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"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." — John Lennon
Some of the most imaginative films in motion picture history are inspired by, based on, or even take place within, dreams. This is not really that surprising considering comparisons between the two have been made since the birth of cinema, with Hollywood often referred to as the "dream factory." Psychologists have long noted that the collection of sounds and images that comprise both movies and dreams are heavily steeped in symbolism and latent content and that both experiences arouse similar psychological mechanisms in the participants.
Even the most pedestrian of movies are akin to dreams in the way that they transport us away from our everyday lives and allow us to experience people, places, events, and even emotions that might otherwise be foreign to us. But, the similarities between the two are never more apparent than when dreams are represented on screen. Pour yourself a nightcap or nice cup of chamomile tea, put on your PJs and help us rate the best movies about dreams.
Rate the Top 10 Best Movies About Dreams >>
Posted 01.28.13 by BrentJS -
Which Actors Slimmed Down, Bulked Up or Porked Out the Most?
Actors and actresses who are truly dedicated to their craft go to great lengths to subsume themselves into the characters they play so as to be as convincing and believable as possible. Some attempt to do this by creating complex backstories for their characters to help inform their performances during any given scene. Others go beyond writing subtext to making lifestyle changes that emulate their characters or by living their lives "in character" before and during production so that they will always no how to act and react. Then, there are those rare actors and actresses who are so committed to making their performances believable that they actually risk their lives by undergoing spectacular body transformations, whether shedding weight, packing on muscle, or simply letting themselves go. Help us choose the Top 10 movies containing the most impressive, the most extreme, the most severe body transformations.
Top 10 Most Impressive Body Transformations >>
Posted 01.17.13 by BrentJS -
In Shrek Forever After, the formerly dashing lothario Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has morphed into a morbidly obese, singularly unmotivated housecat. When fantasy's ultimate swashbuckler can no longer buckle his swash, you know things are bad. Puss isn't the first to have his downhill slide observed by the merciless eye of the camera. In fact, the list of characters with unfortunate cinematic transformations is considerable. We've compiled a video list of the most distressing cases.
See Top 10 "Wow, You've Really Let Yourself Go" Movies >> Posted 05.19.10 by reelz -
We'd previously noted Christian Bale losing lots of weight (again) to play boxer-turned-junkie Dickie Eklund in the 2011 biopic The Fighter. Well, now we can see the results of his diet plan and frankly we're a little creeped out. Batman's apparent apples-only diet isn't just shedding pounds, it's shedding hair too.
We're really looking forward to The Fighter, and not the movie. With Bale starring and David O. Russell directing, there's a good chance for real fighting to happen on set. See Russell and Bale's outbursts in When Actors Attack: Top 10 Celebrity Outbursts.
Posted 07.14.09 by reelz -
With Terminator Salvation dominating the (overseas) box office and Public Enemies opening July 1, it's hard to believe that Christian Bale took a year off from acting. However, Bale's ready to step back into the ring in more ways than one as he plays Mark Wahlberg's boxer-training brother in The Fighter. Bale described the movie to Collider.
It's a true story of two incredibly gifted boxers who were half brothers. The one, Dicky Ecklund, who fought Sugar Ray Leonard at a very young age, when he was twenty one, was an incredible natural talent. He lived a very hard life. Then he came to train his brother, Irish Mickey Ward, to the world title.
The role meant some serious dieting, which Bale explained to MTV.
I've had to [lose] a great deal of weight because he was a welterweight.
Bale has lost and gained weight for roles several times in his career, at one point dropping 62 pounds for The Machinist before gaining it all back and more for Batman Begins. Bale is using fairly conventional methods for his weight loss this time around:
There’s nothing like boxing for getting you in shape. It’s a wonderful thing when your trainer is actually the person you’re playing.
Production on The Fighter starts in July, releasing sometime in 2011. David O. Russell will direct.
Posted 06.26.09 by Ryan -
The big-screen remake of Get Smart, starring Office funnyman Steve Carell in the role of comically inept secret agent Maxwell Smart, leads this week's batch of new DVD releases*. Also debuting today on DVD: Machinist director Brad Anderson's indie thriller Transsiberian, starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley; the animated holiday special Shrek the Halls; the straight-to-DVD animated comedy Futurama: Bender's Game ; and yet another completely unnecessary pair of Star Wars box sets.
(*This week's other major release, the Dreamworks animated hit Kung Fu Panda, arrives on DVD Sunday, November 9. More on that later.)
Posted 11.04.08 by reelz