Tale

RATED X: Cable movie at 9 p.m. Saturday on Showtime. Charlie Sheen Until now, these forbidden sights have been restricted to Sheen's closest associates in L.A. But "No Limits" is the Showtime mantra, and Showtime delivers the sordid goods in "Rated X," a movie about San Francisco porn princes Jim and Artie Mitchell. Sheen plays younger brother Artie, shot dead by Jim nine years ago in Artie's Corte Madera home. The movie's extra hook is that Sheen's older brother, Emilio Estevez, co-stars as Jim Mitchell. Estevez directed Saturday's cable movie, too, helping to ensure that "Rated X" is a voyeur's delight all around. It's also violent, depressing and ultimately pointless. But don't let that get in the way of a bad time. The boys learn from their father (Terry O'Quinn) that a gun is useful in settling disputes and later manage to learn for themselves that sex sells. A potent combo. Still another element in the Mitchell brothers' lifestyle is a shared fondness for drugs, … [Read more...] about It’s Showtime For Sleazy Tale of Mitchell Brothers

Fairy tales are everywhere these days. They rival superheroes at the movies and TV, and novelists rush to create their own darker, more relevant versions. But how well do you really know fairy tales? Here are 10 books that will change how you see the fairy tale. Top image: Fairies by Arthur Rackham 1) Seven Wild Sisters: A Modern Fairy Tale by Charles de Lint Advertisement As de Lint writes in The Onion Girl, “People who’ve never read fairy tales,the professor said, have a harder time coping in life than the people who have.” And de Lint has crafted many beautiful approaches to the fairy tale throughout his career — this most recent book sports a starred review from Kirkus, and it’s the tale of Sarah Jane, the middle of seven sisters, who goes to visit the 80-year-old “Aunt” Lillian, only to get caught up in the vendetta of some bee fairies. If you love this book,then de Lint’s back catalog offers plenty more to delve into. [Amazon| … [Read more...] about 10 Books That Will Change How You Think About Fairy Tales

Coit Tower in an aerial photograph from Sept. 15, 1933. Coit Tower in an aerial photograph from Sept. 15, 1933. Photo: OpenSFHistory / Wnp27.4692.jpg Photo: OpenSFHistory / Wnp27.4692.jpg Image 1 of / 55 Caption Close Image 1 of 55 Coit Tower in an aerial photograph from Sept. 15, 1933. Coit Tower in an aerial photograph from Sept. 15, 1933. Photo: OpenSFHistory / Wnp27.4692.jpg Coit Tower: Tales of murder, drag, and a small round apartment 1  /  55 Back to Gallery Millions of people have climbed Telegraph Hill to visit San Francisco's Coit Tower, but few know the secrets, quirks and misadventures connected to the structure, including those of its benefactor, Lillie Hitchock Coit. Lillie Hitchcock … [Read more...] about Coit Tower: Tales of murder, drag, and a small round apartment

Source: philodence/usedwithpermission Having had, since childhood, the unshakable belief that much of nature exists to humiliate me personally, I was surprised to be charmed by a book about fishing. Although you will not find me in a stream or river anytime soon (at least not willingly, and if you do find me there, please notify the authorities) I have learned from reading a book titled The Confluence, written by David Van Wie, Phil Odence, Norm Richter, Bob Chamberlin, Ed Baldrige, Dave Klinges and Bill Conway, that fishing seems to be a celebration of unreliability and inefficiency; I have learned that fly-fishing is a joyful, patient and willing subjection of the self to what can't be controlled but which can be enjoyed. The Confluence is an appropriate title for a collection of creative non-fiction pieces by a group of men pushing 60 who refer to themselves, with some irony, as “The Boys.” Confluence refers to a gathering, a merging, an assembling but while it … [Read more...] about Men’s Lives: The Confluence, Fly-Fishing, Tall Tales and Art

Paramount released a new featurette and images from Ang Lee's upcoming action thriller, Gemini Man. The film stars Will Smith (Aladdin) as both the fifty year old assassin and his twenty three year old self that's hunting him. The featurette takes a quick look at the technology used to create Will's younger self. Will Smith is seen using performance capture technology in a scene with co-star Clive Owen (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets). VFX Supervisor Bill Westenhofer, however, insists that it's new. "This is not de-aging. This is not face-replacement. What you see for Junior is a completely digital creation 100% driven by Will Smith's performance." Motion-capture technology has become commonplace in big budget and tentpole films today. The early stages of the technology was first popularized by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Visual Effects team were able to capture expert performance-capture artist Andy Serkis' actions and digitally paint the creature … [Read more...] about Gemini Man Featurette Explores De-Aging Process: A Tale of Two Will Smiths