New "Indiana Jones" Trailer

Loving Cate's Edna Mode hair style

Changes

Sometimes after seeing a movie you feel so in love with it, that it's flaws are not seen right away. With the passage of time come great learning. I have learned that although the thought of three grade A films in one year is a wonderful thought, it is not always going to happen.......you may be seeing some changes, or not.

I grade all the way to A+ and few films have gotten that ("Moulin Rouge!" has OF COURSE!). That comes with time and re-watching. Re-watch this space.

Mini Review - Two for Tuesday 2

"A Mighty Heart"

Guess what everyone? Michael here need to have a big ole helping of crow pie. While I still stand by my earlier stance that it is a crime ethnic actors are continuously passed over for roles in favour of safe white big named actors, I have to say Angelina Jolie took my breath away completely in this role. I expected her celebrity to overshadow her performance, but she got lost under brave and stoic skin of Marianne Pearl, a woman intelligently dealing with the kidnapping of her husband.

Also outstanding (again) was Irrfan Khan as the head of police assigned to the case. He is one of those actors that can act out entire narratives with his eyes, giving the viewer so much more to work with. The copy I watched had no subtitles for the time they spoke in Urdu, but with this gifted actor, they were not needed.

Most people know the story (and if you don't, for shame!) and its horrific ending, and Michael Winterbottom deserves all the praise in the world for steering away from sentimentalism and keeping the documentary style film ringing true.
Again I have to mention Angelina. For the first time the woman has proven that she is an amazing actress (imho) and it is a crime Cate Blanchett is nominated in her place at this years Oscars.
A -


"There Will Be Blood"

What can I say about this film and it's performances and director that has not been said already.

I would just be repeating the general consensus and that is a very very boring read. So this is going to be the shortest review EVER, and I am sure you are all glad for that.

The film is visually magnificent. The score is unsettling and genius. Daniel Day-Lewis is phenomenal. Paul Dano stands his ground brilliantly (who knew?). Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a movie that will be studied for a very very long time.

I didn't love it.

I have an admiration bordering on love, but this is a very very tough film to love. The characters are horrible and the story, for one shot in the desert, is not very warm. However (a fancy 'but') this is not the film to cause flutters and pangs in your heart. It is meant to open the viewers eyes and educate. Daniel Plainview and Eli Sunday represent corporate and religious America respectively. They may even represent the world, who knows. What is apparent is that this war is giving the creative talent in the world inspiration through anger. "There Will be Blood" is a very angry film, and Paul Thomas Anderson does not hide it.
In terms of pure balls, he and his film is genius
A -

It's time to raise the curtains!

What exciting news!

Now I am not a huge fan of the Bio-Pic, but the announcement that Empire Film Group is planning on making a film based on the life of Jim Henson gives the wobblies (the good type mind you)!!

I still remember crying at the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the Oscars when he came up with Kermit the year he died. So sad.

Anyway there is apparently a screenplay by some dude called Robert D. Slane knocking about, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to get some visionary director ( ahem * Spike Jones * ahem ) to direct.

I mean this is Jim Henson, the man deserves so much more than just a straight forward Bio-Pic. Imagine having the actual Muppet cast (minus that dreadlocked guy from the later series…how awful was he!) playing various parts in their creators life.

Or better yet, how about casting actors as the Muppets and have a Muppet play Henson. I would love to cast THAT film.

My picks would be:

How about the charming and ever reliable Dan Futterman as Kermy. He could very easily show Kermits inner turmoils of juggling a relationship and an entertainment career.


My personal favourite, Janice, would have a much bigger part in the movie. She would not just be stuck in the band, and have a small role in the hospital sketch, but would utilize her stoner comedy genius. No one else could play her but Anna Faris.


Rolf was the real talent. Piano player and voice of reason. He was most loyal to Kermit and never had his chance to really shine unless he was on the piano. No one else could capture his frustration at not being the star he should have been but Forrest Whitaker.


Ahh Piggy. There was always so much more to Piggy than a jealous diva. After "Romance and Cigarettes" I have no doubt in my mind that Kate Winslet would have a ball letting loose with her.


Since he loves to show off on screen and play just about every type of character he can, Phillip Seymour Hoffman could really chew the scenery as The Swedish Chef. BORK BORK BORK!


Lastly, the one who makes me laugh the most. Beaker was always getting blown up and tortured on the show, so you need someone who can do slapstick and perhaps get across the angst of being the fall guy. Zach Braf would be perfect (also the resemblance is uncanny)


Come on! Who would you cast? We have Fozzie, Scooter, Gonzo, Sweetums, Sam the Eagle (David Strathairn), Satler and Wardorf, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Lew Zealand, Camilla (Oh if Liz Taylor were acting).

Lessons should be learned

All those news papers, tabloids, celeb rumor sites, those bitchy gossips who have nothing better to do and a lot of my fellow bloggers should now learn a valuable lesson. Never ever speculate about something so deeply private.

Lets visit the trailer park!

I love trailers.

Trailer 1 is the return of Liam Neeson in "Taken". I do like this man so much, and this looks pretty damn exciting. Just a shame the wonderful Famke Janssen may have to play suffering wife/ex wife when we all know she could be so much more.



Next is "The Happening" by that poor M. Night Shyamalan who seems to be suffering from that rare 'getting worse' syndrome. I have to say the man can cut a bloody effective trailer. It has attracted Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel though so I will hold out a little hope (unless is it totally a pay cheque film)



Morgan Spurlock is sure to get ALOT of attention with "WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?" his brand new documentary.......I...I......I'll just let it speak for it's self.



Finally we have the ever charming Michael Caine in "Flawless". He looks totally at ease in this cute little crime caper. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Demi Moore. Her accent is all over the place, even in the trailer. Poor poor dear......then again she could *snigger* surprise us all and deliver and fun sexy and feisty performance. Gotta run, Babe just became airborne.

In the valley of boredom wishing there would be blood.

So…why am I still a little BLAH about this years Oscar race? Well the exciting categories for upsets are usually the main 6 (Picture, Director, and the Acting categories) followed closely by screenplay and foreign film. These seem kind of locked right now…..well they more or less are sure things so that leaves the editing and score nail biters?

I DON’T THINK SO.

I want big upsets (not the “Crash” sort mind you) and this year is not shaping up to be that at all. And that is so sad! I want shocks and gasps on Oscar night…………not this year. Actually most of the categories seem pretty predictable. One can always hope for an “Atonement” surge, or Ruby Dee to pull forward, or perhaps a Laura Linney upset. Anything would be good.

But most probably I will be sitting there marking off my ballot sheet, yawning and wishing for the days of upsets.

Oh No...what happened to...MY SOUFFLE!!!??!!

This questions and other like "Why does Jessica Alba still work?" will hopefully be answered this week with the release of "The Eye"

You can't stop what's coming....

...and after its PGA win, that will be the Coen Brothers latest gathering a heap o' Oscars.

Weekend warm up!

I am having to work this weekend. Honest to blog. Heading on down to Birmingham for a trade show, but wanted to leave you with something to read, cause God knows the internet is empty.

Even though I am not at all convinced this movie is going to work with the director and screenwriter chosen, I am still excited about any movie that casts Eric Bana as an oft naked time traveler. "The Time Travelers Wife" is due out this year, and her are some sneak peek pics. I really hate Rachel McAdams in the second pic....it should be me!!!!





In disgusting news, it seems Paramount is already going ahead with a "Cloverfield" sequel.
What a cunch of bunts they are.
What made that film work was the fact it appeared to be sequel free. When do you think Hollywood will learn it's lesson?
I hope that JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves have something special in mind and not just a repeat that will make more bucks. But still this film should have always been a one off.
Like so many before it...did they learn nothing from "Blair Witch"?
We can all look forward to the bikini clad "Cloverfield II: The Monster takes Miami" in the near future.


And just to leave you with something a little silly.

Mini Review - Cloverfield

The bad - T.J. Miller. If you do not want to slap the man after 5 minutes you are a patient patient person.

The good - Instead of happy endings it is a real dooms day picture. The monster is not revealed in whole through out the entire film, and what you see of it (don't worry, you get a good look) seems organic enough and not at all Star Warsy. The sense of panic and fear really comes across, and you will be carried away if you can survive the jerky hand held camera movement and T.J. Miller.

Total bonus points for leaving me in awe.

Not perfect, but my god was it a thrill ride!!! I am still wondering how they did it. If you want an entertaining film to see, go and see this, but do not drink too much before hand....you may need a vom.
B+

Romulus, My Father - Trailer

Holy Bana!!! I would watch this man pluck his nose hair he is that stunning.

Romulus, My Father is based on Raimond Gaita’s critically acclaimed memoir. It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is the tale of a boy trying to balance a universe described by his deeply moral father, against the experience of heartbreaking absence and neglect from a depressive mother. It is, ultimately, a story of impossible love that celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.

Very interested in seeing how this films does, especially with the actors as they look as though they could be impressive.

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Thanks Arjan!

Mini Reviews….The Catch up!!

I am going to make there as brief as possible so bear with me as I condense two hours of cinematic time down to a few lines.


Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Cold and calculated. Aside from the wonderful costumes, eye popping art direction and wonderful black white and red cinematography there is nothing else of substance (something most Tim Burton films leave me thinking). Sure you can still appreciate the genius of Sondheim’s lyrics and music, but I was expecting more.

Johnny Depp just seems to walk around with a constant scowl, while the usually wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, whilst being very comical does not have the singing voice for this. I could hardly understand what she was singing about most of the time. I kind of wish they had cast Toni Collette in the role.
All in all a missed opportunity
C


3:10 to Yuma

Call this the year of the westerns. Rancher Dan Evans (a wonderful sad and haunted performance by Christian Bale) heads into a near town when he witnesses the closing events of a stagecoach robbery lead by famed outlaw Ben Wade (The reliable Russell Crowe).
Wade is captured by the law and Evans finds himself one of the escorts who will take Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train (get the title now??) for the reward of $200.

The reason for Evans taking this trip is not only to save his land with the money, but to be seen as a hero in his sons eyes.

Wade and Evans form a strange bond on the journey. Wade has spent most of his life destroying lives and families, and he sees Evans as something he would like to, but can never be….a noble man.

The transport is hazardous as they are constantly being pursued by Wade's vengeful gang (including the scenery chewing Ben Foster).
While watching Bale held my attention there is only so much one can take of constant shot-em-ups. The western is something that has never really excited me as a film genre, and while the filmmaking and acting is wonderful I just found myself wondering why all this killing had no moral.
B


4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)

Director Cristian Mungiu’s film is one of the most harrowing films I have seen in a long time. The feeling of dread and fear he manages to capture is astonishing when you think there is no score to tell you what to feel, and no villain to be fearful of.

During the course of one day in 1987 in Communist Romania, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) helps her friend and roommate Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) to get a late-term abortion done (at that time, any sort of abortion, as well as any kind of contraceptive were illegal in Romania).

The camera follows Otilia around, as she helps her friend, who is too scared to be of help. To talk more about the film will give far too much away. This is one of those films that needs to be seen not just for the amazing acting but to see how it is possible to create such fear and dread in a viewer with out violence or mountains of gore. Just the idea that something could go wrong is enough for your heart to be in your throat.
Such a shame Anamaria Marinca was not considered for awards attention as she gives one of the best performances of the year. She plays the more head strong of the two girls who makes the decisions and has to live with them. The scene at the dinner party is harrowing and entirely played on her face. This actress does not play one false note. A sublime performance in an amazing film.
A-

SAG and DGA announce winners

The DGA (Directors Guild of America) has said to everyones shock and surprise that the Coen Brothers have won Best Director of the year!! Honestly though is anyone surprised?

The SAG have some winners as well.

Best ensemble - No Country for Old Men (this is a good win as this film was truly an ensemble work and all the actors were perfect. Congrats to Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kelly MacDonald

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (And he gave a wonderful speech which further cements his Oscar win.)

Best Actress - Julie Christie (This could make her unstoppable for the Oscar win)

Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem (no surprise there)

Best Supporting Actres - Ruby Dee (The one true surprise which means she could be getting an Oscar for life time achievement...and I wouldn't complain)

Mini Reviews…a whole bunch of them…this time extra mini!

”30 Days of Night”

Finally got around to seeing this and I have to say I did enjoy it. It was gruesome but not for gores sake. It had a very good premise and the make up was fantastic and it generally did a good job in making me very watching-through-the-bunched-up-arm-hole-of-my-bathrobe frightened.

My only major grip is that once again the powers that be show their hand far too early. I like my things-that-go-bump-in-the-night to be mysterious. Once they are seen fully, and speak the effect gets lost. This is why “The Blair Witch Project” was so effective. Is it me or does the head vampire look a lot like Leyland Palmer from "Twin Peaks"?

Also the fact they walk around hissing like cats for no other reason than to show the viewer they are animalistic does make me chuckle. Very Buffy season 1. Overall a good effort though
B-


”Across the Universe”

Oh I wanted to love this so much. I really did. I was so excited about the prospects and even some of the scathing reviews did not put me off.
Then after twenty minutes I knew this would not be the masterpiece I so badly wanted it to be.

Seriously there were like seventeen Beatle’s songs crammed into twenty minutes. By the end of the film it seem like the entire back catalogue had been covered but unfortunately no real story. Bono shows up, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker and others and I was just wondering why.

Do not get me wrong, there was some good. Director Julie Taymor creates some of the most tantalizing eye candy seen in quiet some time, and the set design and costumes are fantastic, it is just that when you have a musical the numbers should be out of this worldSome of the musical numbers were fantastic, ‘Come Together’ come immediately to mind. See for yourself. But this did not cover up the fact that there was nothing else here aside from a really cool gimmick.
C


”Enchanted”

I wanted to love this as well. BOOOOOO to my expectations. Susan Sarandon you are so disappointing to me. How could you, yes YOU not be able to conjure up something remotely resembling evil???

Sure the script and the songs were a heap of fun, and the musical number did bring an old fashioned smile to my face but I was expecting so much more. I wanted to become a kid again and instead I ended up a mildly disappointed adult watching a kids film by themselves.

However James Marsden as wiped his dull performance as Cyclops out of my mind with his fearlessly silly performance as Prince Edward. And EVERYTHING you have heard about Amy Adams in this is true, she is sensational. Not Oscar-tastic mind you but she was able to be shrill and plucky without being grating. She walked a very fine line and managed to not only make it out unscathed, but amazingly she has made it out a star.
B-


”The Assasination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford”

Andrew Dominik has crafted one of the most beautiful and thought provoking studies on celebrity to grace the silver screen (or is it technicolour now?). This is also one of the most beautiful films of the year to look at, and those who have compared the film making style to Terrence Malick would not be wrong. However the film does meander a bit in getting to the punch, and a few extra trims in the editing room would not have gone amiss.

Bob Ford is infatuated with Jesse in a slightly uncomfortable homoerotic way that makes the view very uneasy watching this youngster voice his love to his icon. He does not understand the difference between the person standing before him and the fantasy of his he has in his head.

James both exploits this and is unnerved by it. He humiliates Ford not because he is a bully, but because this is what his celebrity ask of him. Why does James keep him around? Bob Ford is a constant reminder of just how famous he has become
Pitt is wonderful in the role, but is blown out of the water by Affleck as Ford. He plays Robert as both likeable and creepy, you are never comfortable when he is on the screen. He is a clingy pathetic creature, yet you feel for him. He reminds you of that part of you that idolizes celebrities yourself.B