Harrry Potter Rides onto Broadway

Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) made his New York stage debut in Equus last week alongside fellow Potter actor Richard Griffiths. Naturally all the buzz was about such a star 'getting his kit off' as they say in Blighty and opening night was followed by, what one can only presume was a 'wand-free' after party at Chelsea Piers (odd choice of venue to me but hey I don't live there anymore!).

I am not one for stage shows and even as a Potter fan wouldn't rush to see Radcliffe in this. I am sure he is a capable actor on stage but let's be honest the wizard movies are hardly a showcase for child acting talent which is in stark contrast to the galaxy of British adult acting stars that adorn the flicks.

Harrry Potter Rides onto Broadway

New Quantum of Solace Pics Released

Release date: November 14th (US)

Director: Marc Foster

Status: Post Production

New Quantum of Solace Pics Released

Little Britain USA - Review

I was never a fan of the original Little Britain that aired on BBC America so when I heard there was going to be a US version I was not that bothered. Maybe it is some kind of latent British loyalty but I ended up setting the Tivo for last nights series opener and checked it out tonight.

Hit and miss is the best way to describe this bizarre (even by British humor standards) show with various characters in various odd and odder situations. The highlight was the weight loss meeting ('Fat Fighters'!) held by the very middle-England Majorie Dawes with a guest appearance by Rosie O'Donnell. 

We shall see, this is certainly worth a return visit but not a season pass just yet!

Little Britain USA - Review

Family Guy Season Premiere

Without a doubt Family Guy is the best prime time animated show on TV right now. I have always been a loyal Simpsons and King of the Hill fan but Seth McFarlane has taken the genre to new heights with the characters he has created in the Rhode Island town of Quahog. The Griffin family are the stars of the show featuring a talking baby (the wonderful Stewie) and talking dog Brian. Like The Simpsons it is also the supporting characters that flesh out the show and give it so many dimensions, from the sex-obsessed Quagmire to Mayor Adam West, voiced by ... yes, Adam West!

Sunday nights season opener was as edgy as you can get for 8pm on a major network and I love that the show can continue to raise even the most jaded of eyebrows.

Mr McFarlane now has his own home on youtube, Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Comedy, well worth a visit! 

Family Guy Season Premiere

Sarah Palin is Back .. on SNL!

Never been an SNL fan but I am loving this:

Sarah Palin is Back .. on SNL!

Notorious Teaser Trailer

No, this is not a remake of the 1946 Hitchcock flick but instead a biopic about the life of rapper Notorious B.I.G. The movie will star new face Jamal Woolard as Christoper George Latore Wallace, better known as Biggie and the always excellent Angela Basset is taking on the role of his mother Voletta. Right now the movie is scheduled for a January 2009 release.

Notorious Teaser Trailer

Weekend Box Office

Thought this might interest a few of you. I always wonder whats on top but unless I stumble across it on a TV news item rarely I find out.

Weekend Estimate

September 26, 2008 - September 28, 2008 (*millions)

 

1 Eagle Eye - $29,200,000

2 Nights In Rodanthe - $13,570,000

3 Lakeview Terrace - $7,000,000

4 Fireproof - $6,513,996

5 Burn After Reading - $6,168,669

6 Igor - $5,500,000

7 Righteous Kill - $3,803,000

8 My Best Friend's Girl - $3,800,000

9 Miracle at St. Anna - $3,501,000

10 Tyler Perry's Family That Preys - $3,160,000

I am avoiding reviews of Righteous Kill so I can go and make up my own mind this week but did see that one paper (can't remember which one) gave it one star! Ouch ... my review to follow later this week.

Weekend Box Office

Dexter Returns

One of my favorite TV shows returns for a third season tonight on Showtime, Dexter. This is a deliciously black humored show which uniquely mixes thriller, slash and comedy genres together ... and it actually works! Six Feet Under's Michael C Hall does a superb job of bringing a cold ruthless killer to our screen and still making us like him. 

I actually ordered Showtime simply for this show (well and to get caught up on Weeds too!) but have not yet seen the third season on DVD. Netflix is due to deliver my season two discs this week so I will apologize in advance if I am all about blood and guts over the coming days!

To check out the first episode of season three in advance click here. 

Dexter Returns

In Memoriam - Paul Newman

At age 83 screen Legend Paul Newman died at his Connecticut home on Friday after a long battle with cancer. In 2002 Newman officially retired from acting telling ABC, "I'm not able to work any more... at the level that I would want to ... You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention."

Newman was best known for his roll in big screen classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Color of Money. Later in his career he was still receiving critical acclaim for such movies as The Hudsucker Proxy and Road to Perdition.

My favorite Paul Newman film was 1994's Nobodys Fool. This was a small movie about small town life with the tag line 'In a town where nothing ever happens ... everything is about to happen to Sully'. Newman played a likable curmudgeon nearing retirement whose life becomes annoyingly complicated with the arrival of a long forgotten son and family that have moved back to town. It is not a blockbuster movie and certainly not one that will be talked about a great deal as the world looks back at Newman's life but it is well worth a look on DVD.

Newman was also alot more than simply an actor and former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary described him as "an American icon, philanthropist and champion for children," in a statement. One of his best know philanthropic works was the Hole in the Wall Gang camp, a residential summer camp for seriously ill children set up by Newman in 1988. The camp takes care of 13,000 children every year at no charge to the families. 

Clearly Paul Newman was both a great actor and a decent human being.

In Memoriam - Paul Newman

Beatles / Cirque Du Soleil Show 'Love' Gets DVD Release

October 20th sees the 'one night only' cinematic release of a documentary charting the creation of the Cirque Du Soleil Las Vegas show Love. The documentary is called All Together Now and follows on from the 2006 release of the Love CD in which George Martin and his son remixed the original Beatles songs on which Martin had been the original producer.

October 21st will be the release date of the DVD at the Mirage Hotel (where Love is in residence) and Best Buy. I saw this show in Vegas recently and was absolutely blown away by the production and naturally the music. This will be a special night and if you can't make it to Vegas a must see!

Beatles / Cirque Du Soleil Show 'Love' Gets DVD Release

American Psycho ... The Musical?

I read recently that the Brett Easton Ellis book and movie of the same name, American Psycho, is to be made into a musical! www.youhavetobe kidding.com right? I will admit I have never been a fan of people overacting while singing (musicals to you) but this really does seem to be one adaptation too far. 

The movie itself was pretty decent but could never be expected to live up to such an extraordinary book. To this day I recall being on the tube in London commuting to work and having to stop reading for fear of barfing over my fellow commuters.

Inexplicably Ellis himself is a producer on the project and the show hopes to be in front of an audience by 2010. I imagine the saving grace will be the songs themselves which will be wonderfully 80s in style including such legends as Huey Lewis, Talking Heads and (yawn) Genesis.

It's hard to say you enjoyed the book so much but hate the idea of a musical without sounding like a psycho yourself, oh well.

P.S Sorry about the photo!

American Psycho ... The Musical?

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All

I tune in to the Colbert Report mostly from hotel rooms when jet-lag is getting the better of me and I usually enjoy his shtick. However I am looking forward to the recently announced Christmas special which airs November 23rd on Comedy Central.

According to tv.com A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All will feature musical stylings by Colbert and special guests including John Legend, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Feist, and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Our Jewish friends will be represented by Stewart, who'll join Colbert on a song called "Hanukkah," and pot smokers will be stoked to hear Colbert and Nelson sing a tune called "Little Dealer Boy."

Ho Ho Ho indeed!

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All

Movie Review - Ghost Town

I was excited to see this movie for a number of reasons. I am a big Ricky Gervais fan and consider David Brent from The Office (UK) to be one of the best comedy characters in recent years. I had also read a glowing review from the New York Times for this movie which get's Gervais performance dead on:

"Mr. Gervais gives Bertram many of the same comic tics he brought to David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras: a stammering befuddlement that is simultaneously verbose and nonsensical; sickly smiles and joyless laughs in which his mirth curdles with self-doubt; a tongue-tied staccato; and his special mixture of clueless grandiosity, insensitivity and stifled humiliation."

Gervais is a bit like Hugh Grant for me. He plays one character really well but you can't imagine him playing any other kind of role. Where Grant has mastered the bumbling upper class Englishman, Gervais is King of the scarastic, pleasantly cynical and quick witted everyman. Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear were solid as support but I am biased towards Leoni after her role in one of my favorite films, Family Man.

I did enjoy this movie but I have to say I am not sure it was good as the Times makes out. It was a great flick when you compare it to alot of the stickly sweet sentimental dross that is churned out of Hollywood in the name of romantic comedies these days but that is hardly a compliment. It was a solid 103 minutes of pleasant distraction but it also verged on being one of those movies that you saw all the good gags in the trailer.

Rating: ***

Movie Review - Ghost Town

Watchmen Creator ... Officially Bonkers

Yet another Watchmen related post? OK I may be going on a bit too much about this flick but the back story of how such a movie is being made is way to interesting to be ignored.

Alan Moore is the English writer behind the Watchmen graphic novel, according to Time Magazine it is one of the 20th centuries greatest pieces of literature, which was issued as a limited series of DC comics in the late 80s. His other most famous creation is V for Vendetta which was released as a movie in 2006.

"Moore sometimes wears metallic talons, describes himself as an anarchist and, in the past, has told interviewers that he worships an ancient Roman snake god. But what's really unusual about him is that he seems to be the very last creator in comics who would hang up on Hollywood anytime it calls." Read more on Geof Bouchers LA Times blog.

For more behind the scenes click here.

Watchmen Creator ... Officially Bonkers

Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising

Michael Moore has gone all 'Radiohead' by offering his latest movie online and totally free to residents of the US or Canada. In his own words ...

I'm giving you my blanket permission to not only download it, but also to email it, burn it, and share it with anyone and everyone (in the U.S. and Canada only). I want you to use 'Slacker Uprising' in any way you see fit to help with the election or to do the work that you do in your community. You can show my film in your local theater, your high school classroom, your college auditorium, your church, union hall or community center. You can have your friends and neighbors over to the house for a viewing. You can broadcast it on TV, on cable access, on regular channels or on the web. It's completely free -- I don't want to see a dime from this. And if you want, you can charge admission or ask for a donation if it's to raise money for a candidate, a voter drive, or for any non-profit or educational purpose. In other words -- it's yours!"
- Michael Moore

Click here to watch Slacker Uprising, an Official Selection of the Toronto Film Festival 2008

Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising

Favorite Directors #2 - Mike Leigh

There is no better director to capture the essence of working class English life than Mike Leigh. From the hilarious laughs of 1977's Abigail's Party to the tragedy of 2004's Vera Drake Leigh's films are never comfortable viewing but are some of the most absorbing stories ever shown on the big and small screen.

The quality of the actors he has worked with over the years has been outstanding with special mentions going to Alison Steadman in Abigail's Party, Jim Broadbent in Life is Sweet and of course the incredible performance given by David Thewlis in Naked.

2008 sees the release of his latest work, a comedy/drama called Happy Go Lucky. This is the closing movie of the upcoming Scottsdale Film Festival October 3-7 which will feature a post-film Q&A with director Leigh. Typically as my luck is running with film festivals this year I will not be in town to attend. So I will be sending a guest blogger (my better half) to review the flick and do some serious fawning at the feet of Mr Leigh!

Favorite Directors #2 - Mike Leigh

Ricky Gervais Takes His Emmy Back

If you need a 4 minute distraction this is quite amusing, very English, very un-Hollywood ... excellent.

Ricky Gervais Takes His Emmy Back

Movie Review - Sixty Six

Sixty Six was released in the UK in 2006 and it finally arrives in the US two years later! I saw this as part of the Fall 2008 schedule of One Night Cinema and what a 93 minute treat it was. It's rare for me that I walk up to see a movie without any prior knowledge and while I had heard that the plots centered around a London boys Bar Mitzvah getting interrupted by England's successful 1966 World Cup run, it was largely an unknown entity.

Director, Paul Weiland (essentially directing scenes based on 'tru-ish' accounts of his own Bar Mitzvah!) did an amazing job in recreating the look and feel of 1960s London. How he managed to recreate the scenes around Wembley Stadium I have no idea and will have to rent the DVD to watch the extra features! The cast was top notch with Eddie Marsan (soon to be seen in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky) shining as the father and newcomer Greg Sulkin turning in a performance beyond his years as the put-upon 12 year old Bernie.

To use a cliche, this was the little film that could. It was a pleasure to watch from minute 1 to minute 93 with some good belly laughs and a sprinkling of touching moments too.

Highly recommended viewing.

Rating: ****

Movie Review - Sixty Six

In Treatment

Did anybody like this show?

I was amazed ... after Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiam, Entourage etc I welcomed any new show that the network threw onto my small screen but In Treatment was just such a dud. I wasn't at all excited by the premise of 30 minute episodes of therapy dished out to various, what was almost guaranteed to be, rich yuppies (is that word still in use?) but casting Gabriel Byrne as psychotherapist Paul Weston made me give it a shot.

What a yawn the whole thing was. I struggled through two or three of the therapy sessions, made the requisite joke about needing therapy myself after watching the show and then vowed never to return.

The reason I am yakking about it is that Diane Weist, who is one of my favorite actors after her hysterical performance as Helen 'Don't Speak' Sinclair in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway, won an Emmy this year for best supporting actress! I guess it goes to show a great performance from a great actor can give the dullest of shows a little shine.

The show got renewed for a second season in June so set your Tivos for whatever else is on!

In Treatment

Rate Me!

You can now rate my blog entries with a star system under each post to express your absolute delight or utter contempt for what you just read!

Hopefully we will see more thumbs up than down!

Rate Me!

And The Winner is ...

30 Rock! This show pretty much cleaned up in the Comedy categories at last nights 60th Annual Prime time Emmy Awards but a few other shows got a look in:

Outstanding drama series Mad Men
Outstanding comedy series 30 Rock
Outstanding host for a reality or reality-competition programme Jeff Probst for Survivor
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series Tina Fey for 30 Rock
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series Glenn Close for Damages
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock
Outstanding lead actor in a mini-series or movie Paul Giamatti for John Adams
Outstanding mini-series John Adams
Outstanding reality competition programme The Amazing Race
Outstanding supporting actress in a mini-series or movie Eileen Atkins for Cranford
Outstanding supporting actor in a mini-series or movie Tom Wilkinson for John Adams

Glenn Close won best actress in a drama series
Outstanding made for television movie Recount
Outstanding variety, music or comedy series The Daily Show
Outstanding lead actress in a mini-series or movie Laura Linney for John Adams
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series Dianne Wiest for In Treatment
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series Zeljko Ivanek for Damages
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series Jean Smart for Samantha Who?
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series Jeremy Piven for Entourage
Outstanding reality programme Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special Mr Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

Glad to see Jeremy Piven got recognized for his portrayal of OTT agent Ari Gold in Entourage. Other than that well done to John Adams, I think that kind of mini series always stokes the Patriotic fires and I was especially pleased to see the excellent Cranford honored.

And The Winner is ...

Something a Little Different

'One Night Cinema' is an effort to bring foreign and independent movies to Arizona and specifically Tempe in conjunction with Pollack Tempe Cinemas. It has been running since 2004 when a local film fan wanted to continue to give moviegoers access to these kind of movies after the closure of the Madstone Theater. It was my first time attending one of the screenings (review of Sixty-Six to follow!) and I was pleased to see such a good turn out of all age ranges on a Sunday afternoon.

The Fall 2008 ONC Film Selections are:

SEPTEMBER 12 - OWL AND THE SPARROW (VIETNAM)

SEPTEMBER 19 - Sixty-Six (UK)

SEPTEMBER 26 - TUYA'S MARRIAGE (MONGOLIA)

SEPTEMBER 26 - SMILE - A SHORT FILM BY JULIA KWAN (CANADA)

OCTOBER 10 - THE SINGING REVOLUTION (ESTONIA/USA)

OCTOBER 17 - The Order of Myths (USA)In 2007

You have to commend and support efforts like these to give us a choice from what the multiplex decides to show us so I will be definitely be back!

If you are in AZ and want to check out one of the movies showing click here.

Something a Little Different

Take a View Askew!

For my friends last night that asked about the Clerks 2 t-shirt I was wearing ... welcome to the Kevin Smith universe and enjoy!

Take a View Askew!

Jude Law ... Elementary My Dear Watson!

According to Variety Jude Law is in the frame to play Dr Watson to Robert Downey Junior's Holmes for Guy Ritchie's 2010 Sherlock Holmes caper. This Warner Bros flick will incorporate various stories from author Sir Authur Conan Doyle and is being produced by Joel Silver who worked with Ritchie on the soon to be released Rock N Rolla.

Jude Law can act. This will come as no surprise to most of you but can he always pick the right movies? He has a spotty record in script selection in my book having given excellent performances in The Talented Mr Ripley and Closer but then appearing in the dreadfulness that was The Holiday and Alfie (should have been left well alone that one!).

Law was born in Lewisham, S.E London only 2 miles from Blackheath where Watson was a member of the local Rugby club according to the Conan Doyle short story The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire. Interestingly in at age 19 Law appeared in the Granada TV show The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes although I have a feeling this wasn't why he was selected!

Jude Law ... Elementary My Dear Watson!

ER Returns ...For The Last Time

September 25th marks the return of one of my oldest TV friends, ER. This show, which is the most Emmy nominated show in history by the way, premiered in September of 1994 which seems like another lifetime ago. George Clooney's star has shone the brightest of the many ER alumni going from Doug Ross to Batman to Danny Ocean. We have seen Julianna Margulies pop up in the final season of The Sopranos and of course who can forget the excellent casting of Mekhi Phifer as Larry David's Lawyer in Curb Your Enthusiasm. However one has to wonder just what became of the seemingly capable acting skills of Anthony Edwards (Goose!), Noah Wyle and Laura Innes.

The show continues to entertain even if every season finale has to outdo the last one with various explosions and 'are they or aren't they?' death scenes. I guess it really is a prime time soap but the acting and writing are such that it isn't hard to remain loyal. The tradition of guest actors is a great part of what makes up the show with John Leguizamo, Ray Liotta, Sally Field, James Woods, Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Fanning, Ed Asner, Thandie Newton, Cynthia Nixon, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci and Alan Alder making memorable appearences over the years.

So order a CAT scan, Chem 7, Lytes, don't go into V-fib or V-tach (unless the episode is really good!) and whatever other medical mumbo jumbo you want and settle in for your last winter with the Chicago docs.

ER Returns ...For The Last Time

It's Always Sunny ...

This was another show I tried when it premiered but wasn't feeling at all. Once again it seems I am in the minority as the FX comedy keeps getting great critical reviews. Last night saw the fourth season kick off and to try and convince non believers like me tv.com offered us five reasons we should be tuning in!

1. It's baked at home with loveRob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton write, star, and edit the show, and thankfully FX keeps their leashes pretty loose. With almost total creative control, the guys' vision comes across without any filters--hence storylines about cannibalism, hunting the homeless, and tea-bagging (and that's just the first episode of season four). Plus FX lets them curse a bit.
2. Kaitlin Olson's drunk Sweet DeeAs the lone female star of the show, Olson is basically surrounded by a bunch of dudes who make fart jokes. But she holds her own, and when her character Dee gets her drink on, it's comedy gold.

3. Fred SavageFred Savage--yes, Kevin from The Wonder Years--directs several episodes of the series. That is all.
4. Charlie, Mac, DennisThe three main characters of Dennis, Mac, and Charlie are so despicable and likeable at the same time, viewers can't get enough of them. Fan favorite Charlie is particularly hilarious as the dim-witted runt of the litter.
5. Danny DeVitoHow did one of the raunchiest shows on television get even raunchier? By adding all four-feet-eleven-inches (five feet even, if you want to be generous) of the hellacious DeVito. As part-owner of the bar, legal father of Dennis and Dee, and (possibly) biological father of Charlie, DeVito's Frank muscles his way around the gang and concocts some of the more harebrained ideas.

It's Always Sunny ...

Pacino, De Niro ... 50 Cent?!

In Theaters now.

Pacino, De Niro ... 50 Cent?!

Tru Blood - Fan Tool Kit

The boffins over at HBO have decided to be generous and help you promote their new show! Stop by the HBO website and you can download their Tru Blood Fan Tool Kit or as they suggest it's 'everything you need to FEED your infatuation' ... ho ho indeed. If that isn't enough stop by the Tru Blood Wiki for more of the red stuff!

Tru Blood - Fan Tool Kit

Saturday Night Live - The Debut of Sarah Palin

This must fall under the category of 'it's funny but let's hope this dingbat never gets elected'. Tina Fey gave the world her version of the GOP nominated VP Sarah Palin in the Season Premiere of SNL last week. Enjoy ...

Saturday Night Live - The Debut of Sarah Palin

Movie Review - Iron Man

One of the big successes of early summer was Iron Man having has taken a whopping $318,000 at the Box Office as of September 10th. It is yet another Marvel adaptation following Spiderman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Blade, Ghostrider and next years much anticipated The Watchmen.

I am not actually a huge fan of comic book movies. Spiderman 1 was pretty good but 2 & 3 didn't do it for me. The buzz around Iron Man and in particular the performance of Robert Downey Junior was enough for me to check it out.

In the end it was a jolly romp with a big dollop of silliness, great action sequences and usually serious actors playing fun roles. RDJ continues to put the past behind him with another excellent turn but I wasn't convinced by corporate bad guy Jeff Bridges who is usually one of my favorite actors. Gweneth Paltrow looked like she was acting with her eyes closed as the role was so simple in all senses of the word.

Having caught the new Hulk flick earlier in the summer and seen the appearance (SPOILER ALERT) of RDJ after the credits rolled suggests what we all already know ... it's all about a new franchise. Let's just hope the second Iron Man keeps up the energy and goes to a new and exciting place a la The Dark Knight for Batman.

Rating: ***

Movie Review - Iron Man

RIP Don LaFontaine Tribute: King of Trailer Voice-Over

RIP Don LaFontaine Tribute: King of Trailer Voice-Over

Tru Blood ... So Far So Good

Expectation is not the word for this show from the creator of my favorite TV series, Six Feet Under. Alan Ball must have also felt the weight of anticipation as he launched his first TV project for the same network that gave us 6 happy and sometimes not so happy years chez Fisher. In some ways the show couldn't be more different from turn of the millennium Los Angeles to modern day Louisiana the characters are a world apart in so many ways.

The show was well shot, beautifully staged, especially the nighttime scenes which really evoked a hot night in Louisiana (yes I have experienced one of those!).

Tru Blood ultimately stood the test of any pilot TV show by engaging you and leaving you wondering just what will become Anna Paquin and her band of Vampire-curious friends.

Well done Mr Ball, it appears you have me hooked once again.

Tru Blood ... So Far So Good

RIP Anita Page

Anita Page born August 4th 1910 and died September 6th 2008 aged 98 in Los Angeles.

Famous for her roles in the silent movies Our Dancing Daughters (1928), Our Modern Maidens (1929) she made her first 'talkie' the following year with Our Blushing Brides.

Page was the last surviving star of the silent movies, truly the end of an era.

RIP Anita Page

Movie Review - The Happening

So this is the new (released June 2008) M Night Shyamalan flick which comes with the wry tag line, 'We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening'.

I really had no expectations from this movie and am not a fanatic of M Nights work but would certainly call myself a fan after enjoying Lady in the Water, Signs and Unbreakable. Happily this turned out to be my favorite of his movies to date (I may be alone in this view after reading a few snooty reviews!).

It didn't hurt that the cast was led by two actors who are really on their game at the moment both in acting and script selection, Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel (let's be nice and forgive her for being in Failure to Launch!). Wahlberg puts in a great performance as a mild mannered science teacher who finds himself along with his partner, Deschanel, in the midst of a epidemic/virus/end of days type scenario in Philadelphia.

The script was excellent with really natural dialogue delivered in a believable way in an (hopefully) unbelievable situation. The plot does a great job of taking you from a feeling of confusion to some genuinely shocking scenes (the Princeton scene hits you like a truck). There are also touching and humorous turns ('You Deserve This' as a message on a real estate banner as people literally run for their lives ... chuckle chuckle) in the script that work so well between Wahlberg and Deschanel and the various characters that join them on a journey away from a seemingly inescapable fate.

The movie has a great ending which you think you have accepted until in true M Night style he flips it upside down and leaves you echoing the last line of the flick ... 'Mon Dieu'.

Oh and just one more thing, can you believe I forgot to look out for M Night's cameo appearance (he pops up in all his movies somehow)? Did anyone out there see the flick and spot him?

Rating: ****

Movie Review - The Happening

Movie Review - Street Kings

Fresh from the DVD Play kiosk at Safeway (my source for those impulse DVD needs!) is Street Kings. On paper this looks like my kind of flick, a gritty LA cop drama with a strong cast and by the looks of the trailer a ton of atmosphere.

Casting Keanu 'whoa' Reeves as the lead seemed risky to me as he doesn't spring to mind when you think tough cop mixing it up in gangland LA. As it turns out he didn't do a terrible job but he also didn't shine and I think Michael Chiklis has had alot to do with setting the standard for tough LA cop portrayal. The supporting cast was strong with a very good turn from Forest Whitaker and I even liked Hugh Laurie as the Captain (he actually sounded American!).

The movie was shot beautifully especially the night scenes and this was only director David Ayers second movie at the helm after 2005's Harsh Times.

Overall this was a good enough movie with a few decent moments (it really picks up the pace in the final 30 mins) but Reeves didn't convince in the lead role and that dropped a star in my rating.

Rating: **

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

Movie Review - Street Kings

Sons Of Anarchy - I'm In.

Well it took me a few days to get to the pilot of Sons of Anarchy and to be honest the first 20-30 mins had me wondering if I was going to cancel the season pass on Tivo. But with any series pilot I think you have to give the show a few episodes until you really get into the characters lives and if the show is good enough you will soon be converted to a believer.

The pilot had a decent plot introducing the key characters and setting the tone and story lines for the rest of the season and even included a good guest appearance by Soprano's Drea De Matteo.

Sons Of Anarchy - I'm In.

Blogging from Toronto

Well if you can't attend the festival I guess you can at least be in the host city while it's going on!

There are a ton of different stories and announcements during the festival and I think variety.com does a good job on summarizing the news so click here for daily updates. To keep us going here is a great few lines from Mr Kevin Smith courtesy of E! Online:

Kevin Smith figures there's one thing wrong with bringing a movie to the Toronto Film Fest: The audiences are way too polite. "In Toronto, nobody turns their nose up at almost anything," said Smith, in town to hype his latest comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. "If you tank in Toronto, then somethings seriously wrong with that movie."

Blogging from Toronto

60th Primetime Emmy Awards - September 21

The EMMYs are two weeks away and so I thought we would take a look at a few of the nominations (the ones we actually care about, I think we can skip over Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming!) and pick out the best and worst of the bunch ...

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock

Curb Your Enthusiasm

The Office

Two And A Half Men

This is a hard one for me as I am a huge Curb' fan but also love 'Mr That's what she said' Michael Scott from The Office. Two and a Half Men? Yeah right.

Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal

Damages

Dexter

House

Lost

Mad Men

I would like Dexter to win but I have a feeling Mad Men will snatch it and by all accounts it may be well deserved. Still you just have to love Dexter ... David Fisher from Six Feet Under turned Serial Killer ... YES!!!

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

30 Rock - Tina Fey as Liz Lemon
Samantha Who? - Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly
The New Adventures Of Old Christine - Julie Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell
Ugly Betty - America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
Weeds -Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin

It has to be Weeds, so original, so funny, plain and simple great TV and MLP is outstanding. JLD ... come on now ... give it up already!

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Entourage - Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold
Entourage - Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama
How I Met Your Mother - Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson
The Office - Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
Two And A Half Men - Jon Cryer as Alan Harper

Well as much as I like Rainn Wilson I have to go for one of the Entourage boys, both Piven and Dillon are exceptional in their roles.

Post Emmys blog due on 9/22!

60th Primetime Emmy Awards - September 21

Ghostbusters Risen From The Dead?

I can't say I will be first in line to see Ghostbusters 3 for which Columbia Pictures have just recruited writers and claim to be serious about moving into production. No word yet as to whether we will see the original cast reprise their roles in particular Bill Murray who has always been an obstacle to a third installment of the franchise.

Neither of the movies did it for me (I was 16 when the 1st one came out, surely their target age group?) but the rest of the world disagreed with me as it was the biggest grossing film of 1984.

It's only when these old franchises are resurrected that you dig in and realize there is still a market out there for them (not news to Columbia Pictures obviously). It is extraordinary to find that there is still an official Ghostbusters site, a fansite, podcast etc ... who knew?

Ghostbusters Risen From The Dead?

Favorite Promo Posters #3 - Platoon

The poster from Oliver Stone's Platoon truly sums the movie, the war and the conflict felt by Charlie Sheen in the role of a young, naive volunteer infantryman. The poster shows the character Elias, played so well by the always excellent Willem Defoe, in one of the key moments from the movie. When you watch this again it's hard to believe that Charlie Sheen is now best known for Two and a Half Men (no I am not a fan of that show!).

Oliver Stone continued to direct big movies with Wall Street, JFK, Nixon and the soon to be released W being the most noteworthy mentions. Platoon also has a stong supporting cast including a young Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Scrub's own John C McGinley and Johnny Drama himself ... Kevin Dillon!

If you haven't seen this movie classic ... rent it today!

Favorite Promo Posters #3 - Platoon

Movie Review - Bangkok Dangerous

When you go and see an action movie called Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicholas Cage you have to be prepared to accept that it is unlike to feature heavily in next years awards season. So on an unusually hot Arizona morning (109 degrees in September!) I trundled off to the Multiplex to have 90 mins of free aircon and some lighthearted action movie fun.

All the way through the flick I was asking myself, do I actually like this film or not? There were some great action scenes and it was great to see a Hollywood movies based in and around the crazy city of Bangkok. On the down side we have the plot ... polished assassin goes off to finish final job while falling in love with deaf and mute beauty from the local pharmacy who is his only possible path to redemption! It was so formulaic as to be nearly laughable. When Cage employs a local crim' to help him run errands during the final job and then decided to make him him his 'student' of the trade I couldn't get David Carradine (check out how much this guy has worked over his career!) and 'Grasshopper' out of my head.

Interestingly the movie was directed by the Pang Brothers, 40-something twin brother screen writers and directors whose previous work include the original Bangkok Dangerous (1999), and a host of other Hong Kong based movies. One of the brothers is called Oxide Pang, no really, which may relate to his previous job as a colorist.....strange.

As I think I said in a previous post there is something I like about Cage which will get me through most of the sub-par movies he has starred in and this was a good example of that. Anyway it was an 11am showing so only cost 7 bucks and the aircon was cranking away nicely (sorry Mr Gore!) so not a total waste of a Saturday morning.

Rating: **

Movie Review - Bangkok Dangerous

Just added to my 'Must See' list

Trouble the Water

'One of the most unforgettable and uplifting films ever made.' - Kiko Michaels, The Source

'Indelible...Will pin you to your seat.' - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

'Remarkable! A story of community resilience in the face of government indifference' - Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

'Superb....One of the best American documentaries in recent memory' - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Just added to my 'Must See' list

Life On Mars - Cast & Show Update

From http://tvblog.ugo.com

"After replacing the entire pilot cast (and several people behind the scenes) except for lead Jason O’Mara, ABC’s remake of the British show Life on Mars has finally started production in New York City, home of the new tax credit. Joining O’Mara will be Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli as well as Gretchen Mol, Jonathan Murphy, and Lisa “Cosby Kid” Bonet. With all of the changes and overhauls this series has gone through before it even hits the airwaves, Life on Mars sounds like it’s going to be a total disaster, but maybe they managed to pull it together and we’ll get something really cool this fall."

Life on Mars started shooting on August 5th in New York for Thursday night broadcasts on ABC later in the year.

More production photos.

Life On Mars - Cast & Show Update

Mad Men ... The Long Wait

Mad Men is getting off the scale buzz which is refreshing for a show on AMC. Earlier this summer that buzz turned into Emmy nomination history when, along with Damages (tried it, didn't like it), it became the first basic-cable series to be nominated for Best Drama.

If the show is new to you it is set in 1960s New York and tells the story of the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. The main character is Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, a high level executive at the agency dealing with the turbulent decade that was the 1960s. The show won the 2007 Golden Globe for Best Drama and in the same year the prestigious Peabody Award.

You can catch the second season of the show on AMC right now and I am busy Tivoing every episode while I wait for Season one to be available on Netflix. I missed the boat on this one and wished I had seen the first season when it originally aired last year as I am not the only TV nut that wants to catch up hence the Netflix status of dvd delivery ... Long Wait.

Mad Men ... The Long Wait

If You're Not On The List!

Well the celeb' list for the Toronto Film Festival (September 4-13) just seems to be getting bigger and bigger ... if you haven't booked a hotel for the event yet expect to be on the streets!

Here is the list of who variety.com expect to attend:

Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, the Coen brothers, Darren Aronofsky, Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Schrader, Jeff Goldblum, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Gael Garcia Bernal, Agnes Varda, Samira Makhmalbaf, Deepa Mehta, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Wong Kar Wai, Ferzan Ozpetek, Barbet Schroeder, Fernando Meirelles and Bruno Barreto, Michael Caine, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Keira Knightley, Ricky Gervais, Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Barnes, Ben Kingsley, Gerard Butler, Rachel Weisz, Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh, Guy Ritchie, Michael Winterbottom, Kathryn Bigelow, Jonathan Demme, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Larry Charles, Paul Schrader, Richard Linklater, Marc Abraham, Kevin Smith, Greg Kinnear, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, Rachel McAdams, Charlize Theron, Alan Alda, Jennifer Aniston, Matt Dillon, Queen Latifah, Benicio Del Toro, Viggo Mortensen and LeBron James.

Paparazzi heaven!

If You're Not On The List!

Ramsay's Back!

Tonight sees the return of Kitchen Nightmares to the Fox fall line up and I love this show. I watched the first couple of seasons of Hell's Kitchen but by the third season it was becoming contrived and something akin to a WWE match with staged scenes and over the top screaming. Kitchen Nightmares has a more genuine (as genuine as 'reality' shows can be) feel to it with, what we have to trust, are actual failing businesses being exposed warts and all by Ramsay.

Last season this show was both funny (The Leprechaun looking guy from Long Island) and sad (the inept Brit in the Manhattan Indian restaurant). Hopefully Ramsay will travel beyond New York and California for this new season but should I really want him to? If he ended up in a local restaurant I dine at regularly ... eewww!

If you have seen this show in it's first season you probably know it was born out of the BBC original which is well worth a look and is currently in rotation on BBC America.

Ramsay's Back!