Every teenager from Kansas to Kilimanjaro has probably decorated their bedroom walls with movie posters at some point, but there comes a time when that tattered "Pulp Fiction" fold-out just isn't quite classy enough.

For anyone looking to upgrade their collection a good few levels--and with a few hundred pounds to spare--Christie's in London is holding an auction of rare vintage film posters this week.

You can also place bids online for posters from Hitchcock, Bond and other classics, and the live auction takes place on Wednesday. Even if you don't have the cash, it should be worth turning out just to see exactly what kind of a person drops £2,000 ($3,600) on a "Superman and the Mole Men" print.

Related Stories:
· Vintage Film Poster Auction [Christie's]
· Movie Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· UK Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Christie's]]]> BS 2008-09-15T10:30:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/10/233919/008

This is turning out to be a scary year to hang around movie sets: After accidents on the sets of "Quantum of Solace" and the "Hannah Montana" movie, a stunt man was killed today in a planned fire on a boat on the set of the John Woo movie "Red Cliff."

The special-effects staging had a smaller boat, ablaze, crashing into a larger boat when things turned tragic for a 23-year-old working on the historical epic, Woo's first movie in Chinese in 15 years.

Not apparently injured in the fire was the film's star Tony Leung ("Lust, Caution" and "The Departed" inspiration "Infernal Affairs"). In fact, in none of the above cases was the movie's star injured--or even on the set at the time of the incident.

Related Stories:
· Bond 22 Filming Wastes Perfectly Good Car [Jaunted]
· A Stuntman Dies Making Woo Film [NYT]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Slice of Scifi] ]]> egw 2008-06-11T10:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/11/12/71840/984

Serbia really started getting in the Jaunted radar when they began to build statues in honor of Rocky Balboa and Samantha Fox (her monument was later abandoned when a Serbian audience started chanting to see her breasts during her concert). Now Serbia's obsession with statues is going even further, according to a recent NY Times report.

Apparently Tarzan--or more correctly, the actor who played Tarzan most famously, Johnny Weissmuller--was born in Medja in Serbia. And so the town of Medja is busily raising money to build a big bronze Tarzan. (Please don't tell them that Johnny Weissmuller's Wikipedia entry disputes his Serbian origin, saying it's more likely he was born in Romania).

Interestingly, it turns out there could be a serious sociological side to all Serbian statue madness. Experts say that Serbs are turning to Hollywood icons because they don't know who to honor from their own complicated history. Since they're not likely to work that out anytime soon, the crazy statues should keep coming, giving us more and more reasons to head to Serbia.

Related Stories:
· Balkans' Idolatry Delights Movie Fans and Pigeons [NY Times]
· Rocky Solution to Serbian Landslides [Jaunted]
· Move Over Rocky, Serbia's Got Another Idea [Jaunted]

[Photo of Philly's Rocky Statue: Damon Green]]]> amandak 2007-11-12T09:45:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/7/3/5929/60867

We've been wondering for a while what the European Union is really doing to help people like us globe-wanderers and now, thanks to their own promotional efforts, we know. The EU is not around for political stability, its cultural wonders, or to provide fast inter-country transport. It's there for sex.

Okay, not exactly sex: but films featuring sex. The European Commission itself has released a YouTube video featuring clips of soft-core porn, er, cinematic depictions of lovemaking from European movies. The EU is happily promoting both its financial support of these films and the idea of one Europe: "let's come together," they say. If this doesn't cause a rise in travel to The Continent, nothing will.

Related Stories:
· Witches Benefit From EU Accession [Jaunted]

[Video: EU]

]]> amandak 2007-07-03T08:44:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/5/7/145836/1031
Another day, another new press release announcing an obscure winner of an obscure award, voted on by an obscure audience. We're kind of over travel awards, but int he case of great aviation movies, why not trust some true aviation nuts? It only makes sense.

Visitors to a website maintained by the Experimental Aircraft Association voted Top Gun into the top spot, crowning it the best aviation movie evah:

“Top Gun” was one of 10 finalists in the online poll at www.airventure.org. It collected more than 20.5 percent of the more than 10,000 votes cast, ahead of the classic 1949 film “Twelve O’Clock High” (17.7 percent) and more recent World War II epic “Memphis Belle” from 1990 (12.2 percent).

The finalists were the 10 most-nominated films by EAA members earlier this year, who submitted more than 140 aviation movies. Others in the final poll included “Battle of Britain” (1969) with 11.8 percent; “Spirit of St. Louis” (1957) and “The Great Waldo Pepper” (1975), each with 8.6 percent; “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” (1965) 7.1 percent; “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965) 5.2 percent; and “The High and the Mighty” (1954) with 4.0 percent.

Terrence Howard plays Jim Ellis, a determined man who wants to start a swim team for troubled youth at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation. Of course this was "inspired by true events." Bernie Mac's also involved so they'll be some joking around and hijinks.

Strangely this movie was filmed entirely in Shreveport, LA, but in the vein of the City of Brotherly Love, we offer some cool things to check out in Philly.

Where To Stay:
Rittenhouse Hotel
Live it up and treat yourself at this swank Philadelphia award-laden hotel. Guest rooms feature 310-count sheets, bathrooms with TVs and timed heat lamps, and some suites offer private washers and dryers. This is for your pre-do-gooder life of course. Book their "King Tut" package (for $402 a night) and get tickets to the exhibit at the Franklin Institute.

Where To Eat:
James Restaurant
Head to Philly's Bella Vista neighborhood and check out this hot American eatery. Chef James Burke highlights locally grown, seasonal produce and wild fish. Think Carmelized Scallop Carpaccio and Hand Cut Pappardelle with Duck Ragu. Just the place to splurge before your life of meaningful sacrifice.

Where Not to Eat:
The Mütter Museum
Leave at least 15 minute between your last meal and a visit here. The Mütter Museum could otherwise make you queasy, if not outright ready to part with your lunch. The $12 admission fee is a bit steep, but the collection of medical information and oddities within is truly cool.

[Photo: Rotten Tomatoes] ]]> sedona 2007-03-23T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/3/7/175313/7531

The authorities see them as a threat, and others just see them as mischievous thrill-seekers. In reality, urban explorers are simply a loosely knit group of ordinary people wishing to document and understand our deteriorating and forgotten urban history. Documentary filmmaker Melody Gilbert (A Life without Pain, Whole) first heard about this subculture through a story about six urban explorers in St. Paul who were arrested as suspected terrorists. Traveling from Minneapolis to Miami to Glasgow to Paris, Gilbert reveals an extraordinary underground world of individuals bonded by their innate sense of curiosity and adventure. "Urban Explorers is not a typical social justice documentary that sets out to change the world. In the end, I hope this film helps people see the world in which they live a little differently than they did before" (Melody Gilbert). 2006, U.S., video, 85 minutes.