Saturday 19 September 2009

New Madonna


Ok peeps, it is Poll time

Madonna has three new tracks on her 'Celebration' greatest hits.

First is the single 'Celebration'



The we have 'Revolver' feat Lil Wayne



Finally we have bonus track 'It's So Cool'



Now vote!

Thursday 17 September 2009

'Celebration' video with fans

A MUCH BETTER EFFORT!

Wednesday 16 September 2009

No one puts Baby in the corner.

I remember being a young teen watching 'Dirty Dancing' for the first time and being very upset by the way shirtless Patrick Swayze made me feel. I wanted so badly to be Jennifer Grey, old nose and all, and feel those hands on me.

May he rest in peace and always be remembered.

'Paranormal Activity' trailer and poster

Give me a scary movie, sans blood and gore any day.




View the trailer here

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Four things Toronto is teaching me.


1 - 'Precious' is still a force to be reckoned with. The applause was even more rabid (according to various sources) at both the press and audience screening. Things are indeed looking very good for the movie.

2 - Never ever count out Robert DuVall and Sissy Spacek (EVER) who are getting very good notices (as is the film) for 'Get Low'. Could it be a late contender.

3 - Surprises keep coming every day.

'Solitary Man' sees Michael Douglas at the best he has been in years and also features 'sit up and notice' performances from Imogen Poots as well as Danny Devito, Susan Sarandon and Olivia Thurlby. How will this translate for end of year Kudos?
"Douglas tosses off every self-serving pronouncement and phony promise with silver-tongued relish without chewing the scenery, in a characterization that fits neatly into the actor's gallery of oily corporate rogues ("Wall Street," "Disclosure") even as it serves as something of an implicit rebuke. Although Douglas appears in every scene, he never overpowers his co-stars, and the script, gratifyingly, doesn't let him monopolize the good lines.
British actress Poots ("28 Weeks Later"), who resembles both Kate Winslet and Scarlett Johansson, is a knockout in every sense, and reps Douglas' most satisfying opponent here, with sterling pros DeVito and Sarandon running a close second. Fischer and Eisenberg movingly embody younger types who, because they see Ben as a father figure, are more susceptible to emotional wounds. Olivia Thirlby shines in a late-breaking role as Cheston's g.f."
Prospects look good.

4- I appear to be right thinking that Clive Owen will be a contender (yet another strong year for actors) as 'The Boys Are Back is getting very very good notices, especially for Owen.

When Movies and Music come together.

I am so going to have to start going to lesbian night clubs.
Anywhere where there is choreographed group dancing is where I want to be.





Monday 14 September 2009

What is with the Best Supporting Actress category?

Since 2001 pundits have been able to call this race nearly a year in advance 75% of the time
The only real surprise was Tilda Swinton for ‘Michael Clayton’ and Rachel Weisz for ‘The Constant Gardener’.
Seriously, I have read Oscar predictors calling all of these winners nearly a year in advance:
2001 - Jennifer Connelly for ‘A Beautiful Mind’
2002 – Catherine Zeta-Jones for ‘Chicago’
2003 – Renée Zellweger – ‘Cold Mountain’
2004 – Cate Blanchett – ‘The Aviator’
2006 – Jennifer Hudson – ‘Dreamgirls’
2008 – Penélope Cruz – ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’
Why is this category so predictable?


Or is it?


Mo’Nique was basically called in January, and to be honest, by the sound of things it is a very deserving call.
Of course this makes me happy to think that she could win (elated is a better word), but it also shows that there is something very wrong with the fact that there are so few roles strong enough to be serious contenders, yet alone actresses to fill them.

One thing I do know, if she is the front runner, I cannot wait to see what she wears and how she handles the press. You know it will be a complete mixture of sassy and serious that will shake up the show.

Toronto

One message from the Toronto Film Festival that has come through loud and clear is that there may be a few more “Oscar locks” in terms of nominations and perhaps wins than Mo’Nique for ‘Precious’.

The reviews for ‘Up in the Air’ are so rabidly loved up that one has to wonder what can stop it? The film has hit a nerve with so many who have seen it that, as of now, it appears to be the film to beat.

Sure those are strong words at this early stage, and things could easily change once some of the other contenders get seen (‘The Lovely Bones’, ‘Nine’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘Invictus’) however the review from Vareity, Screen International and The Hollywood Reporter are anything to go by we are clearly looking at one of the top ten contenders for Best Picture, one of the five nominees for Best Director and the second lead acting nomination for George Clooney. This buzz is also likely to carry through to the end of the year where it should start racking up a pretty impressive showing in the top ten lists of the year as well as a few critic awards.

What will be interesting is if this film can translate this deafening hype to an Audience win at Toronto (seems likely unless ‘Precious’ sweeps in).
Funny thing about Toronto is that in the past 20 years, the winner of the Audience award has gone on to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar 20% of the time and win the Oscar 10% of the time. However 65% of the winners at Toronto do go on to take part in the Oscar race in some way and in some category so it is a good sign.
In the past ten years this has increased to 80% hence why it is one of the most watched of the early awards.

Then again, things could all go pear shaped late in the game. We could see an in flux of films that were on no-ones radar suddenly taking the critics and awards bodies by storm.

Now that would be cool!

‘A Single Man’ trailer and news.



So, every year, when the Venice Film Festival announce their winners, special attention goes to the acting prizes for us awards watchers.
Since 2000, there have been 16 acting prizes given for acting. 6 of those have gone on to Oscar nominations (7 if you count Sean Penn) and 4 have been serious players in the awards race: see below:
Javier Bardem – Before Night Falls - NOMINATED
Julianne Moore – Far From Heaven - NOMINATED
Sean Penn – 21 Grams – NOMINATED for ‘Mystic River’
Javier Bardem – Mar Adentro – Serious Contender.
Imelda Staunton – Vera Drake - NOMINATED
Good Night and Good Luck – David Strathairn - NOMINATED
Hollywoodland – Ben Affleck – Serious Contender.
The Queen – Helen Mirren - NOMINATED
Brad Pitt – The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford – Contender.
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There – NOMINATED (supporting)
This year Colin Firth won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Tom Ford’s beautiful looking ‘A Single Man’. Now, usually this would mean a serious boost for him in the Best Actor race, but somehow it just doesn’t seem like it will happen or perhaps that is years of Academy homophobia clouding my judgement.
What do you think? Will he be a serious contender?

MAFFE 2008

Picture
Director
Director
Lead Actor
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor