Commercials

Even for a big-name auteur, there’s no shame in directing a commercial every now and then. Martin Scorsese shilled for casinos in Macau, David Lynch repped Calvin Klein, and Wes Anderson’s probably enjoying a lifetime supply of Stella Artois right about now. It’s a nice fat paycheck, and an easy way to keep busy between jobs. Nicolas Winding Refn has never been shy about corporate partnerships, agreeing to a spot for Gucci featuring Blake Lively, not to mention those stylish but inscrutable Lincoln advertisements with koan-dispensing Matthew McConaughey. Refn has now gotten back in the commercial game while his latest feature The Neon Demon (which, how has that not been the title of any of his films until now?) awaits release with a new spot for Hennessy.

Did you know that when he's not rampaging through cities and laying waste to the countryside, the legendary beast known as Godzilla is actually a really cool guy who likes to party, hang out with his buddies and play a mean game of ping pong? That's the one joke in a new Snickers ad, but thankfully, it's a very funny one that makes the most of its absurd imagery.

Before they hit it big, celebrities had a hard-knock life they wish they could simply forget. Funnyman Jon Hamm, for instance, used to be a set designer for porn movies, and before Bryan Cranston became the infamous Walter White on 'Breaking Bad,' he was a video interviewer for a dating site...

A few years ago, Old Navy featured recognizable actors from old TV shows -- like Morgan Fairchild, Joan Collins and Fran Drescher -- in its commercials. The ads were weird but well-received, so the company is giving the concept another whirl. This time? It's 'Blossom' stars Mayim Bialik and Joey Lawrence taking center-stage.

Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' has been ramping up its advertising, and we've been hit with trailers both foreign and domestic. The film's due out June 8, but we're now getting TV spots for the upcoming feature, which suggests that 20th Century Fox is fairly confident about the film they've got. And this new commercial makes us just as confident.

Feature-film directors moonlight on 30- and 60-second commercials all of the time. Nike, alone, has recruited such talents as Terry Gilliam, Guy Ritchie and Michael Mann for their marketing spots. Sony, also, has hired geniuses like David Lynch for its gigs. And now Wes Anderson is joining their ranks.