Box - The bloggers juke box

If you lovely ladies and gentlemen look over to your right you will see my box (not that one you filthy minded people). This box will allow me to share music I love and am listening to at the click of a button.
This is a wonderful little web gadget that I discovered over at The Film Experience (y'all know the link by now, if not scroll down and look on the right hand side).
So, yes, I have ripped off someone elses idea, but good ideas are always going to be ripped off.

This weeks selection is:

Bloc Party - Waiting for the 7.18
M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gun (pictured)
Snow Patrol feat. Martha Wainwright - Set Fire To The Third Bar

Hope you enjoy.

Depressed suicidal artist bio pic alert!!!

Upon first meeting my lovely BF, I read him ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and he read me ‘Tales of the City’. He laughed so much at my book, he thought he would buy me a book he thought was similar that I would enjoy. "The Bell Jar" tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a young reporter who seeks to make a name for herself in New York but spirals into depression and moves back to Boston. She eventually undergoes electroshock therapy and makes several attempts to take her own life….so….not exactly like ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’. Bless him. I read the back and that is about it. I was in my comedy phase then...guess I will have to pick it up and read it.

The novel is a thinly veiled account of author Silvia Plath’s life, and will star “10 Things I Hate About You ” star Julia Stiles, who will also produce.

Book is dark, but it is said the project will emphasize some of the more uplifting elements. "Esther Greenwood has a strong outlook on life, and we're really looking to bring out the humour in the character," Plum Picture's Celine Rattray, who will co-produce, said. "We don't want to do a depressing descent into the world of suicide."

Hmmm, so they are going to do a “Miss Potter” version of The Bell Jar, how will that work? Will they have happy little cartoon manifestations of her depression? Then again there are so many bio pics about suicidal artists (“The Hours”, “Pollock”, “Fur”, “Sylvia”- a straight forward bio pic on Plath starring our Gweneth, and on and on) that one has to wonder if we really need another. However it would be nice to see Stiles tap into some of that promise she showed in films like “The Business of Strangers”.

Hopes do not hold high for this. I guess I am just overly cynical of the whole awards bait of literary adaptations and portraying real life people, unless it is the Freddie Mercury bio pic (When will that happen???). I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with this, but it is interesting at how many of these types of movies are being made, most likely in the hope of catching Oscars eye.

Who will have doors opening for them?

The lovely Sasha Stone of Oscar Watch has a great article about who will be getting awards attention this year. But before I link you over there I wanted to give my thoughts. So many people are already predicting front-runners, and a few of them get through to the end.
What is near impossible is to predict those smaller, break out, performances. Last year bought us Rinko Kikuchi , Adriana Baraza , Ryan Gosling and Mark Wahlberg . This is what is exciting about the awards race, no one knows who is going to come along and surprise everyone and steal a movie.
Remember Amy Adams ? I hope there are more of those this year, just to break the monotony.
I recommend taking a look at who Nathaniel Rogers over at The Film Experience has in his advance predictions.

Over to Oscar Watch
”Can historical costume dramas have sequels? Is “Hairspray” bound for the Oscars or the Razzies? Can Johnny Depp sing, or will it be a failure of Gerard Butler-like proportions? (Worst. Phantom. EVER!) All of these questions and several more must be answered before any responsible predictor would consider making any calls. Luckily for you, I am not responsible.”

Continue reading over at Oscar Watch

The Oscar bait of 'Revolutionary Road'

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are teaming up again (I know old news) for Revolutionary Road, directed by Kate’s hubby Sam Mendes.
If this does not scream Oscar bait then I do not know what does.
This has all the callings of the type of film the Academy LOVES!
Oscar calibre cast…check.
Respected Director…check.
Adaptation of beloved literary novel to make the academy feel high brow…check
Plus so much more!!

There is also news of the casting of fellow Titanic alumni Kathy Bates. It will be good to see Bates with another role, and we know what she can do with supporting work (steal the film) and I wouldn’t be surprised if she found herself up for Oscar nomination number four in 2009. (Beloved veteran actor…check)

Set in 1955 (period costume…check), the novel focuses on the hopes and aspirations of Frank and April Wheeler, self-assured Connecticut suburbanites who see themselves as very different from their neighbours in the Revolutionary Hill Estates in which they have just moved. (American setting…check)

April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), with her thespian ambitions and her plans to move to Paris, is doomed, ultimately, to failure. (actor, playing actor…check)
Her fantasies about Parisian life are the more absurd for being supported by her belief that her husband is fluent in French but he knows the language hardly at all, he once drunkenly boasted about his proficiency. (Suffering wife...check...the Academy loves this type of role more than any other)


Frank Wheeler's (Leonardo DiCaprio) sense of his lawless masculinity coexists with his bland acceptance of a futile corporation job. To cope with his failings he often drinks too much and finds himself engaging in an affair with a co-worker. The narrative details the day-to-day lives of this couple and their concerns for their future. (drug dependency and extra marital affair…check)

Basically it will be pretty tough for this to fail in all aspects. The Academy are going to be looking at rewarding both DiCaprio and Winslet, and this looks like it could be the one to do it.

Something pretty to break the Monday blues.

Not is the best mood today and movie news is few and far between (unless you really care about box office figures..zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.).
My poor cat Murphy is not well at all, and with her being in her twilight years, I am a bit emotional, a bit like poor Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal. Why do we get pets? In times like this it just seems like needless pain, although I love my little girl more than my luggage.
She will be fine!!!!
Anyway, in order to cheer me up I decided I needed something pretty to look at, and it is in the form of Rodrigo Santoro, that stunning beauty who captured my loins in “Love, Actually” and made me hate Laura Linney for taking that phone call. WAS SHE MAD????
Anyway, here he his….sigh.

New International Harry Potter trailer

Not the biggest Harry Potter fan out there (Really should read those books) but I have to say this does look rather exciting. I do hope this installment is more like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban than the other 3 installments. Whether it is or not does not really matter Box Office wise though.
View the trailer here!!!

There is nothing Ugly about Betty.

So much has been made about America Ferrera, and her ugly drag on Ugly Betty.
People have been praising the show for not succumbing to the unrealistic ideals of how a women should look, and it should be praised, even if Betty is the only woman on the show who does not bend to the size ‘0’ requirements.

What I am personally happy about is that the lead star, America Ferrera, as not gone out and hired a personal trainer and dietician in light of her new found fame. She hasn’t crumbled under pressure.
On the show she is consistently endearing, bringing heart and soul to a character that could easily be a cartoon. It is a shame that Hollywood had to first make her ugly so that she could be seen as beautiful, since it was always there.

When she first came into the spotlight, it was for her award winning turn as ‘Ana Garcia’ in 2002’s wonderful ‘Real Women Have Curves’. The basic premise is centers on Ana, who refuses to succumb to popular-culture's super-model ideal. The recent high school grad also is struggling to reconcile the values of her Mexican-American background, while trying to keep her independence and self-expression.
This is something that America has stayed true to in her career, always paying homage to her heritage as well as her size. She had some of the most moving scenes in 2005’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as the mixed race sister of size, visiting her white father and his new white and skinny family.

If you have been reading my blog before, you will know what movie role I would love her to play if given the chance, but she seems to have a focused idea of how she wants to use her fame.
On looking at her IMDB profile, she has some interesting movies coming out this year, Hacia la oscuridad, Muertas,La Misma Luna.
These are all low profile movies centred around her heritage, and not high profile ones based around her bank account. It is a shame there are not more young actresses out there like her.

Little trailers from the other side of the Atlantic.

I stubled across these on www.themoviebox.net and they bought a smile to my face. They could be sleeper hits if the studios play thier cards right.

The first is a typical British comedy about a funeral. No one does dry humor like us Brits, and this could have a "Four Weddings and a Funeral type success....perhaps, the slap stick acid trip makes me have pause. Here is an advance review.

Death at a Funeral
Uploaded by ntwhittmanhart

The next is a small indie from Ireland that sets the theme of love around music.The Hollywood Reporter wrote a nice piece giving a little back sotry with the review. This seems like it will be a warm hearted and real take on the music film, with potential breakouts for the 2 leads.

Siobhan Donaghy shoots and scores

So taking a little movie news break because I am totally feeling Siobhan Donaghy. She, of the original Sugababes, was outsted because Keisha was a totally biatch. But funnily enough, she was the one with most of the talent.
With this, her first track from her new album ‘Ghosts’, she has peaked my interest.
Here is a little listen to ‘Don’t Give It Up’.
Here is hoping for a high chart entry when it is released. Glad she didn’t go for an easy pop sound, and decided to put out something a little different for her first single. Crap video though, but great song (I hate it when that happens)


I also found this, the title track from her album. Interesting indeed. I wish her all the best, pre hype noise on the album is very positive but that does not always translate into sales.

The Time Travelers Wife gets cast!!

I am currently reading Audrey Niffenegger's best-selling novel The Time Traveler's Wife, after years of putting it off, and I have to say I am engrossed. In reading it I see it very cinematically, but also see it being very difficult to adapt to the screen, what will all the time jumping. New Line has the rights to the film, and after the Peter Jackson law suit, I am not so sure about them anymore. I am also not sure about Bruce Joel Rubin adapting the book either, he has done a lot of fluff and I have my doubts about him being able to make flow, a film that jumps around in time. Then finally we have Robert Schwentke on directing duties. His last big film was “Flight Plan” and that had major problems with it’s narrative, can he really control something with this scope?

However it has been announced that the two principle characters have been cast. It is inspired. Rachel McAdams will star as Clare alongside Eric Bana, who will play Henry De Tamble, a librarian at Chicago's Newberry Library who is afflicted with a gene that causes him to travel through time involuntarily. Henry and Clare first meet as a result of Henry's time travel, and although they realize they are soul mates, their relationship is strained by Henry's disorder.

With McAdams ability to play feisty, sexy and likeable, she could do wonders even if she physically does not match the characters description in the book. As for the casting of Bana, well, I can really say no more ,on this then “Yum!!” and “How perfect!” and again “Yum”!!. I think this will really be his film in the end, and he has the sexuality and the acting chops to pull this off beautifully.
Bonus points because he spends alot of the time in the book naked! YAY! Lets hope the dudity (great new word Nathaniel!!) from "300" carries over to this.

Ok, sorry to be all pervy, but my word look at this perfection.

Good Evening? The Evening Trailer commeth

On paper this movie sounds brilliant. The talent involved is worthy of an Oscar talk. Michael Cunningham wrote the novel and helped adapt the screenplay with Susan Minot. So far Cunningham had massive critical acclaim with “The Hours”, but not so much with “A Home at the End of the World”. Perhaps third time will be a massive charm for him, especially with the cast he has gotten together.

Judging by the trailer I am in two minds. It does look a little slushy, but that could just be the music they chose (Dido…really??). What peaked my interest is that Claire Danes and Toni Collette appear to be the leads, while Meryl Streep, Patrick Wilson, Vanessa Redgrave, Hugh Dancy, Glenn Close, Natasha Richardson, Eileen Atkins and Mamie Gummer are all supporting (phew…that is one big cast).

From what I saw I would not be surprised if Toni walks away with this, but then again it could be one of those movies that ends up empty handed come awards time. Too many respected cast members to single one out, so the critics, and guilds may pass.
Also the Director is not really tested aside from beautiful cinematography on films like Sunshine and Malena (Oscar nominated), so it could end up being a big ole mess.
But the cast alone gets my cinema ticket.

Here is the Trailer, judge for yourself.

Who ever visits my blog next will the the 4,000 viewer. Thanks!!

Aishwarya Rai - Future Oscar winner?

"I don't believe in proving a point to anybody. Nobody is that important."

Not only do I think she is one of the most stunning women to walk this earth, but I also (from watching interviews) think Aishwarya Rai is one of the nicest…actually let me change that (Madonna hates the word ‘nice’ don’t you know), she is one of the sweetest. I do have to say that I am not extremely familiar with her acting, but there is something about her that makes me want to root for her to succeed. I mean she had her very own Barbie doll released in Britian, and it sold out withing minutes, she turned down the role of Helen in “Troy” and she stood up (taking a slight liberty here) the evil leader of America for lunch when he visited India – what is not to love!!! Also, doesn't she seem like the type of huge international star the Academy would jump at rewarding?

The future is looking bright for her right now. She has three english language films coming out in the next two years. The first The Last Legion is coming out in 2007. The tag line read “The Roman world is in the throes of death, but a new myth, destined to span the centuries, is waiting to be born.” It stars Colin Firth, the amazing Ben Kingsley and the reliable Peter Mullen.

Next she has Roland Joffe’s war film with Brendan Frasier (??) “Singularity”
And finally she teams up with the legend for Coline Serreau’s remake of her own film “Chaos”. Acting with the legend can do nothing but raise your game, so here is hoping that she bridges the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood, making the latter the melting pot it is nowhere near being.

Elija could!

Everyones favourite cutie pie hobbit, Elijah Wood, is making his first foray into producing, teaming with Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani's Indalo Prods. to bring to the big screen an adaptation of Elliott Chaze's legendary noir novel "Black Wings Has My Angel."

The story centers on an antihero, an ex-convict, who stages a daring armed car robbery in Colorado with the help of a call girl whom he picked up in a backwoods Mississippi motel

With a script is being penned by Barry Gifford one can expect something of intellegence and originality which excited me greatly.
I love this genre but I haven’t seen noir done well since 1996’s “Bound”, and to a lesser extent “Brick”.

What I love about “Bound” was it was not only (IMHO) the best film the Wachowski brothers have done, it also (with 1994’s “The Last Seduction” before it) it ushered in the new feminist femme fatale, the women who are master minds behind the lipstick and clevage. Noir is one of the few genres in film where women out-smart, out-swindle and out-last the men.

Lets hope Wood continues on this very interesting path he has choosen to follow. More importantly I hope he succeeds at helping create a dark, intellegent and sexy film that does the noir films of the past proud, while opening up the genre to possibilities of the future.

From Variety:

"It's the material," said Wood, summing up why he decided to dip his foot into producing waters. "I've always been intrigued by noir novels and noir films. I love that style. And to unearth something from that era that hasn't been made into a film or is not a remake is really exciting. It's a lost classic."

"Angel" reunites Wood with Indalo, the producers behind his recent "Day Zero," which is set to have its world premiere this month at the Tribeca Film Festival. That experience also helped in his decision to become a producer.

"It's an easy way to cut your teeth when you're going it with someone you're familiar with," he said.

The film is set to lens this year, with MBS Prods. and Amaranth also on board to produce. Wood does not plan to star in the picture, whose casting will get under way shortly.

Wood recently wrapped production on the crime thriller "The Oxford Murders" in London and is lending his voice to the Shane Acker animated film "9."

BOUND (film lesbien)
Uploaded by Ange-diable

And the Musicals keep rolling in….

….......and in and in and in and in, from every side.
Well according to Ain't It Cool News and Hollywood Reporter MGM are planning a remake of FAME.
Is there nothing original out there, or are the studios far too conservative to take the risk on something original? I mean already we have Sweeney Todd, Hairspray, Nine and now this news. I was not going to bother doing a post about the state of movie musicals, but this news just really upset me, like when I listen to Shakira sing (she sounds like Miss Piggy with a cold)

The last crop of musicals have all failed in making its audience passionate. "Phantom of the Opera", "Rent" and "The Producers", even "Dreamgirls" all lacked that something that makes your heart soar to those heights that musicals are supposed to take you. Even “Chicago”, for all it’s kudos, played it safe. What needs to happen is for some originality to go into the making of these films, some edginess. When you go to the theatre to see these live productions, even though some are bad, the performers are there in front of you adding excitement and immediacy. This is taken away on celluloid so something else has to be added, a fire needs to be lit.


So, Hollywood, you need to fully round the characters and make us care about them no matter how cartoonish they may seem. Make the film exciting to hear and to look at, with “Moulin Rogue” there was always some scrumptious detail lurking in every scene. Music flows, so the film needs to as well, any drifts or lulls in the story telling will show up that much more in a musical. And finally if you must remake a musical give it something new, a new angle or a new look to generate interest to an audience that did not grow up watching people spontaneously burst into song. Please do not just copy the Broadway show and add new songs in the hopes of getting that best song Oscar, that is lazy and transparent.
Just put some effort in and just be smart!!!

The Children of Hurin - Who will buy the rights?

With all the squabbling over the making of ‘The Hobbit’ between New Line and Peter Jackson, one has to wonder what would Tolkien think? In November 2006, a letter from Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh mentioned that due to an ongoing legal dispute between Wingnut Films (Jackson's production company) and New Line Cinema, they would likely not be directing the film. However, in response, MGM spokesman Jeff Pryor has stated that "We still believe this matter of Peter Jackson directing 'The Hobbit' is far from closed." As MGM owns the distribution rights to The Hobbit film, this may carry some weight.
New Line Cinema's head, Robert Shaye, said that the studio won't work with Jackson on that film or any other. "He will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company," Shaye said.
It sounds to me like Shaye has been responsible for some dodgy dealings and is having a wee bit of a tantrum about having to come clean. However no one really knows what went on, all we know is from the statements from both parties, Jackson comes out better.
What is really sad is that we, the movie going public, are the ones who end up suffering because greed, power and money.

Whatever happens with ‘The Hobbit’ (apparently Sam Raimi has been approached but has publicly stated he is wary about stepping in Peter’s shoes) at least we can hope another studio will buy the rights to the new Tolkien novel ‘The Children of Hurin’ and Peter Jackson decides to revisit Middle Earth in the future.
‘The Children of Hurin’ is the culmination of an effort to bring to the public the vast body of work J.R.R. Tolkien had left unpublished, and largely unfinished, when he died in 1973.
Tolkien began writing "The Children of Hurin" 99 years ago, abandoning it and taking it up again repeatedly throughout his life. Versions of the tale already have appeared in "The Silmarillion," "Unfinished Tales" and as narrative poems or prose sections of the "History of Middle-earth" series.

Here is a brief synopsis…got me all excited. Six thousand years before the Fellowship of the Ring, long before anyone had even seen a Hobbit, the elves and men of Middle-earth quaked at the power of the dark lord Morgoth

Hunted by easterlings and orcs, they fled to the fastness of Nargothrond and to the deep forests of Brethil and Doriath. Among them, a hero emerged. Strong and courageous he was, but foolhardy and impetuous. His name was Turin, son of Hurin.

Whoa Nelly!!!

When I have totally faith in a musical artist I will buy their new album without hearing it. Most of the time (with the exception of Madonna) this has been a mistake, and I have learnt my lesson. David Gray, Alanis Morrisette, Macy Gray, Sinead O’Connor, have all taught me that although I love their work, you should always listen to the album before buying. However, only one artist has ever truly disappointed me.
I really liked ‘Whoa, Nelly’ and ‘Folklore’ is one of my all time favourite albums so I was disappointed with the commerciality of ‘Loose’. I understand that after the commercial disappointment of her sophomore effort Nelly Furtado needed to change things up in order to make some money, and that meant going with the flow and hiring Timbaland. Don’t get me wrong, I love Timbaland, and think his work with Missy Elliot is genius, but if any of you have listened to ‘Folklore’ you will understand why ‘Loose’ was such a disappointment to me.

Songs such as ‘Powerless’, the lead off single, critique the entertainment industry in it’s ‘whitening’ of celebrities, I mean look at Beyonce, she is as white as she can be without skin bleaching. Then other singles were completely ignored. The teenage rebellion anthem ‘Explode’, and the heartbreakingly beautiful ‘Try’ were not even blips on radio’s radar. ‘Forca’ was a hit in Portugal and Brazil, but nowhere else, while the albums closing track, the love song to her infant son ‘Childhood Deams’ is probably one of the best songs no one has ever heard.
Lyrically this album takes you to places not often visited by young poplettes, and it is refreshing to see one as young as Nelly is, writing such poignant and insightful lyrics that somehow never feel forced or pretentious like so many other female singer songwriters out there. Musically this album is very brave. She uses every instrument she can get her hands on, from banjo to church organ, and it all flows with such ease that you barely notice how clever the whole package is.

Lets just hope that her new foray into R-n-B/pop is so when she makes another album as rich as ‘Folklore’ it will reach a wider audience. Nelly Furtado has an amazing talent, I trust she will not let it go to waste. I will leave you with what I feel is the best track off ‘Loose’ and the one that captures what she accomplished with ‘Folklore’ which is ‘All Good Things’. Enjoy.

Nelly Furtado - All Good.Things
Uploaded by cavapanon