Contrary to what most people believed, promoting free smileys on the internet is tough job; in fact, it’s Herculean task. These cute animated free smileys may be popular, but from the point of view of an internet marketer, this popularity is in itself the core of the marketing challenge. Try searching the more popular search engine for “free smileys” and your eyes would pop on 635,000 search engine results. To scale the summit of a search engine’s top page, getting passed this huge number of competitors, one has to find a strategy that is “attention-friendly”; something that appeals not just to his niche, but impacts other online users, as well.
August 1, 2008
Endorse Your Favorite Movies With Free Smileys - Here’s How
The Dynamic Duos of Contemporary Cinema
There’s rarely a case where talented directors seek out new talent for a film’s lead, or constantly challenge their own vision by choosing someone they haven’t worked with. In most cases, if they’re lucky, they find that one (or several in some cases) actor that clicks with them and form a collaboration. Often throughout the history of film these collaborations have resulted in great career for both director and actor, not rarely leading to masterpieces. This was the case with Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder, Hitchcock and James Stewart or Cary Grant, Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando, or John Ford and John Wayne. Apologizing for the lack of actresses in this list, here’s some of the most lucrative present day dynamic duos:
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
I’ve seen a lot of people complain about Burton’s consistent casting of Depp in lead roles, but no matter how you look at it, it just feels right. Burton has been known to surround himself with the same crew of people while filming (case in point: Danny Elfman). And they gave us some unforgettable movies (Edward ScissorHands, Sleepy Hollow, and most recently Sweeney Todd). Their next project: a film based on a TV show, called Dark Shadow - Johnny Depp as a vampire, I’ve seen it coming for a long time.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio’s career wasn’t much after the backlash of Titanic’s popularity. A couple of years after that, fate lead Scorsese to pick him for the role of the son of an Irish immigrant hellbent of revenge. And this was the start of a great partnership resulting in some good (Aviator, Gangs of New York) and one great movies (The Departed). Basically DiCaprio is Scorsese’s new De Niro, what with the aging bull. Their next project: Shutter Island, a murder mistery set in 1954 (if Leo’s version of Teddy Roosevelt doesn’t get released first). After seeing Catch Me If You Can, I can say DiCaprio is meant for roles set in the ’50s-’60s.
Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale
Two of them may be part of a franchise, but I have no doubt Nolan favors the welsh actor, as seen in his truly amazing (yet imperfect) The Prestige. Bale seems to be the perfect conduit for Nolan’s talent of psychological drama in dark, violent, unforgiving worlds. Their next project: unknown. Bale’s near future work will include films with Michael Mann (can’t wait for Public Enemies), McG (yup, finally a worthy actor for the grown up John Connor) and Joe Carnahan. But a third Batman movie is definitely not out of the question.
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe
Now here’s a tough nut to crack. This is by far one of the best duos on the list. Sure, they’ve had only one great movie (Gladiator, and what a movie), a good one (American Gangster, frankly I expected just a bit more) and two decent ones (A Good Year and the delightful Virtuosity), but this is one team that has all it takes to produce a masterpiece. Despite Crowe’s personality, and Scott’s erratic, yet admirable, choice of work, I’m have high expectations from this dynamic duo. Their next project might just fulfill those. And I’m not talking about Nottingham (I firmly believe no great movie can come from Robin Hood’s story), but of Body of Lies, in which Crowe stars opposite DiCaprio (maybe back in Blood Diamond state of mind).
Tony Scott and Denzel Washington
Flipping the page, you find Ridley’s brother, whom some might argue has less talent, yet as a film-maker I rank him just as high. It’s his choice and taste in films that have lead to those assumptions, though I find it hard to imagine the action movie today without Scott. These two have made above average action movies with heart starting back with Crimson Tide and through Man on Fire (definitely their best collaboration) and Deja Vu. Denzel’s stoic yet human portrayal of character goes well with Scott’s stylized action. Their next project: The Taking of Pelham 123, a thriller about a subway hijacking. I expect this one to be less claustrophobic, and more gritty than usual.
David Fincher and Brad Pitt
Say what you want, but these two have given the world two great cult movies. The visual mastery of Fincher’s dark flawed worlds goes well with Pitt’s daring flair for lead men. Se7en was terrifying, but Fight Club put Fincher on the map and gave Pitt the broader choice in roles. Their next project: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a tale of a man aging backwards. Casting one of the most attractive male stars out there is a no brainer (not that he can’t act-see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Rober Ford for references), but what I’m really interested in is how Fincher will handle it (expecially since the near-perfect Zodiac).
And there are other dynamic duos out there, ranging from Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson to David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen (I wouldn’t be surprised at another collaboration after the great A History of Violence and Eastern Promises). And what can I say, except that I’m a fan, of all of these.
Two Award-Winning Films That Are Pretty Average
Antonia’s Line - 2 Stars (Average)
A disappointment for me. The postscript said “Winner of the 1995 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and many other prestigious international honors, Antonia’s Line is the remarkable story of a woman who builds a new life with her daughter in a quiet Dutch village after World War II. Earthy, sexy, romantic and filled with laughter and warmth, it’s a joyous, multi-generational celebration of simple pleasures and enduring passions.”
Shoot, sounded good to me, but it just did not live up to its billing. There is a dark side to this film that the postscript fails to observe or mention. Yes, there is some sex, some romance, some horrific moments, some tender moments, and some multi-generational moments.
There is also a daughter who wants (and gets) a baby but has no need of a husband and a father for her newborn (proving, I guess, that Hollywood was not the first to go here).
There are two brutal rapes of children (which, of course, adds to the wholesomeness of a wannabe family film). There is downright cruelty mixed in with all the fun and laughter. There is a cold-blooded murder.
But perhaps the most distressing issue is a total lack of spiritual development by anyone in this film, including a priest, who manages to have sex with a young girl in a confessional (no wonder Hollywood gave this film an Academy Award).
People in this film have no belief in God, they are simply passing time until their end time. Whatever your religious beliefs, having some spiritual development is a really good idea in this world, and it is possible to have spiritual development without practicing a religion.
In the Bible the word fool does not mean someone who is stupid, but rather someone who orders his or her life as if there is no God.
This would be a much more meaningful film if the person who wrote the script recognized the existence of a greater power than the passage of time, simple pleasures and enduring passions. I did not become a better person for seeing this film.
If you want to see a much better foreign film with subtitles than this Academy Award-winning film, try The Chorus (Les Chroistes in French), an absolutely superb film by first-time Director Christophe Barratier, which to my knowledge has won no awards whatsoever.
The Aviator - 2 Stars (Average)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Howard Hughes in a film that captures Hughes life from his arrival in Hollywood to the onset on his illness that forced him into seclusion for the rest of his life.
Hughes was a billionaire who also was a great visionary in the aviation field, and a movie maker of some note. His obsessive-compulsive disorder shortened his contribution to the world, but not his impact.
DeCaprio is nothing short of sensational in this acting assignment. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar but lost to Jamie Foxx in Ray, the story of Ray Charles. I have not seen Ray yet, but believe that DiCaprio could not have won the Oscar even if he did out act Foxx.
The reason is The Aviator has a tough beginning, and is not nearly as likeable film as a film about Ray Charles, who is loved by any who have heard his music and story.
The start of this film shows his mother planting the seed in his mind that he will never be safe from germs, which he buys into and it affects him the rest of his natural life. Cate Blanchett did win the Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Katharine Hepburn in the move.
The Aviator had 11 Oscar nominations and five wins, including Blanchett’s. Despite the performances by DiCaprio and Blanchett, I cannot give this film a 3 even though it is my intention to do so; the movie was simply too negative and too graphic in its presentation.
Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley