Speaking of the movies, the most recent Bond outing recently brought our attention to an entirely new kind of director: the Kansas City graphics firm MK12.

You may have seen their work before in the titles of The Kite Runner or detailing Will Ferrell’s humdrum existence in Stranger than Fiction (both from Quantum director Marc Forster), but the opening titles of a Bond film are iconic enough to be any animation worker’s dream job. Add in a desert setting and Jack White and Alicia Keys’ fantastic title song, and you’ve got one of the best intros in the series.

Well played, gentlemen.

See what we’re talking about»

The trailer for Mickey Rourke’s comeback vehicle, The Wrestler, just hit the web, and we’re suitably impressed. The Rocky parallels are piling up, right down to the fresh wounds in the economy, but the real show is bound to be the morbid fascination with what the last twenty years have done to Mickey Rourke. At this point, he’s every bit as humiliated and broken as the role requires, so we should be in for some real life pathos. And anything that gets Darren Aronofsky out of director’s jail is fine with us.

See the new trailer here»

from LIFE

Frank Sinatra has been an icon of pre-counterculture masculinity for upwards of half a century now, but as anyone who’s heard “It Was a Very Good Year” can tell you, there’s more to him than the old playboy routine.

One example is Watertown, his 1970 sendoff dedicated to the isolation and despair that comes in the wake of a divorce, but Lincoln Center has dug up another paean to Frank’s softer side. It’s called Some Came Running, and it might be the most honestly emotional work he ever did…on film, at least.

More on Frank’s lost masterpiece»

The line between the fans and the artists just got a little thinner.

Boston Globe arts reporter Geoff Edgers is taking it upon himself to reunite the Kinks. Luckily, he’s bringing someone along to document the process and wrapping the packaging the whole thing as a feature documentary titled Do It Again. The whole thing’s still in-progress, but that didn’t stop them from putting together this trailer to keep the ball rolling with crucial endorsements from Zooey Deschanel and Sting, among others.

Of course, the Kinks have only been broken up for twelve years, and their last decade of activity was kind of a shambling embarrassment…but hope springs eternal. And they still deserve a victory lap more than the Eagles.

See the trailer here»

We’ve gotten pretty jaded to gadgets over the years, but every once in a while we come across something so cool we have no choice but to completely geek out over it.

This is one of those times.

It’s called a Red Scarlet, and we doubt anyone’s getting ready to drop ten grand on it just to videotape their kid’s birthday parties, but anyone who wanted to make a movie in their backyard just got quite a boost. Even three years ago, a camera like this would have cost twenty times as much, and as more Scarlets reach more places, a lot more ideas are going to see the light of day. Don’t be surprised if the next decade’s multiplex fare looks a little more homemade.

As we know all too well, it can be hard to get attention on the internet. But tacking a James Bond fan fiction in front of everything you write is the blogging equivalent of driving a snowmobile down a mountain with one hand while using the other hand to shoot the bad guys who are chasing you in faster snowmobiles until you drive off a cliff and unfurl your Union Jack parachute while they all crash and explode on the rocks below.

In other words, it’s risky.

Onlyknives.com was recently graced with a post on a do-it-yourself knife wallet, introduced by a 400 word vignette starring Mr. Bond himself. The funniest part is how much it reminds us of actual ad copy. Didn’t we see this on an Amiga poster somewhere?

Named “A Quantum of Mini-Tools,” the story chronicles Bond’s love for his Slimline Wallet and the raw sensual magnetism of said wallet. We would have preferred “The Wallet Who Loved Me” or “The Man with the Golden Wallet,” but nobody’s perfect.

The manuscript in full»

The internet is atwitter lately over one aspect of the Bond movies you might have overlooked: the architecture.

The UK Guardian’s in-house pontificator Steve Rose takes some time out from the usual culture warring to point out all the lovely hideouts the Bond villains have set up—usually with the help of an unnamed post-modern architect or two. It’s quite an education, even if most of those lovely concrete angles are in ruins by the end of the film.

A explanation of Bond’s demolition drive»

The Bond movies have been overstuffed with product placement from the very beginning, even when they were shilling for products that didn’t exist like the ejecto-seat or the razor hat. It makes sense, since the Bond market tends to be interested in fast cars, sharp suits, shiny phones and the like. But we didn’t expect them to expand into the world of matching drapes.

Apparently we were mistaken. The interior design gurus at Wallpaper have an extended Q&A with Quantum of Solace’s set decorator detailing Bond’s Bolivian bed in Quantum of Solace. It’s a custom job from B&B Italia, made larger so it would be easier to shoot.

We always heard he favored bespoke.

Now that Tom Ford can do whatever he wants, he’s decided to direct a movie. He’s roped in Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and the sainted production designers from Mad Men, so he’s off to a good start, but we’re still a little unsure about Ford’s new incarnation as movie mogul.

The movie is adapted from A Single Man, a day-in-the-life novel about a bereaved gay college professor in California in 1962. The novel is a gay touchstone—Elton John named an album after it, to give you some idea—so Ford’s interest isn’t completely out of left field, but it still seems like an odd choice. Ford’s ads and even clothes seem designed to project a guy’s-night-in-Vegas aesthetic. How well will he transition to measured musing about the passage of time? Is this just getting back at Thom Browne for snagging the Mad Men wardrobe? We’ll have to wait and see.

At least those goggles are going to a good cause.

With all our attention to the new James Bond, we may have overlooked the old one. The 1967’s loveably ramshackle Casino Royale is getting a belated 40th Anniversary Edition, giving you a chance to check out the film that almost killed the franchise.

Shared between five auteur-minded directors and even more diva-minded stars, Casino Royale is pretty much the disaster you would expect, but as disasters go, it’s pretty fantastic. Abandoned by Peter Sellers halfway through production, the movie ping-pongs between a sinister Orson Welles, David Niven trying his best to add a shred of dignity to the proceedings, and Woody Allen doing his best to turn everything into a proto-Austin Powers sex farce.

In short, it was ripe for a remake.

Product placement is nothing new to the James Bond movies, but we were pleased to hear that the new film is going to feature a whole lot of one of America’s most prominent designers.

Of course, Daniel Craig is already on record as being much-impressed with Tom Ford, but apparently he’s got a bit more clout these days, which means we’ll be seeing less Brioni and a lot less of those miniscule swimming trunks from Casino Royale. (Something tells us Roger Moore didn’t have to put up with that sort of thing…)

It’s rare to see a choice like this made by the star and not the marketing or wardrobe department, but it looks like Mr. Craig is moving up in the world. After all, what’s the point in having an acting gig if you can’t use it to score a good suit every now and then?

Let’s just hope he can keep them clean.

We’ve had our eye on Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards for a while now, but this snap is the first sign that it might be a breath of fresh air on the style front.

Bastards is Tarantino’s take on war movies—specifically The Dirty Dozen, which deserves a post all its own—and rumors have been swirling around it since the script leaked onto the internet. Since then, there’s been a steady stream of casting rumors, including The Office’s B. J. Novak as “the little one,” torturey director Eli Roth as Donny Donowitz a.k.a. “the Bear Jew,” and, of course, Mr. Jolie playing Lt. Aldo Raine, the group’s leader. In other words, it’s classic Tarantino madness, with equal doses of ultra-violence, obscure filmic references and general profanity.

And anyone interested in army boots and coarse wool coats is about to get a big boost of inspiration…and maybe even sales.

INFDaily via Jezebel

We’ve known about Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie, but the fine ladies at Jezebel were kind enough to draw our attention to this picture of the leading man (the inestimable Robert Downey Jr.) in full costume.

Unfortunately they were more interested in his coffee cup than his ascot, but we’ll call this one a victory without seeing another frame. Between the striped waistcoat—which has a touch of Mr. Smith about it—and the finely checkered pants, we’re ready to declare Dr. Holmes the unlikely style icon of the year.

Plus, bowlers are coming back in a big way. And the usual double-brim is so last century.

One of the quintessential masculine movies is getting a Blu-Ray enhancement, complete with a restored print, a set of somewhat off-the-wall appreciations (Sara Vowell?), and the usual commentary tracks and deleted scenes.

A lot’s been written about The Godfather, but so many elements of it seem worth their own film, from the corrosive effects of power, the decaying family unit, and the increasing paranoia of postwar America. The unflinching brutality of the killings still strikes a chord, even after twenty years of horror-movie densitization, and the cinematography is still some of the best in American film.

And, in case you’d forgotten, Part III still sucks.

Speaking of the Kennedy era, the Great American Novel of the period is getting the film treatment. The book is Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, and the movie is coming down the pike with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the leads. Winslet’s husband Sam Mendes is behind the camera to ensure impeccable production design, which should help if you’re more interested in lightweight jackets than suburban ennui.

The book came out in 1961 offering a criticism of middle-class conformity before most people had even given it a name. It’s no coincidence the story is being dug up now—it’s a hot era at the moment, and this is one of its best relics—but we wonder how well it will translate. Like Mad Men, Revolutionary Road is more interested in burying the past than praising it, but it may pack a lot more raw desperation than we’re used to in our period pieces. At any rate, you’ll have to wait until December to find out.

See the trailer here»

As the hype crescendos around Quantum of Solace’s impending release—new Bond Girls!—it’s a good time to consider the flick in its historical context. Especially as a smashing collection of classic 007 placards are hitting the block at Christie’s in London tomorrow. The prized Bond lot in the auction house’s Vintage Film Posters sale is a mint condition 1964 Goldfinger sheet in the rare British quad style B format, estimated at $7,00 - $10,000.

We’re partial however to this quirky and equally scarce Aston Martin promo piece produced for Thunderball in 1965, which is a much better deal at est. $3,000 - $3,500. Also included are classics from Dr. No (1962, est. $2,700 - $4,500), From Russia With Love (1963, est. $2,700 - $4,500) and the rest of the pantheon, with several variations of each. Mr. Craig would do well to study these masterpieces if he hopes to err on the side of Connery.

We’re already more than hyped for Quantum of Solace, the new Bond film due in November, but before now we were relying on a teaser trailer and a few posters, which didn’t reveal much more than our protagonist’s preference for lightweight fabrics and heavyweight weaponry. Until now, that is.

The newly released trailer gives us a closer look at the sequel, a closer look at new Bond girl Gemma Arterton, and a glimpse at the surprising direction our favorite secret agent is heading. Apparently one place he’s heading is towards sequential plots; this one picks up right at the end of Casino Royale, with a heartbroken Bond out for vengeance. Unlike Connery’s Bond—whose relationship towards his companions was somewhat more casual—this Bond is shaping up to be mopey, vengeful and more than a little emo.

Not that we’re judging. We’d find Eva Green pretty hard to get over too.

See the trailer here»

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

With The Dark Knight poised to take its place among the highest grossing movies of all time—and the statute of limitations of spoiler alerts solidly past—it’s time to consider what made this the most commercially successful movie of our decade. (Well, except for Shrek 2.)

Consider this your spoiler warning»

Since the advent of DVD, the world of film can be divided into three territories: the out-of-print wasteland (which includes a few gems and a lot of of waste), the middle tier of casually-packaged cash-ins, and the select few who qualify for the special edition treatment. (We’re looking at you, Criterion.)

Unlikely as it may seem, The Big Lebowski is moving up a notch, getting the 10th Anniversary treatment from Universal, in packaging that includes four featurettes, a photo book, and a full-size screw-top bowling ball to keep it all together.

The movie’s come a long way from barely breaking even on release, to say nothing of its slightly addled NYT review, but Lebowski deserves its cult following. It’s not the Coen’s best—or even their funniest—but coming from filmmakers often pegged as cold, it’s hard to think of a more genial movie. It’s no wonder Lebowskifests have caught on; the movie’s a party by itself.

More on the cult of the dude»

As more than one rapper has memorably commented, haters are everywhere. Eventually, they were bound to get around to Warren Beatty.

A recent Entertainment Weekly post took aim at the actor’s AFI nomination, charging Beatty with a thin filmography and a late career full of clunkers. We’re not going to defend Ishtar—although some have—but judging Beatty by that standard is like judging Michael Caine by The Muppet Christmas Carol. Let’s remember the good times, shall we?

Defending Mr. Beatty from the haters»

There are some pretty great life stories out there, but Hugh Hefner has to be one of the better ones. So we’re understandably excited to hear that someone’s finally thinking about the movie version.

In an interview with Comingsoon.net, Hef gives some details on the project including attached director (Brett Ratner) and hopeful star (Robert Downey Jr.). Although Hef claims Iron Man has nothing to do with it, it’s hard to ignore Downey’s recent take on Tony Starks as a techier version of the Playboy magnate. As for Ratner, we assume he’ll go easy on the car chases.

More on Hef: The Movie»

Today sees the Blu-ray rerelease of the Dirty Harry series. As with most series, the law of diminishing returns sets in pretty quickly—and the less said about Slash’s cameo in The Dead Pool, the better—but the first movie hasn’t lost any of its iconic magic. The trick was the timing: Harry took the free-floating animosity of the era, put a right-wing twist on 60s anti-establishment sentiments, and wrapped it all in a tweed blazer. With elbow patches»

Kempt bids a fond farewell to Sydney Pollack today, a filmmaker who made his name on restraint, subtle humanism and consummate professionalism. In short, a man in full. As his recent co-star George Clooney put it, “Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act. He will be missed.”

More on Mr. Pollack»

Any brand with a decent bit of history behind it is bound to have a few stories in its files. Take, for instance, Rolls Royce’s famous hood ornament, a statuette with enough history to have a movie deal behind it.

The movie is The Silver Ghost, set to star Christian Bale and currently making the pre-production rounds. But the story itself is better than you might think»

The Talented Mr. Ripley

In the wake of Anthony Minghella’s unexpected death, we thought we might take a look at the sartorial legacy his short body of work has left. His longtime collaboration with costume designer Ann Roth—beginning with The English Patient—cast a long shadow over his short body of work. His movies had a real sense of style, remarkable for both its faithfulness to the period and its emotional effect.

More on Anthony Minghella»

We applauded Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar win Sunday night as recognition for both a great actor and a great man of style, but also an excellent cobbler.

Everyone needs a hobby.

More on the Oscar-cobbling connection»

Ah, the Bond Girl—intended as a paragon of her species, the female foil and flame of cinema’s ultimate embodiment of masculinity says more about what we wish women were than what they are. Beginning with Ursula Andress (who emerged Aphrodite-like from the surf), the history of Bond’s beauties is a long and luscious chronicle of our desires both sublime (Barbara Bach’s Agent XXX) and ignoble (Denise Richards’ Dr. Christmas Jones).

Read more about the new Bond beauty »

It appears that the “brutal” new James Bond is something of a prima donna. At the cover shoot for GQ’s December Men of the Year issue, deconstructed 007 Daniel Craig refused to wear any of the designer duds the magazine’s fashion mavens picked out for him, insisting instead on a suit of his own. Having caught wind of the clothing contretemps, we asked GQ’s Adam Rapoport, who wrote the Craig cover story, what went down.

His report from the shoot after the jump »

Now that the weather feels like Manchester, we thought it appropriate to chime in on the much ballyhooed Ian Curtis biopic Control. While The Clash’s Joe Strummer worked hard to achieve style icon status, Joy Division frontman Curtis only really reached his posthumously—and even then to a much lesser degree. Of course, since he killed himself in 1980 at the age of 23, he didn’t get much of a chance. But rakish rock’n’roll photographer Anton Corbijn goes some way toward setting the record straight in his supercool film.

More on the stylish trappings of Curtis’ life »

Few rock bands have had a greater influence on the cultural landscape than The Clash. Trying to trace all the evidence of their inspiration on fashion alone would be a Herculean task, but their influence on modern menswear can be seen in the designs of everyone from Helmut Lang to Hedi Slimane.

The Clash’s frontman, Joe Strummer, who died in 2002, was responsible for most of what made them great. You can see how it all went down in punk auteur Julien Temple’s excellent new documentary, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten—and maybe pick up a few style tips of your own.

Strummer was a genius with color and contrast for one thing; after all, this is the guy who mixed preppy pink and green with an iconic punk rock photograph on the cover of London Calling.

It turns out that American Gangster costume designer Janty Yates was being semi-truthful when she said that Denzel Washington wore bespoke Savile Row suits in the flick. “Page Six” notes in passing that Denzel’s dapper duds—some 30 suits, worth well over $100,000—were in fact made by English custom tailor Leonard Logsdail of… East 53rd St. in Manhattan…

In American Gangster, Denzel Washington’s up-and-coming Harlem druglord character Frank Lucas eschews the pimp aesthetic in favor of some very sharp suits. On his journey from bumpkin to kingpin, Lucas learns some important sartorial lessons; the quiet, understated elegance of his clothing allows him to pass as a respectable businessman while flashier rivals get picked off by the cops.

—J.P.S.