– IFC.com has a great little feature about actors that were cast in films, but then left on the cutting room floor. They note 15 actors who were paid to show up to set everyday and act, but when screening time came, they were nowhere to be found. They note that Orlando Jones was originally in “Magnolia,” but his story was cut due to the long-ass running time, James Van Der Beek was excised from Todd Solondz’s “Storytelling,” Harold Ramis got the axe from “High Fidelity” and more recently, “Southland Tales” which originally had a small role for Janeane Garofalo, but it too got wiped out in editing. [IFC.com]
Harrison Ford’s cameo in “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” was also taken out of Spielberg’s final cut, but the scene can be viewed here.
Watch: Harrison Ford in ET the lost scene/alternate ending
– Jonny Greenwood’s score is reminding everyone and their mother about films that solely use the music of one person only (sorry guys, “There Will Be Blood,” also uses other pre-existing classical music from the likes of Arvo Pärt, and Johannes Brahm). Every one’s doing it, but the Onion’s A/V nerdclub has a decent feature on movies anchored* by a single artist. They note Seu Jorge’s music that tethers together “The Life Aquatic,” Aimee Mann’s “Magnolia” songs and all the Cat Stevens’ songs used in “Harold & Maude” (one of our personal fave choices). [*ed. slightly different][A/V Club] We also have a great affinity for both Robert Altman and Leonard Cohen and their juxtapositions in the great anti-western, “McCabe & Ms. Miller.”
Watch: Leonard Cohen’s “The Sisters Of Mercy” used in “McCabe & Ms. Miller”
– FilmThreat notes their Top 50 “Lost Films,” which includes one version of Woody Allen’s “September,” with a different cast that was never released (he basically scrapped it and refilmed) and the original ending of Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” where the blood was so gory, the MPAA made Marty mute the colors of the crimson-filled climax. The original footage was thrown away, never to be seen again. [FilmThreat]
Watch: “Taxi Driver’s bloody climax
-EFilmCritic.com does one of the most delicious features of the year, by calling out the top Film Critic Whores of the year, their shitty, shitty taste and the ridiculously glowing and fawning quotes they give out to movie studios (for really worthless movies usually). Their top award goes to now toppled Maxim film douchebag, Pete Hammond who yielded such hack, genius zingers as, “‘The Game Plan’ – A comic touchdown for The Rock!,” and “‘Rendition’ – Guaranteed to get your heart racing!” [EFilmCritic.com]