Sons of Anarchy

This is a new FX show which premieres on September 2nd at 10/9c. I heard about this show a while back and wasn't all that excited about it mainly because I can't imagine how realistic TV will allow the characters to be represented. That said I have reconsidered due to the fact that it is FX and The Shield and Rescue Me have been such triumphs of gritty hard edged TV.

I like the San Francisco Chronicle line that FX uses on its site to promote the show:

"It's the first Buzz show to debut. It's about Biker gangs. And it's on FX. That's pretty much all you need to know".

Check out the preview.

Sons of Anarchy

De Niro Endorses Obama

One of my favorite actors endorsing my preferred choice for the next US President.

De Niro Endorses Obama

Movie-Con London

Movie-Con is a new event that was held at the British Film Institute on London's South Bank on August 16th and 17th. The Con was a collaboration between the BFI and Empire Magazine and had a few decent names attending including Dirk Blackman, Dave Gibbons, Jack Huston, Jon Mone, Guy Ritchie, Clark Spencer and Mark Strong .

Check out video highlights including Watchmen Co-creator Dave Gibbons....

http://www.empireonline.com/movie-con/video.asp

Here is the full schedule of what took place over the weekend at this Inaugural Movie-Con:

Saturday August 16th 2008
Introduction to weekend
Terminator 4: Salvation presentation
Sony sizzle reel including Quarantine and Quantum Of Solace trailers
Bolt presentation with producer Clark Spencer
RocknRolla surprise screening followed by a Q&A with Guy Ritchie and Mark Strong
20th Century Fox sizzle reel including The Day The Earth Stood Still clips, Max Payne, Mirrors, Babylon AD, Taken and an exclusive new clip from Futurama: Bender's Game
Push presentation
Death Race presentation
The Wolfman presentation followed by a Q&A with John Mone
Hellboy II preview screening with a video introduction by Guillermo Del Toro
Pineapple Express preview screening
Sunday August 17th 2008
Exclusive Twilight footage with video introduction by director Catherine Hardwicke
Exclusive Knowing footage with video introduction by director Alex Proyas
Sony Screening: Step Brothers
Kim Newman's Film Quiz
Lesbian Vampire Killers presentation
Outlander presentation with star Jack Huston and writer Dirk Blackman
Paramount sizzle reel including Ghost Town, Eagle Eye, How to Lose Friends And Alienate People, Madagascar 2, Friday The 13th, and Star Trek trailers
Watchmen presentation followed by a Q&A with Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons
Tropic Thunder preview screening with recorded introduction from Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller

Movie-Con London

Talking of X-Files ...

In a real case of life imitating art X-Files star David Duchovny has entered a rehab facility for sex addiction. Here's how AP reported the news:

David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed character on Showtime's Californication, has entered a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction.
The 48-year-old actor said he did so voluntarily, in a statement released Thursday by his lawyer, Stanton Stein. He added: "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."
Duchovny's publicist, Flo Grace, confirmed the report, which first appeared on the Web site People.com. She and Stein both declined further comment.
"All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time," the network said in a statement.
The second season of Californication begins Sept. 28.
Duchovny starred as the conspiracy-minded Fox Mulder on The X-Files TV series and in two films. The X-Files: I Want to Believe opened in theaters earlier this summer.
He and his wife, actress Tea Leoni, have two children. The couple married in 1997.

Talking of X-Files ...

The New X-Files?

It seems Fringe is a new X-Files for 21st century. I have mixed feelings about this show but will probably set the Tivo due to the fact that is it co-created by J.J.Abrams who must have been chosen to direct the new Star Trek movie for a good reason! I am no fan of Lost, Alias and certainly not Felicity (all shows Abrams helped create) but this one looks like it may have potential. Visiting the Fox mini-site the leads look typically square jawed for a Fox show which is disappointing as I would like to see less Hollywood looking actors on prime time but business is business and this look clearly sells to the masses.

Nice to see Charlotte Rampling of Sturmer, Essex, UK join the cast to lend a touch of acting cred' to proceedings ... Tuesday September 9th 8/7c is the Premiere on Fox.

The New X-Files?

Welcome to Porpoise Spit!

Ah, 'Porpoise Spit', the hilariously named destination (actual location was the beautiful Hamilton Island in Queensland) featured in my favorite Aussie movie, Muriel's Wedding. What a start for the career of Toni Collette and Six Feet Under's very own Rachel Griffiths. I have a real soft spot for Aussie movies, in the same was I do with French flicks, not sure why but even average movies can seem better to me if they are set in France or Australia. Weird eh?

The other AFI (the Australian Film Institute) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and fans of Aussie movies are getting ready for the the new Baz Luhrman epic simply titled, Australia.
It will be interesting to see how this historic Outback adventure plays at the box office and if Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman bring an audience that would not normally see this type of movie.
I know that the official Australian Tourism Organization is heavily invested in this movies success to act as a commercial for the country in the way the Paul Hogan ads did so successfully back in the 80's.

My recommended Australian movies include:

1. Muriel's Wedding
2. Strictly Ballroom
3. The Castle
4. Romeo & Juliet
5. Crocodile Dundee

If you are planning to go Down Under check out the following festivals:
Adelaide Film Festival http://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/
Brisbane Film Festival http://www.biff.com.au/
Flickerfest http://www.flickerfest.com.au/
Melbourne International Film Festival http://www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/
Perth International Arts Festival http://www.perthfestival.com.au/
Portable Film Festival http://portablefilmfestival.com/
St Kilda Film Festival http://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/
Sydney International Film Festival http://www.sydneyfilmfestival.org/
The Heart of Gold Heart of Gold International Film Festival http://http://www.heartofgold.com.au/

Welcome to Porpoise Spit!

Favorite Promo Posters #2 - Rescue Me

FX has two stunning shows running at the moment which are Rescue Me and The Shield. Rescue Me was affected by the recent Hollywood writers strike and so they are running 'minisodes' on FX right now with full episodes due to air March 2009 with Michael J Fox joining the cast.

The poster shown was used for 2006's season 3.

Favorite Promo Posters #2 - Rescue Me

Movie Review - The Dark Knight

Let's agree on a few things. This movie is huge for a ton of reasons:

1. The Dark Knight became the new highest weekend opening movie with box office receipts of $158,411,483 beating the previous record of $151,116,516 previously held by Spiderman 3.

2. This movie takes the Batman franchise to a level of quality that transcends the wholly decent Batman Begins from 2005

3. Christian Bale does a decent job again with Batman (better as Bruce Wayne) and Christopher Nolan directs a movie that looks and feels like a Batman movie should.

4. Heath Ledger deserves an Oscar for his performance as The Joker. For once the hype was justified, this was the performance of his career which makes his January death all the more tragic.

It took me a while to get to this movie, perhaps because I truly didn't believe it could live up to the build up it received pre-release. Even as the 5 star reviews started rolling in I thought it was going to be hard for it to match my now sky-high expectations. So naturally I was blown away, so much for my instincts!

The performance of Heath Ledger is so good it is literally startling. We have all seen the villains of Marvel and D.C movies before, the Green Goblin, Lex Luther, Dr Doom etc but Ledger's Joker was truly scary. If you have seen it then you will clearly recall the sight of the Joker walking away from Gotham General in his 'uniform' and if you haven't then you are in for a treat - for me it was a moment that summed up what was great about the character and the movie.

I can't imagine how Batman 3 will surpass this installment and so I will busy myself by getting far too excited about The Watchmen due out next year.

Rating: *****

Movie Review - The Dark Knight

New Kevin Smith Movie Premieres at Toronto Film Fest

The new flick from Kevin Smith, Zach & Miri Make a Porno premieres at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9th:

Tickets are on sale for $37.38 at the showing is at 3:00pm in the Visa Screening Room.

I will be in working in Toronto that week but can't make the screening .... ARGH!!!

New Kevin Smith Movie Premieres at Toronto Film Fest

Favorite Directors #1 - Jean-Pierre Jeunet

The first of my favorite directors is the French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He is not the most prolific of directors but has such a signature style and eye for the unusual that almost without fail everyone of his movies have been an extraordinary cinematic experience. 2001's Amelie is right up there in my favorite movies of all time and as a love letter to a city that can only be rivalled by Woody Allen's Manhattan.

I am excited by the upcoming release of his new title which is currently in production, Dodgy Dealings by the Dozen (Micmacs a Tire-Larigot in French!) which includes Dominique Pinon who has appeared in all five of Jeunets feature length movies.

As a treat I have only just discovered on youtube enjoy Foutaises (Things I Like, Things I Hate).

Favorite Directors #1 - Jean-Pierre Jeunet

New Bond Movie - Delayed US Release

'Quantum of Solace' has been delayed a week to push it closer to the Thanksgiving Holidays. November 14th is the new release date which is a full 2 weeks after it opens in the UK! So if you want to check out the new Bond movie as soon as it comes out, book your tickets to Blighty now!

New Bond Movie - Delayed US Release

Blogging From Vegas

I am sitting in the Mirage hotel on the world famous Las Vegas Strip considering which of the top 10 Vegas movies is my favorite and even with Elvis' Viva Las Vegas taken into account I have to pick Leaving Las Vegas. I have always been a big Nicholas Cage fan even though he can sometimes come across hammier than William Shatner at times. Movies like Wild at Heart, The Family Man and Matchstick Men are among my all time favorites and it was this very downbeat Vegas movie that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1996.

This film was intense, depressing, hopeful and moving all at the same time and it greatly benefitted from the excellent performance given by Elizabeth Shue. Seeing the transformation of Cage's character, Ben Sanderson, a hollywood screenwriter that has lost his family and job to drink, turn into a man hell-bent on drinking himself to death was among the best performances I have seen.

Mike Figgis (Internal Affairs, Mr Jones, Hotel) does a stellar job is showing a side of Vegas that exists in reality but rarely on the movie screen and the classic theme song 'Angel Eyes' by Sting stays with you long after the movie is over.

So while my Vegas weekend is fortunately alot cheerier than this movie, I still consider it ahead of Casino, Swingers, Bugsy, The Cooler etc.


Rating: *****

Blogging From Vegas

Six Feet Under ... RIP

I have been mourning the loss of this show since its finale on August 21st 2005. Just type 'Six Feet Under Last Episode' (spoiler alert!) into youtube and read the comments on the effect this show has had on people all over the world. There are so many reasons why this show is the best TV drama I have ever watched that this will be the first of many posts on the world, and it is a world, of SFU.
So without further ado, for those fans who wondered what became of my favorite character on the show, Brenda Chenowith, here is her obituary:

Brenda Chenowith was born July 19, 1969 and died at the age of 82 at home. She earned her Masters Degree in Social Work at California State University of Los Angeles and a PhD in Theories of Human Behavior at University of Southern California. Brenda wrote several books about the role of the gifted child in family development. She is considered to be one of the most distinguished scholars in that field of study, adding several courses to the Social Work curriculum at USC. She developed research methodologies to conclusively prove the link between deviant human behavior and fetal alcohol exposure. As a child, Brenda was the subject of the book "Charlotte Light and Dark" by Gareth Feinberg, PhD. Brenda will be dearly missed by her beloved children Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Forrest Nathanson, her loving husband Daniel Nathanson, and her brother William Chenowith of Malibu. Private services will be held Wednesday March 9th at Deep Creek Nature Preserve. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Six Feet Under ... RIP

Zach & Miri Make a Porno!

I am a huge fan of Kevin Smith and pretty much all of his movies (like most, Jersey Girl didn't rock my world) and I am particularly excited by his latest release titled Zach & Miri Make a Porno! This stars Mr Comedy right now, Seth Rogen alongside Elizabeth Banks, Traci Lords, Jason Mewes (Jay from Jay & Silent Bob), Craig Robinson (who plays the excellent Darryl in the US 'Office'), Katie Morgan, Jeff Anderson, Gerry Bednob and more.

According to IMDB the plot centers around 'Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) look to solve their respective cash flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought'.

The movie releases on October 31st and due to the Rogen-factor has the potential to be the highest grossing of Smiths movies to date.

While his movies are his bread and butter Smith also has an extraordinary web presence for a movie director, including podcasts, merchandise store, blog, message board, production company site and individual movie sites. For a movie director I am not sure there is anyone else that offers such a frank insight into how he works and who he is.

Here is a list of a few of his sites that might be of interest:

http://www.viewaskew.com/

http://www.viewaskew.com/theboard

http://www.newsaskew.com/

http://jayandsilentbob.com/

http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/

http://www.clerks2.com/

Happy surfing!

Zach & Miri Make a Porno!

Favorite Promo Posters #1 - 'Weeds'

How great is this TV show?! I am considering subscribing to Showtime just to be able to not have to wait for the next Weeds dvds to be released (well that and I would get Dexter and The Tudors too!).

Weeds ***** rating

Dexter ***** rating

Tudors is on my netflix list so will let you know!

Favorite Promo Posters #1 - 'Weeds'

Laurence Fishburne Joins CSI

I read yesterday that Laurence Fishburne has followed a number of movie stars by taking on a role in a major TV franchise. He follows the likes of Gary Sinise (CSI NY), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) and James Caan (Las Vegas) who have made the transition with varying degrees of success.
I am no fan of the CSI series but not because there is anything wrong with it, 40 million were watching it in 2002! It was just one of those franchises I never got into the habit of watching regularly.
What makes this different is the fact that Laurence Fishburne is such an engaging actor, he seems to be a cut above the usual suspects that have made the movie to TV transition. It wasn't his portrayal of Morpheus in the Martrix that made the impression on me but the roles he played in two great movies, 1991's Boyz in the Hood and 2006's Akeelah and the Bee. When he is on his game and the script is good enough it's hard to take your eyes of this actor.
So who knows, maybe his arrival will be what makes me add CSI to my Tivo Season Pass!

P.S If you haven't stumbled across it already check out the Eco-Hero Moopheus!

Laurence Fishburne Joins CSI

The Latest from Guy Richie

Years ago I used to read Empire Magazine religiously until I left the UK for the US and unceremoniously had to cart them all to a grocery store recycling center! I still get down to B&N sometimes to flick through the mag as it remains the best movie publication in my mind ahead of Premiere & Total Film. So I was perusing their site today and came across the good news that Guy Richie had made another 'mockney' movie and mercifully appears to have left out his missus!
It's called 'RocknRolla' and with a nod to Eastern Promises this one "starts with a Russian mobster establishing a real estate scam to make millions of pounds, which brings the various ne'er-do-wells of the London crime scene out looking for their slice of the cash."

There is a great cast with Mr 300 Gerard Butler leading the charge with Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson and fantastically Entourages own Jeremy Piven supporting.

This will be on my must see list for sure ...

The Latest from Guy Richie

Hot TV Shows Returning This Fall

The Fall brings the return of many of our favorite shows and also a few news ones that will either succeed or disappear never to be heard of again! Here are the ones I am especially looking forward to:

Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO - August 29th
The Shield - FX - September 2nd
Entourage - HBO - September 7th
True Blood - HBO - September 7th
ER - NBC - September 25th
The Office - NBC - September 25th
Pushing Daisies - ABC - October 1st

Hot TV Shows Returning This Fall

Movie Review - 'Smart People'

I was looking forward to this movie mostly due to the inclusion of Thomas Haden Church who was so outstanding in my favorite movie of 2004, Sideways.
Unfortunately despite the best efforts of Haden Church, Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker and Juno's Ellen Page the movie simply didn't work. It started slowly and never generated any sympathy for any of its leading roles. Even the most indie and brooding of movies has a character that the audience can connect with on some level.
The plot centers around Dennis Quaid as a professor in Pittsburgh reconnecting with an ex student (Sarah Jessica Parker) after the death of his wife. Neither Ellen Page as his teen Republican daughter and Thomas Haden Church playing the role of non-conformist adopted brother do anything in this movie of interest.
It is the kind of movie that I am sure looked good on paper and the cast was certainly strong enough (nice to see SJP playing a serious role for once). In the end though the movie left me feeling flat and somewhat bored - not what I am looking for from a flick!

Rating **


Rating System

* Avoid
** OK
*** Good
**** Excellent
***** Classic

Movie Review - 'Smart People'

First Post

Firstly whoever you are thanks for stumbling across this blog. I am writing about anything and everything on the big and small screens and it won't be restricted to one particular genre. I have varied tastes in movies and tv. My favorites movies range from Remains of the Day to Clerks and TV shows such as Six Feet Under and Rescue Me. A treat indeed is the acting quality shown in this clip from Remains of the Day between Sir Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson:



I will endeavor to blog daily and give my reviews on movies I have just seen that are new or old. I am a netflix subscriber so I watch movies that have been out a while and also some classics. As for TV it won't be a surprise to know I am a Tivo fanatic (I think all TV addicts are) and I particularly like HBO, Showtime and FX.
More to come soon!

First Post