Interactive Movie Trailer

Here’s something new and interesting. While, we no doubt have been clamoring to see Looper ever since we heard about its cool premise, its director and stars, this interactive trailer helps to further the matter. We have seen the regular trailer but the new trailer with added behind the scenes videos, cast and crew commentaries and questions and answers that allow viewers to earn silver bars takes the whole thing up another notch.

Interactive trailers have been increasingly used of late, but I can’t recall seeing one quite so thorough and breathtaking on my computer as this one. The film is set to drop in late September (the 28th), but check out the trailer to learn more about the production and gain even more insight into the film. It’s sweet. BTW, isn’t it cool how much Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks like Bruce Wilis in the film (?)…they did a good job with that make up and effect. Cool.

Shia LeBeouf Rebuffs Hollywood and Inevitably Will Eat His Words (He Won’t Be Held Accountable Either)

I see Shia LeBeouf as a talented weirdo who can’t seem to stay out of his own way whenever a microphone or camera is present. His off-the-cuff views and remarks have scorned others in the past and I think underneath his veneer, I wonder whether he takes his stardom for granted. I’m not singling him out, though this piece is about him and the guy has publicly ripped Steven Spielberg among others, as this is not an overly uncommon thing for actors, particularly young or brash ones, to do.

LeBeouf will star in director Lars Von Trier’s Nyphomanic. This is a two piece film which focuses on sex addiction, at least based on the title. LeBeouf had a few words about the film and about Hollywood in general recently.

“[The movie] is what you think it is,” LaBeouf tells MTV News. “It is Lars von Trier, making a movie about what he’s making. For instance, there’s a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says we’re doing it for real. Everything that is illegal, we’ll shoot in blurred images. Other than that, everything is happening.”

Von Trier’s first film since 2011′s Melancholia, an apocalyptic drama co-starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nymphomaniac will chronicle the sexual adventures of a woman (Gainsbourg) from her youth through age 50. Stellan Skarsgard plays her husband, and Nicole Kidman has suggested she might have a small role.

As for LaBeouf, the ex-child star known for his roles in the Transformers movies and the latestIndiana Jones installment has traded standard studio fare for indie films.

“I’m done,” he vents to THR (SOURCE credit) in this week’s issue. “There’s no room for being a visionary in the studio system. It literally cannot exist. You give Terrence Malick a movie like Transformers, and he’s f—ed. There’s no way for him to exist in that world.”

As to why LaBeouf took the Nymphomaniac job: “Because [von Trier's] dangerous. He scares me. And I’m only going to work now when I’m terrified.”

Now, the part about the film is fine. (Melancholia is a trippy movie and Antichrist is wickedly strange, for the record.) I agree with him in large part about his statements about Hollywood and the studio system. What I don’t agree with is his being done with it. Guaranteed this guy will be pushing out Hollywood fare soon enough. Dude has to eat. And he will have to eat his words that he is through (IMO), even if others won’t hold him accountable for his statements. This in the end is “whatever”. Thoughts?

A-List Director David Fincher Caught On Camera in This Video Interview

Director David Fincher (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), who someone said recently he would buy any of his movies on Blu-ray sight unseen, speaks a bit about his approach to filmmaking in this video clip (below). He mentions that actors and directors are at odds about their respective creative visions (something that I don’t believe is always true, but something that Fincher is known to wield strongly – his belief and vision – over a film’s direction). Fincher also talks about what his goals are as a director, what his proverbial job is and a few other small nuggets. Take a look at the video and feel free to comment if the mood strikes you. Enjoy.

Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Gag Reel Video

The cast and crew of The Avengers apparently had some fun making a make-believe movie that would go on to set the box office ablaze. In this video, which is owned by Marvel, many of the stars of the cast are shown with laughs, gags, in-jokes and more. From villains to the heroes, from Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo to Liam Hemsworth, many of your favorite and least favorite castmates are here. You’ll also notice the use of green screen technology in most of these shots, which further emphasizes how little a big and audacious film like The Avengers can be. Check ou the video and enjoy. Thanks to THR for the shout out.

Avengers – Gag reel by rssAL

Rest In Peace, Tony Scott (Remembering The Director and His Movies)

As a director, Tony Scott had a visual style that was identifiable, if not singular. His movies almost always centered on having frenetic pacing, epic action sequences and thrilling tales with a humanistic element to them. Scott’s films weren’t just cookie cutter, though I suppose that at times they could appear that way, due to the repeatability of many of his trademark filmmaking traits. Tony Scott will be missed, but I wanted to look back at his catalogue a bit and  – of the 24 IMDB credits he was given as a director at the time of his passing – glance back at some of the several I have seen (kind of surprising to me that there have been so many).

Scott’s favorite film of mine will likely always be 1993’s True Romance. Perhaps this is the case because it was written by Quentin Tarantino, but I also think Scott played a significant role, imbuing the film with a less traditional tale than many of his other films. Romance had romance, action, comedy and stellar acting, with many memorable scenes, such as Dennis Hopper’s the Moors scene and Gary Oldman’s “diddly I do to a damned if I know.” Classic stuff to be sure and it’s a film I own and enjoy every time I see it.

1995’s Crimson Tide was an underrated film. Often it seems to get lost in the shuffle. One that had action but also stellar acting with dramatic yelling scene between Gene Hackman and Denzel. Great stuff that I need to revisit and have actually been meaning to do so in recent weeks.

1986’s Top Gun needs no introduction. One of the true classics of the genre, a film that any 80’s child knows all too well. Watched quite a bit of this on TV a few weeks back. Genius.

1987’s Beverly Hills Cop II was a great sequel to the original. It brought back Eddie at the height of his fame and featured all the main players from the original.

1991’s The Last Boy Scout was a bit of a dud, but I will always remember the inspired pairing of Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. The “bom” scene sticks out in my mind and while it may not be imminently watchable. It’s still worth mentioning.

I’ve seen The Fan, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Taking of Pelham 123 and Unstoppable. All of his films bore a distinct style and varying levels of thrills and chills. Talent loved working with him, as he always had big names attached, though he may be most remembered for his frequent collaborations with Denzel Washington.

Tony Scott was an innovative filmmaker, artist and even though he may not be at the top of everyone’s directors list (because he never was nominated for an Oscar and beyond the early 90’s period was never the hottest name in town), he still will be missed and his talents remembered. His end was tragic, though some close to him are painting it as classic Scott, taking the bull by the horns if the rumors of a debilitating health condition are to be believed.

Rest in Peace, Tony.