From Say Anything to We Bought a Zoo, a Brief History of Great Cameron Crowe Musical Moments

Few filmmakers use music as unabashedly and emotionally as former rock journalist Cameron Crowe, the man who turned Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” into an enduring emblem of ’80s teen longing and illuminated the power of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” as a late night bonding tune for even the most estranged of friends. Crowe’s latest, We Bought a Zoo, is no different; the instant the reverberating beats of Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” kick in, lonely and sparse, turning increasingly anthemic by the verse as Matt Damon’s son is expelled from school and Damon uproots his family to a rural fixer-upper of a zoo with the promise of new beginnings, you know you’re in for yet another Crowe Moment. Crowe once described his fusion of film and music thusly: “Sometimes the marriage works, and the result is an explosion, a memorable body rush that enhances both and rocks your soul along the way.” A uniquely musical filmmaker since his feature directing debut in 1989’s Say Anything, Crowe’s films tend toward the relentlessly sincere and uncynical, and his use of pop tunes to enhance and convey catharsis, to underscore emotions — and to create those instant, indelible “moments”— is, for better and for worse, his abiding directorial signature. Even in his weakest films, one could argue that Crowe manages to conjure swelling sentiment, or at least is always reaching for that earnestly grandiose magic. And while even in We Bought a Zoo he can’t help but go back to the rock ‘n’ roll well he he’s tapped so many times, he’s evolved through the years ever so subtlely in his methods. Say Anything (1989) Musical Moment: Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” It’s the iconic musical moment of ’80s teen moviedom: Loner Lloyd Dobler holding aloft his boombox of love beneath Diane Court’s window, blasts Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” as Crowe’s camera closes in, reflecting Lloyd’s urgency. (* SWOON *) Nothing says “I need you” like a guy who’ll stand outside your house for who knows how long playing Peter Gabriel when you know he’d rather be listening to Fishbone. Singles (1992) Musical Moment: Alice in Chains perform Crowe’s grunge-scene romantic comedy is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the plethora of cameos and soundtrack artists who help make Singles so distinctly of its time and place. Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam as Citizen Dick make for some of the film’s best cameo castings, but Alice in Chains’ two song performance (“It Ain’t Like That” and “Would?”) provides the dank Seattle club backdrop against which Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott meet eyes; Say Anything may have captured the beginnings of teen ennui circa 1989, but Singles became a time capsule of the burgeoning grunge scene and its inherent twentysomething angst. Jerry Maguire (1996) Musical Moment: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Free Fallin’” Moving towards his 40s, Crowe took on the tale of a fast-living sports agent reevaluating his life in Jerry Maguire, and thus birthed the first in a series of more personal Crowe Moments. After sealing a much-needed deal on his own, Tom Cruise’s Maguire scans the car radio dial for just the right pop tune to speak to the relief and joy he’s bursting with; he lands on Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” just in time to belt it out, the song becoming his cathartic channel for release. Almost Famous (2000) Musical Moment: Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” Almost Famous is rife with great music moments — how could it not, being Crowe’s semiautobiographical ode to his time spent as a roving teen journalist covering the ’70s rock scene — but the magic of watching the dysfunctional make-shift Stillwater family of estranged bandmates, groupies, and hangers temporarily forget their issues and grudges by singing “Tiny Dancer” is, by far, the greatest. Where Crowe used diegetic music to allow characters to express themselves before, here he uses it to unite; more importantly, he made it ok to unapologetically croon soft rock singles with abandon in mixed company.

Dark Dark evening Increases searching for Operation Early Bird

The Dark Dark evening Rises' viral marketing campaign continues apace today while using relieve a completely new document mentioning to something referred to as Operation Early Bird.Coming hot round the heels of those two documents released yesterday, the completely new information was released with the viral Twitter account @thefirerises . Many of the particulars are again blacked out, but from that which you can inform, Early Bird describes a distinctive Forces operation to extradite Dr. Leonid Pavel.As if which were insufficient to acquire many of us excited, a completely new website remains setup bearing the title Operation Early Bird, in which a clock counts lower to 6pm today.Hopefully in those days we'll have a very better idea of what all this subterfuge is about, and exactly how the truly amazing physician will match Nolan's movie.The Dark Dark evening Increases is released inside the Uk on 20 This summer time 2012. Meanwhile, here's the newest document that you ought to pore over...UPDATE: Well, within the stroke of 6pm yesterday, Operation Early Bird revealed itself just like a high-tech map, detailing IMAX locations worldwide where tests in the Dark Dark evening Rises' prologue will exist in a couple of days.Not remarkably, tickets are actually clicked on up fast, but you'll find still a few locations remaining - enter quickly if you want to savor 6 minutes of IMAX goodness.If you fail to get tickets for one of these brilliant tests, you're next best chance is always to catch Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol within an IMAX venue in a position to projecting the whole 70mm experience, since the prologue will probably be playing becoming an epic sorta-trailer then.

AFI announces awards slate

The American Film Institute announced its official selections for the 2011 AFI Awards, which records the year's most outstanding achievements in film, television and other forms of the moving image arts. The film and TV series will receive awards at an invitation-only luncheon on Jan. 13 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.Among this year's film honorees are "Bridesmaids," which has received a lot of attention for supporting actress Melissa McCarthy; "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which had its fair share of controversy over embargoes last week; and two films that have been Oscar frontrunners for months, "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris."AFI also gave "The Artist" and the "Harry Potter" franchise special awards, recognition that is given to films that don't meet AFI's criteria, most notably that a production must be primarily American- generated.On the TV side, AFI's tastes range from the rich historical drama "Boardwalk Empire," to the cutting edge comedy "Louie." Showtime's freshman series "Homeland," which has been a big ratings draw for the network, is also on AFI's list.Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on American society."AFI Awards represents the proudest of moments in the Institute's calendar of events," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "The event brings together the year's top artists in a celebration of community, not competition."The complete list of honorees follows:AFI Movies of the Year"Bridesmaids""The Descendants""The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""The Help""Hugo""J. Edgar""Midnight in Paris""Moneyball""The Tree of Life""War Horse"AFI Special Awards"The Artist"The Harry Potter SeriesAFI TV Programs of the Year"Breaking Bad""Boardwalk Empire""Curb Your Enthusiasm""Game of Thrones""The Good Wife""Homeland""Justified""Louie""Modern Family""Parks and Recreation" Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Tyler Perry Pens Open Letter to 11-Year-Old Sandusky Victim

Fox Searchlight The next 24 hours are going to be a whirlwind for the talent, publicists, and journalists on the awards beat.our editor recommendsGotham Awards 2011: Honorees Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman Reveal the Inspiration Behind Their WorkGotham Independent Film Awards Tap Edie Falco and Oliver Platt as Co-HostsSpirit Awards Set for Feb. 25NY Film Critics Delay Voting to Nov. 29 PHOTOS: THR's Actress Roundtable 2011 Later this evening, the IFP will reveal the winners of this year's Gotham Awards (see the nominees here) during its annual dinner/awards ceremony at the historicCipriani Wall Street restaurant. Fox Searchlight's The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene lead the field with three nods each, including best feature and best ensemble, the highest-profile categories. (Focus Features' Beginners also registered in those two.) The most interesting race to watch, however, is the one for best breakthrough actor, in which fast-rising stars Felicity Jones (Like Crazy), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) will duke it out along with lower-profile competitors Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road) and Jacob Wysocki (Terri). Five of the category's last seven winners went on to score Oscar nods. Finally, career tributes will be presented to four people with stakes in this year's Oscar race, and who have a great opportunity to make a strong impression before a lot of industry insiders with a good speech tonight: actor Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), actress Charlize Theron (Young Adult), director David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method), and Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Tom Rothman. VIDEO: THR's Directors Roundtable 2011 Tomorrow morning, Film Independent -- which, like IFP, is dedicated to celebrating independent films -- will announce the nominees for this year's Independent Spirit Awards, or "Indie Spirit Awards," which will be presented the night before the Oscars. A nod can provide a big boost to a little film, and this year's top contenders include the aforementioned The Descendants, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beginners, and Like Crazy. Other films that have a shot at being recognized in one category or another -- and could really benefit from a moment in the spotlight -- include A Better Life, Drive, Higher Ground, Margin Call, Pariah, Rampart, Shame, Take Shelter, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Win Win. Finally, tomorrow afternoon, the NY Film Critics Circle will vote to determine the winners of its 77th annual awards, and will Tweet its decisions as they are made. The group recently stirred up controversy by moving its voting date ahead of that of the National Board of Review (which has historically been the first critics' group to announce), forcing some studios to screen their films for NYFCC voters even earlier than usual, and precluding at least one not-yet-finished film,Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, from being considered. It's incredibly hard to predict what the NYFCC will choose to celebrate, since their arcanevoting process often leads to stalemates that force compromise choices, as well as concerted efforts to spread recognition amongst many films. NYFCC choices also have limited value in terms of predicting what the Academy will do: although the two bodies have chosen the same best picture only 28 times, the NYFCC's winners in that category and the acting categories are almost always at least nominated for Oscars.This year, I gather from my sources that The Descendants, The Artist, Melancholia, Moneyball, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Iron Lady, The Tree of Life, and Drive are particularly popular with many NYFCC members, so look for all or most of them to be represented in one category or another. My guesses: The Descendants, The Artist, or The Tree of Life for best picture; Alexander Payne (The Descendants) or Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) for best director; George Clooney (The Descendants) or Jean Dujardin (The Artist) for best actor; Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), or Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) for best actress; Albert Brooks (Drive) or Christopher Plummer (Beginners) for best supporting actor; and Jessica Chastain (The Help and/or and/or Take Shelter and/or The Tree of Life and/or Coriolanus) or Octavia Spencer (The Help) for best supporting actress. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery THR's Awards Season Roundtable Series 2011: The Directors Independent Spirit Awards Gotham Awards George Clooney Jessica Chastain Meryl Streep Terrence Malick Elizabeth Olsen

Jennifer Aniston: My Bad Girl Side Would Go To Kaira Pitt

First Launched: November 23, 2011 11:56 AM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Kaira Pitt and Jennifer Aniston emerge within the Moneyball Japan premiere at Tokyo, japan, japan Worldwide Forum in Tokyo, japan, japan on November 9, 2011 Jennifer Aniston is speaking about her dark past, something she states shes lucky to own managed to get. I experienced heavier, deeper occasions which i managed to get them. I didn't die youthful, the 36-year-old actress and mother of six mentioned inside an interview with an hour, airing on Sunday. Therefore I am very lucky. You will discover other artists those that didnt survive several things, she referred to, but stopped missing beginning the specifics. People can see right now that we did most likely probably the most dangerous, which used to do the worst for a number of reasons, I shouldnt be around. Adding, You justtoo many occasions that you came near to numerous dangerous things, lots of chances taken too, an excessive amount of. Angelina has advanced considerably since her wild marriage to Billy Bob Thornton shes now in the lengthy-term relationship with Kaira Pitt, an UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador on and on to produce her directorial debut, Inside the Land of Blood stream and Honey, but theres still just a little in the her old self hiding about. I've that side of meits just rather now, she mentioned. It is going to Kaira. Or our adventures. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Indian gov't adds muscle to advertise domestic photos

GOA -- The Nation's Film Development Corp.'s annual market, the Film Bazaar (November. 24-27), is distributing its wings. This season, 23 South Asian-designed co-productions from 12 nations are searching to draw in financing in the market. Included in this are "No Man's Land" director Danis Tanovic's "Tiger" (France) Roberto San Pirtro's "The Vegetarian" (Italia) Prakash Belawadi's "The Pollutant" (Sweden) Alka Raghuram's "Burqa Boxers" (U.S.) and Sangeeta Datta's "Stranger Over the Ocean" (U.K.). Indian projects include Dibakar Banerjee's "The Boy and also the Bandit" veteran Ketan Mehta's "Noor -- The Princess Spy" and Sopan Muller's "Free Fall," which Oscar-winning seem designer Resul Pookutty ("Slumdog Uniform") is really a producer. "Worldwide co-productions offer not just co-funding but additionally simpler use of distribution and exhibition avenues abroad and upkeep of production and technical standards of the worldwide acceptable quality. It remains a goal with NFDC to facilitate growth in this region having a view to improving the worldwide audience base of Indian cinema (and) revenue generation from multiple areas," stated NFDC controlling director Nina Lath Gupta. Gupta sees that the road to global recognition is tough. "We face several challenges, one of these being the necessity to work out how we are able to increase film exports. Another key challenge is the necessity to leverage India like a shooting destination and therefore also growing tourism," she stated. To be able to surmount these challenges, the NFDC has integrated using the Indian tourism ministry's Incredible India campaign to improve local cinema's visibility abroad. Promotions started at Cannes this season and ongoing at Toronto and also the AFM, with efforts in the Berlin and Hong Kong fests due in 2012. The ministry will even award $20,000 towards the best project within the co-production market. Meanwhile, the Film Bazaar keeps growing, with 500 associates attending this season from 40 nations, up 11% from 2010, and 40 industry tests, up 13% from 2010. Film Bazaar also offers several worldwide close ties. You will find six projects within the Screenwriters' Lab, made to encourage screenwriters with original Indian tales, together with the Binger Filmlab (Netherlands), Venice and Cinecitta Luce. The job-in-progress lab might find filmmakers screening rough cuts of the photos to worldwide sales people, experts and film funds to be able to obtain input. The lengthy-looked forward to development of a movie commission for that country is anticipated soon. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

The Greatest Compensated Youthful Stars in Movies

When Kermit, Miss Piggy, Jason Segel and Can Be sitting lower for Moviefone's Muppets Unscripted session, they considered in on present day most pressing issues. Like, that has the more amusing laugh, Seth Rogen or Fozzie Bear? Is Meryl Streep or Miss Piggy a much better actress? And what went down when Kermit and Jason Segel spent a evening in Mexico? All valid questions. All amusing reactions. (Hint on that 4g iphone: it involved a glass or two known as 'The Muppet.') The session includes something the planet is dying to understand -- a minimum of based on Miss Piggy. What exactly is it? You will need to discover the shocking truth to discover (look into the 5:15 mark), however, you will not be sorry. Muppets Unscripted: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll jump for pleasure. Make certain to look at 'The Muppets,' opening countrywide this Wednesday, November. 23. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Embed in your site: