Lions For Lambs trailer

What is this really? I mean sure Meryl looks like she gives yet another good performance, but at this rate all she has to do is beltch for me to worship at her feet. But the music, the scenes they show, the male leads acting it is all so hammy.
I think this one may be a real let down.
What were they thinking releasing this trailer? It comes across as a SNL or French and Saunders (hilarious clip alert) parody of a movie trailer. I kept expecting Jack Nicolson to walk on and shout "You can't handle the truth!!" and give the camera a little wink.
Than again I could be biased, the tiny little gay scientologist scares me.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Trailer

This looks just far too cute. Another one of those "Your stuffed animals come alive" movies that will ensure I put my Boo Bear to bed, tuck him in and make sure he is comfortable for another 10 years!

Linky Linky Linky

AICN reports on Richard Kelly’s follow up to “Southland Tales” will be “The Box” about a couple who discover a box with a button. They are told that everytime they press the button they will be paid life changing money, but someone will die. Sounds good, and will apparently be PG-13…NO TORTURE PORN…hurrah!!

Nathaniel Roger’s - The Film Experience is doing his annual half way mark Oscar predictions, and it is not a shabby bunch of noms at all! If only the Academy thought more like Nathaniel and less like themselves.

Tweenbetween has found some hysterically brilliant e-cards y’all need to get!

At Long last Andy Scott has put up his Oscar predictions, and they are looking sweet, especially the shout out to Kelly McDonald!


A lovely piece on “A Might Heart” from Stinky LuLu, but not about Angelina in black face, but instead about an actress who quietly make an impact. Highlighting the little supporting role is very important, so thanks you!!

The Fug Girls attack the Spice Girls…..enough said!

And last, but not least….the person with the best titled blog in the world does a review of “Hairspray” which I am excited about, and get the feeling I will also dislike the performance from the big gay man with the homophobic religion.

Holy Poo...The "Eastern Promises" Trailer!!

Not 100% sold on the film as a whole, but get the feeling thet they have held back on showing the performances in the trailer on purpose. I am expecting to be dazzled.

"I am the original Material Girl"

Well my good friend was lucky enough to attend a performance by the wonderful Earth Kitt at Carnegie Hall, New York City.
In January the woman turned 80, and judging by his review it was a night to remember.
I thought I would honour one the sexiest, funniest, underappreciated, bravest and most entertaining women in the entertainment industry.

Did you know she was virtually exiled from the United States after making anti-war statements during a White House luncheon in 1968? She said "I am a mother and I know the feeling of having a baby come out of my gut. I have a baby and then you send him off to war. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot."

Here are some of her videos I stumbled upon on good ole You Tube.

I am pretty sure my Dad will get a kick out of these too, he always thought she was sexy.

Shooo little Scientologist, shoo!!

From The Hollywood Reporter

BERLIN -- Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Cruise, also one of the film's producers, is a member of the Church of Scientology, which the German government does not recognize as a church. Berlin says Scientology masquerades as a religion to make money, a charge Scientology leaders reject.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Gotta love those Germans!
There are a lot of religions out there, and I am fine with it usually. When they start to creep me out is when they start looking like a cult. This one particularly looks like a cult. They scare me the way really right wing Christians scare me, and Freemasons/Fraternities do.

Aliens need to land, and land soon. Then we will al have much bigger fish to fry.

The strength of a multi part movie adaptation.

I remember when Miramax originally had the rights to “The Lord of the Rings” and had wanted to squash the three books into one film. Considering each book was so dense, this was a preposterous idea. Granted there is a lot of time spent in the books focusing on landscape and building descriptions, but even two films would have felt rushed and shallow.

This is something I think about a lot when thinking about book to screen adaptations. Some work amazingly well (Pride and Prejudice, Children of Men, The Constant Gardener, Brokeback Mountain, while others suffer considerably. This is usually due to the length of the book, or the amount of information.

For a good example look at “Memoirs of a Geisha”.
The book was filled with so much information and detail, and even though the film ran for about three hours, it was still kind of like ‘PRESTO!! You’re a Geisha!!!’. There was none of the suspense, or build up or sense of being educated that you got from the book. It was a sugar coated candy coloured version of the book.
Had HBO or Showtime gotten the rights to it and made it into a three or four part miniseries, who knows to what dizzying heights you could have been taken. Every episode a mini cliff hanger, and ever character gets fully drawn.

I have been thinking about this as I have been reading “The Time Travellers Wife” knowing that they are making it into a film.
Regardless of my thoughts on the director and writer, the cast is spectacular, but not for a two hour plus film. If anything called out for a multi part adaptation this book did.
The time spent on character and the evolving relationship between Henry and Clare deserves a two hour film. But into that mix you have to throw in multi layered narratives of Henry and his time travelling to the past and future. Meeting Clare at various stages, plus all of his back story with his mother, father and Kimy takes time in setting up and should not be rushed. Call me a pessimist, but I really cannot see this working out well. I could be proved wrong, but I still think they should do something in the vein of “Elizabeth I” and “Angels in America” and keep it to TV, allowing you take the time in telling the story.
While reading the book I was trying to think which parts should be left out, and there was nothing. Every word is important. Every character adds something to the story, and is as important to the love story between Clare and Henry as they are themselves.
Who knows, maybe they will do a two part movie ala Kill Bill. But since this is probably not going to happen, all I can do is hope that everyone involved puts their best foot forward to make a film worthy of Audrey Niffenegger’s brilliant novel.

Private eyes are watching you Anika

Precious Ramotswe owns and operates the first and only detective agency in Botswana.
When she inherited from her father a herd of 180 cattle, Precious, an unattached lady--invested all of it in a detective agency.

Asked about her unusual occupation, she answers "Why not? Women are the ones who know what is going on... When people see a sign 'NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY' what will they think? They'll think those ladies will know what's going on."

And so goes the basic premise to the book, “ The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency ” a book I have been curious about reading for a long time, and now it looks like I am going to have to, and with relish.

Not only does one of my fav singers, Jill Scott, have the lead in the film version, but it seems the actress who should have played ‘Deena Jones’, Anika Noni Rose, has been cast as the secretary.
This is great news, especially when you hear that Anthony Minghella is on board to direct, with Sydney Pollack and the Weinstein Co. on board to produce. The talent going in is enough for notice, and for award predictors to start thinking.

Not only is it great news for films, that are not remakes, being made, but also for the more unknown actress who is not white. With the Weinstein’s and Minghella backing the project, one would not be crazy to think about award possibilities. Especially since there are so many films about the socio-economic problems of Africa, one that centres around women in a detective agency will stand out like a breath of fresh air.

Lazy Sunday posting.

Well actually not lazy.
I posted the Tori video as it was in my head all day, but in looking for the video I started seeing more and more Kate Bush.
I do love me some Kate, and I was pretty sure I had seen most of her video's. I was wrong. There were two.
"The Man With The Child In His Eyes" and "This Womans Work" were new to me. I love both songs, but only one video will get posted. Today is already turning into You Tube over kill. But please check out the other here
This won out as it bought a tear to me eye. The staging was fantastic, dramatic and so fitting.

Kate Bush - This Womans Work
Uploaded by classics007

Sometimes life is like a fairytale