..movie biz looks to be picking up on my radar. The latest news I've been reading have peaked my interest for it again. Not since Lord of The Rings have I been like this.
Anyway...here:
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton may be reuniting for the 7th time in the live-action production of Alice in The Wonderland. And this is the actress who will play Alice. Johnny Depp might be playing the Mad Hatter. Wheee!
They're doing the movie Fashionistas which is based on a book by Lynn Messina.
Speaking of fashionistas...the Sex and City movie sequel? Samantha-centric possibly? SJP is not liking it.
The hubbs and I were watching trailers on Apple.com last night. Sex Drive looks interesting. Not to be confused with the Maui Taylor movie. Haha. James Marsden looks like a MAN and not a boy here. Finally!
I'm gonna go and see this movie a second time! Originally written on my Multiply...which is turning out to be my movie blog.
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How fun was this movie!? My 10 year old kept on laughing and laughing and I had a big grin on my face the whole time, my facial muscles are sore!
I love: - that Jack Black dialed down the crazy. Hence he was effectively funnier as Po. - the design, the animation: stunning! This rightfully falls on our BluRay wishlist, once it's released. - the fighting sequence: awesome! I have been craving for a good action movie to watch. I did not expect this movie would be my answer. My son tells me, he read that this movie was inspired by Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle and I definitely saw that. - that there was hardly any pop-culture reference. Sometime those jokes don't work. This movie did not need any of those to make it relevant and funny.
Some Taoist (?) elements that went unnoticeable: - The townsfolk? I think my son asked me this three times in the middle of the movie ---- why is everyone else characterized as pigs, ducks and bunnies? But the heroes of the movie are all fierce creatures? I don't know the exact answer to that, but maybe that's the reason why they are warriors? The meek domesticated animals, regular town people (represented by cute bunnies, clueless pigs and daffy looking fowls) rely on them for protection? - Po is motivated by food and had to be trained to think about food, which sends the wrong message to those watching the film, if you look at it. And I did not know this too...but a few days back my son related to me --- pandas do nothing but eat most of the time. (See, I am so not smarter than a 6th grader!). It's like, that's their talent. Po's motivation makes sense...in a way. You think?
Master Oogway said --- "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it". And that is why .... there are no accidents.
The final battle scene reminded me of Tekken: Panda vs. King.
If you didn't stay long to watch the credits, here's what you missed:
I chose to watch this for John Cusack, only my mega-super-ultra favorite movie actor ever.
Expectedly, the film would have to be a sad story. I know I was gonna end up crying since it's about of a father who learns that his (solider) wife has been killed in Iraq and doesn't know how to begin to tell their daughters about it.
I love the film for many reasons.
1. Cusack's great performance, probably the best of his career. For once he tackled the role with caution, restraint and perfect control. As a big fan, I've seen most of his work, even questionable films like Must Love Dog and Ice Harvest, and I could always pinpoint what is typically his acting style. In this film, however, that's all gone. He's so believable as a husband whose heart is aching inside for his daughters. Perhaps my favorite scene of his was him curling up in fetal position and crying himself to sleep.
2. The actresses who played the daughters (Shelan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk). They were so natural, I didn't think this one felt like work to them. The eldest daughter, Heidi, is 12 years old, wise beyond her years. Early on, she senses that there's something wrong, but doesn't pressure her dad about it. Heidi suffered insomnia ever since their mom was stationed in the war. But she doesn't tell her dad about how she walks the neighborhood at night, pondering the purpose of her mom fighting for their country. Dawn, the eight year old, provides the comic relief. She's cute, but not in that annoying way.
3. The story. It's sincere, so true to life and so moving. Grace is Gone is not just a film about losing someone you love. It's not just about what happens to families because of the war. It's also about parenting, acceptance, growing up and moving forward. Told very simply, with only three central characters for the most part of the film, it sends out a really compelling message each viewer can pick and draw lessons from.
4. The film score....which is a Clint Eastwood masterpiece. I didn't know old Dirty Harry was a musician until this film. He actually earned a Golden Globe nomination for this.
Grace is Gone is a quiet, honest, subtle film. You don't have to be political to understand what the film is. You just have to be human, capable of feeling the impact of losing a loved-one.
MONGOL
I'm not so sure if this is a factual account on the life of Genghis Khan.
Critics called it the Mongolian Braveheart. The Oscars thought it deserved an Academy nomination (Best Foreign Language Film). But to me, it felt like a Lito Lapid movie, only with aesthetically superior visual effects (SUPERIOR!) and great costumes.
Mongol is a freakin' love story, with minor battle scenes. Genghis Khan... lovesick? Who would've thought? Who he was and why he became famous started with his devotion for a woman!
I love a good battle scene, I love hearing blades clashing. The trailer made my mouth water for this. The trailer gave the impression that it was gonna be that awesome (see for yourselves, I have it embed). But upon watching the whole of the film, it felt short of my expectations. The plot felt quite uneven, too. It wasn't as riveting as one would expect; it's Genghis Khan without the wrath.
It's not entirely the production's fault though. In fairness, they did a good job with what material they can gather. I think part of why I found the film to be flawed can be due to time constraints. For how can you tell everything about an important historical figure's life in less than 2 hours?
In the last three months, I've seen more movies than I did in one year (in 2006 to be exact) and the latest ones I saw the past week would have to be these:
And from this batch of films, I think I found my new favorite romance in Dan in Real Life. I call it the "Say Anything for the 30 years old and up". The latter is an all-time favorite love story of mine. So now, it shares the spot with Dan In Real Life. These are the kinds of movies that make my heart go, "I want to feel THAT kind of love!"
Talks have been going on for sometime now about bringing the short-lived comedy series Arrested Development to the big screen.
Over the weekend, Jason Bateman, the star of the show, tells E! that the plan is now underway. But at this point, it's still all talk. That news from E! changes nothing from that news clip on Youtube.
I dunno...somehow, I would've been a lot happier if the news says they were gonna do the TV series again.
I do kinda miss Lucille, Buster and the kids calling their grandpa, "Pop-pop".
Wait, do I have enough time to hit the DVDs and rewatch the series before the strike is lifted? Hmmmm...
I've so far been on a movie trip this week. Thanks to the lack of TV shows to watch, I'm able to catch up on some films I've been meaning to see. And so far? Having a blast ! In a matter of three days, I've since watched the following below. Normally, I'd spread it over months watching this many...so, this is kind of new to me again.
Gaad, I didn't realize how much I miss the movies!
I think I'd like to check out Michael Clayton, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood, Across the Universe and The Great Debaters next. Got any more movie to recommend I should watch?
Incidentally, the Oscar nomineesare out. Who's your pick?
Because today is 9/11. Because of it, the world has changed. Because the world has changed, countries went to war. Because countries went to war, thousands come home dead, their families crippled.
And this is what this movie is about.
In memoriam...
And also because I love JC, the movie deserves this entry. :D Movie opens October (USA). No idea about a Philippine run, yet.
Spent a great part of my early evening checking out movie trailers. Did not realize until tonight that there plenty of movies I should be very excited about. I am looking forward to those epic films (Beowulf, The Last Legion and 10,000BC) but I'm especially eager to watch these...look it:
Enchanted - Disney's newest fairy tale movie, with a modern twist...and it's not the same kind of twist as Shrek.
Lars and The Real Girl - Stars Ryan Gosling and what looks like Angelina Jolie (hehehe, watch the trailer and see for yourself!!!)
MOVIE TIME: Watched these movies with my 9-year old over the last two weekends. It was he who asked that we should watch it. Lately, he's been exhibiting this fondness for movies. And now looks forward to weekends at the movie house or watching some at home.
Watched when the little one has gone to bed...
MUSIC TIME: Found my 9year old listening to my husband's iPod, which had songs from these artists:
He says he digs it. I am bewildered. But we ended up listening to it together.
CHANGING TIMES: My 9 year old stayed late at school because there was a school affair. He brought his cellphone with him (which he rarely ever uses, really... just for days like this) but then he tells me --- "Mom, don't call me at school, ha? I'll call you." And of course, he only called just once to tell me he has boarded the school service and is going home for dinner.
Saw:Zack Braff's The Ex. I didn't know it was originally entitled Fast Track as seen in this photo. Or maybe I grabbed a photoshopped jpeg of this movie's poster. Anyhoooo...didn't like the story too much. It felt...fast tracked. Yeah, that's it exactly.
But I liked that some of my favorite people are on this movie together --- Zach, Amanda, Jason.
Paul Rudd (Mike Hannigan) was in one scene; He was Zach's ass of a boss. Amy Poehler (SNL) was in another scene and I could not understand what her scene was about, it was very insignificant to the film.
Zack said the movie didn't do well, but for other reasons. He wrote on his blog:
"For those of you that went to see the EX, thank you. It didn't do as well as any of us hoped, and I'm not quite sure why. Obviously the reviews weren't great and it was only on 1000 screens (that's half the number of the other new movies.) Many of you have written me saying you couldn't find it near you. And there were lots of Huge movies out. But I have to be honest, I didn't think we'd get beaten by Delta Farce! That stings. The Ex is by no means a perfect movie, but I think it's a pretty funny one if you like silly, goofy, physical comedy. I do. But whatever, if you can find it, please check it out. I promise you will laugh."
There's one thing I noticed about me watching Zack Braff movies lately....if there are no goofy segues (as with Scrubs), it just won't do for me. I think I have boxed him as JD in my mind now.
Saw:Happily N'Ever After. Meh. It's Cinderella's story with a twist. The people who did Shrek was behind this movie, as well. But it is not as funny. Not funny at all.
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Will be checking out Meadowlands and Jekyll later today.
Meadowlands is a family drama aired on Showtime. It's supposedly quirky and different but we'll see. I just trashed another family drama last week --- John From Cincinnati? Could not get into the show even with Luke Perry in it.
Jekyll is a British TV Series about a doctor who needs to keep his dark side in check. Sounds like Dexter's premise, huh?
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Ever since high school, I've always loved to pick girl baby names and make my list. I think that if I have kept it all, I'd have made my own baby name book. All I remember from my old list now is Kay Erin. Which is what I was supposed to name my daughter, except that I had a boy instead.
Anyway, lately I'm inspired by the name Dominica. And I see her as a sweet and carefree girl with curly locks. Ahhhh! All these baby prepartions must be getting to me. My sis-in-law is bringing my niece into this world in three weeks time and I've been labelling stuff for my soon-to-born niece which relatives from the province sent over.
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My son is actually in bed now, sick with fever. And I'm not supposed to be spending time in the computer today (sssshhhh...) So, I'll keep this short and retire from the internet early.
Today is father's day. My family and I celebrated it with my father by having an intimate lunch party. Which turned out to be my treat, or rather mine and hubby's treat. I didn't expect to be spending big for it. You know how small parties become. Especially with today's text messaging frenzy.
So now, the Scrooge in me is feeling the pain in my pocket. And before you think of me as an ungrateful daughter, I have to say, I do not mind spending something for my dad. It's just that a few days before, we had to make big budget cuts in our household because our water bill shot up to eleven freaking thousand. Yes, that's 11,000. And that's a whole story altogether.
Anyway, so....my dad days ago, shocked as he was about learning of our waterbill, said that we didn't have to spend for his birthday, which is also father's day incidentally. But of course, it's typically Pinoy of us, we still celebrated despite little resources. My mother offered to pitch in, thankfully. We had my brother and his pregnant wife over. A few cousins and friends. Intimate lunch and so forth.
All the while I....I was already doing mental accounting of how we're gonna survive the week scrimping. But hey, we've done this lots of times before, so it's not supposed to be a big deal, really. That's just me being me, the worrywart that I am.
But you know what, that wasn't the highpoint (or lowpoint) of my day. Read on...
They say: behind every dark cloud is a silver lining. Well, my dad did the silliest but very endearing thing today that proved that. And I think I will not forget this gesture for a very long time.....
Because I'm still having the toughest luck (I hate 2007! Hate it! Hate it!), trouble and problems seems to be springing from one to the other. Today of all days, and for the third time this year, our exhaust fan for our computer station exploded while we were having lunch. At first I thought it was the computer itself because the explosion was loud. Some of us even jolted from our seats. But none were more so shocked than I was ---- my face may have been a give-away. I think my epression spelled out: "Oh no, gastos na naman!" But as my husband assessed, it will only cost us P600.00 to replace it. P600.00 is minimal by today's living standards. But for this week, when at least one month's worth of a person's salary has dented our budget with our water bill and this party, even spending 100.00 would be greatly felt.
Well, my dad, perhaps sensing I was doing mental accounting again, suddenly took out his wallet and then gave me P600.00 right then and there. And then he said --- "Nak, sa exhaust fan lang kita matutulungan, ha? Hindi ko kaya yung sa tubig eh. Hehe." For the record, he did say "hehe". Parang nahiya pa sa inabot! But boy, that made me laugh. My father, I realize, still wants to take care of me after all these years. He still provides. And that made me feel I was his little girl again. And that was all it took for me to say --- to hell with bills and spending. They happen. Shit happens. But priceless moments like this, it's a goldmine. I feel richer already.
Oh, about the water bill. No, we don't have a pool at home. We also do not have a water theme park. We don't have an elephant to give baths to. We had a leak that we detected a little too late. So our usual bill of 700.00 shot up to 11,000. Sad no? The leak has been fixed, sort of. I had made arrangements with our homeowner's association (running a household is tough, man!)...and for now, it's all good.
Anyway, this one is for the daddies out there. Many of you go unappreciated because, let's face it, mother's get more recognition than fathers. But be that as it may, you still deserve one day a year to celebrate fatherhood. Fathers are good guys too, as this movie will show. This is The Martian Child, starring John Cusack, a guy who I originally wanted to be my kid's daddy, ever since I was 15. *mwah* Hahaha!
Trailer pa lang, I was already crying. Movie opens in October.
I've been waiting for this show since March. It's this reality TV series produced by Steven Spielberg. And just like any rTV, e.g. The Apprentice or Project Runway, it hopes to find the next big shot in the field of Directing.
The show by itself is typical of any rTV's we've been exposed to:
- First, we see bits and pieces of who the contestants are, what their personalities and quirks are like and all that. - Then, we are introduced to the judges --- in this case it's Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars' Princess Leia) and Brett Ratner (Xmen 3) --- and they provided motivation and words of wisdom. - Then, the contestants are given projects: for this round, it's to pitch a story. And as with any typical show, we see the worst ones and the best ones.
This one, I liked:
Now, it's unfair to expect too much from these aspiring directors or maybe even this show itself, in terms of the kinds of films they will be creating. It's pretty evident, the show is looking for a commercial director and not the artsy-fartsy type.
Anyhow, as much as I've gotten tired of the Reality TV format, I'm persuaded to watch this through because obviously, this is my inclination, had I decided to pursue a career. :)
On The Lot Season 1 Episode 1 - Auditions #1 Original Airing: May 22, 2007 Network: Fox Philippine Cable: Star World
On movie choices, if you're anything like I am...I mean you basically love these elements:
epic magnitude
astonishing cinematography
awesome fight scenes
if applicable, awesome fight scenes with swordplay
Then you will probably like this news from Variety:
After turning the Frank Miller graphic novel "300" into a hit, Warner Bros. has optioned the rights to Miller's "Ronin"to adapt into a live-action feature.
Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard") will direct.
In the story, a ronin, or disgraced samurai warrior, bears the shame of allowing his master to be assassinated by a shape-shifting demon in 13th century Japan. When the master's sword is unearthed in mid-21st century New York, the ronin and the demon are brought to life and battle gangs of mutants and thugs to try to take possession of the mythical sword.
[snipped]
"Ronin" will be shot in a fashion similar to that employed for "300," in which blue- and green-screen lensing was done on a Montreal soundstage to create an ancient Greece battleground for a $65 million film.
- I have very little to be happy about these days. But my woes are also too insignificant if I compare it to others. So, will not dwell on it except to say that --- at the start of the year, I have been dreading 2007 because I felt it wasn't gonna be a good year. And the 3rd month is almost over, my bad luck has not changed. Haaay. Things come to pass, I know. My new mantra should be: it will soon be over, it will soon be over, it will soon be over.
- Watched The Wedding Bell's second episode. I'm sticking around for Teri Polo, who I think deserves to stay on TV longer. She had a really promising TV Show in 2003 called I'm With Her, a premise ala-Notting Hill but was inspired by Brooke Shield's life. It was canceled abruptly, leaving loose ends. And I'm thinking The Wedding Bells will end the same way. The 2nd episode was all David Kelly. It was about a couple convincing people around them, the bride's dad especially, that they were indeed a real couple in love and would like to get married each other. Why people wonder about them is because the guy acts gay (wears something feathery around his neck, loves purple, is surrounded by drag queen friends) but claims he isn't. It reminded me a lot of an Ally McBeal episode, even down to the dancing bit.
- Watched Babel, Brad Pitt's movie. I think it's the only movie of Alejandro González Iñárritu's that I've appreciated. For all its complex story telling, the message is actually just really simple: understanding each other, despite communication and cultural barriers. Great movie.
Okay... am off to immense myself in work, the real kind, the kind that pays the bills.
- Finally saw the last of the three-arc episode of Grey's Anatomy. With all the hype surrounding this show, I've now come to terms with the fact that what I thought was most promising series, since the departure from Friends on TV in 2003, is slowly losing its promise. The Addison spin-off doesn't seem to be a bad idea after all.
- Finally saw Music & Lyrics, which I've been wanting to watch since I saw the trailer last January. I did not expect anything from this movie, so there wasn't any reason to be disappointed. It was a fun movie, despite it's very, very simple plot. But I was pleasantly surprised to see Scott Porter (Jason of Friday Night Lights) here. He only had about 5 minutes of screen time, he played one of the has-been band mates.
There is no doubt in my mind, Mel Gibson has a vision for action movies. I liked how Apocalypto is paced. I liked the camera work. I was uncomfortable with the gore and blood, but I get that it is essential to the movie and close to what is real. In a way, he is an excellent director like that.
There is a doubt though, on whether Mel Gibson knows how to tell a story or not. He failed to loop me and capture me with this one. The unfamiliar actors were also uninspiring because they failed to draw me in. Was I supposed to be moved? To sympathize? To understand? To root for Jungle Paw? I felt neither.
Frankly, I found the movie a lot weird. Then again, I know zilch about the Mayan civilization (Me asking my husband ---> "Dad, is this the one about the tribe from that Atlantis cartoons?" LOL!), you can fault my ignorance for finding this movie unsettling.
It's probably bad that I have already formed a bias against Eragon before I even saw it. LOTR is without a doubt my favorite movie of all time and anything similar to it, is sure to get a thumbs down from me.
But I tried to appreciate this movie. I tried to watch it for what it's worth, owing to the fact that this type of genre is what I truly enjoy (I can't wait for Frank Miller's 300!!!).
And in my perception, the development of the story was rushed. Like: there was a total of 2 minutes in which Eragon learned to use the sword; less than a minute - and he learned to speak a foreign language (not master it but still); 5 minutes or so in which he learned to ride his Dragon; some 20-30 minutes later and Saphira became more powerful, ditto Eragon. One minute they're off riding their horses, the next minute there is a battle somewhere. Wha?!?
This clearly showed to me how inexperienced the director was (first time director, apparently) by not knowing how to translate a good narrative from book to film.
And in the end, I could not disregard the glaring rip-offs from LOTR and even a bit of Harry Potter. They said it's a Star Wars rip-off, too but I haven't noticed. Maybe in the succeeding movies, as this film is supposedly another Trilogy.(?)
I could not also help laughing at how bad the costume they made the Dragon wear (Pinag-costume ba naman ang dragon?! LOL!).
