Salma Hayek in 30 Rock - Sneak Peek
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
In Memoriam - 2008
Once again another year passes and we have lost talented people from the Big and Small Screen.
Actor Brad Renfro (The Client, Apt Pupil) 25
Actress Lois Nettleton (Crossing Jordan) 80
Actress Suzanne Pleshette (Bob Newhart Show) 70
Actor Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight) 28
Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando 49
Actress Shell Kepler (General Hospital) 49
Actor Barry Morse (The Fugitive) 89
Actor Roy Scheider (Jaws) 75
Actor David Groh (Rhoda) 68
Actor Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons) 86
Actor Richard Widmark (How the West Was Won) 93
Actor Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments) 84
Comedian Dick Martin (Laugh-In) 86
Actor/Director Sydney Pollack (Tootsie) 73
Comedian Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles) 81
Sportscaster Jim McKay 86 & Journalist Tim Russert (Meet the Press) 58
Actress/Dancer Cyd Charisse 87
Comedian George Carlin 71
Actress Estelle Getty (The Golden Girls) 85
Comedian Bernie Mac 50
Singer/Actor Jerry Reed (Smokey and the Bandit) 71
Don LaFontaine, voice-over guy for movie trailers, 68
Actor Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke, A Streetcar Named Desire) 83
Author/Creator Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, ER) 66
Actor Paul Benedict (The Jeffersons) 70
Actress Beverly Garland (My Three Sons) 82
Actress Majel Barret Roddenberry (Star Trek) 76
(Source families.com)
Movie Review - The Visitor
In this critically acclaimed film Six Feet Under's Richard Jenkins plays a college professor visiting New York for a conference who finds himself caught up in the lives of two illegal immigrants desperate to stay together in the US. We are introduced to Professor Walter Vale as a man drifting through life on auto-pilot after the death of his wife but when he finds a Syrian man (Tarek) and a Senegalese woman (Zainab) subletting his apartment in New York he is shaken out of his stupor and offered the chance to look afresh at life represented by Tarek's desire to teach him how to play the West African drum known as a Djembe.
The movie plays out in a very measured way never becoming sensational about the deportation threat of a Syrian man in a post 9/11 America. A very real and human face was put on the issue and I think alot of people seeing the movie would have been amazed at how harsh the system can treat individuals. It is shot beautifully in and around New York avoiding landmarks and instead opting to show a city that reflects the mood of its people from the drummers of Central Park to graffitied shutters in Queens. It is also worth mentioning the exceptional soundtrack which supports the story being told so well bringing Walters world of classical music together with Tarek and Zainab's love of Fela Kuti.
Rating: ****
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
New Toni Colette Showtime Series
January 18th sees the launch of United States of Tara, a new Showtime comedy starring Toni Colette (Muriel's Wedding, About A Boy, Little Miss Sunshine) as a wife and mother of four.
If you are bored and surfing the net at work (naughty naughty) between Christmas and New Year then check out the first episode free (password 'tara').
If the show's Facebook Page is anything to go by then this could be another big hit from the hot network.
'the pilot was the funniest **** i've ever seen. this should be a good show.'
'i just watch the pilot on the showtime website it was amazing, my new fave show!'
'this show is gonna be my new favortie (sic)! Dexter, move over, baby!'
(not sure I agree with the last comment!).
Kate & Leo on Today Show
Promoting their new movie Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio are forced to recall that movie about the sinking ship! These are two of the worlds best Big Screen actors today end of story.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning TV Series for 2009
After the revellers have returned home from their New Years parties, once the hangovers are cured and we have taken down our Holiday decorations it is time for the TV networks to compete for our valuable couch time. January is the month we traditionally cut our spending on going out for meals and parties and focus on all things Small Screen.As we look ahead to the return of the big network TV shows in January 2009 TV.com has run down the return of the top ten shows they are most excited about (although how the series finale of ER didn't make the list I will never know!).
1. 24
2. Lost
3. Scrubs
4. L Word
5. Battlestar Galactica
6. Nip/Tuck
7. Friday Night Lights
8. Kyle XY
9. The Tudors
10. Reaper
There are a few shows on the list I agree with them on, The earlier Tudors seasons are already in my Netflix queue so I will have to Tivo the new series and I loved the first season of Reaper (Kevin Smith fan that I am). Nip/Tuck never got it's claws into me but I think it might be worth Tivoing the new series while I catch up on past seasons on DVD. It's received such critical and popular acclaim and while the FX network don't get it right every time (Damages) you can't deny their track record for some of the best drama on basic cable.
Are any of your favorites missing from the list?
Monday, December 29, 2008
Movie Review - Wanted
The tag line for this flick is 'Choose Your Destiny' and if you have any control over yours then you won't rent/buy this DVD!In no uncertain terms Wanted anwers the question of what A-List stars do when they want to buy another home. Morgan Freeman and Angela Jolie seemed to be on autopilot during this oh so silly action flick in which The Last King of Scotland's James McAvoy plays a humdrum office lackey sucked into a brotherhood of assassins led by Freeman with Jolie as his bad-ass, perma-frown wearing mentor.
OK so yes you know what you are going to get just by looking at the poster but you would have to hope that the leads would have at least selected a script that kept you semi-interested. From the faux-Matrix effects, to the ludicrous 'loom of fate' (that actually made me laugh out loud) which weaves textile with a coded message of who is next for the chop, this is a joke of a film.
The action sequences are slick and fast paced but this is nowhere near enough to rescue the movie. It seems this is the first big Hollywood job for the Kazakhstan director Timur Bekmambetov who previously directed commercials for a bank ... sorry but I won't be tuning in to see what this guy does next.
Rating: *
Moviegoers 'Heel The Love' as Marley and Me Wins Holiday Box Office
The Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston cute fest about the troublesome pup turned out to be the perfect Christmas movie pulling in a mighty $51.8 million in the over the long Holiday weekend. It also nabbed the record of the best Christmas Day opening ever.
Here's how the weekend numbers look close up:
December 26, 2008 - December 28, 2008
1. Marley And Me - $37,000,000
2. Bedtime Stories - $28,069,000
3. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The - $27,200,000
4. Valkyrie - $21,531,000
5. Yes Man - $16,450,000
6. Seven Pounds - $13,400,000
7. Tale Of Despereaux, The - $9,367,605
8. Day The Earth Stood Still, The - $7,900,000
9. Spirit, The - $6,510,000
10. Doubt - $5,675,000
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Interview with Joel McHale
If you are as big a fan of The Soup as I am you will be interested in this short interview with the shows host by AOL TV ... "So Meaty!"1. In terms of material, who is the biggest cash cow ever?
Oh, Tyra. And, you know, it helps that she's on five days a week and she has two shows. And when he was around, Flavor Flav. He stopped doing his series ... I don't know what's wrong with him. But pretty much any series on VH1. They give and they give and they give.
2. Who was your favorite walk-on celebrity this year?
When Simon Pegg and Keith Olbermann came on, I thought my head was gonna explode. And the fact that they did bits together ... I was like, "Look at me -- I'm, like, on TV and everything! It's like a real show! I'm not just a glorified weatherman tonight!"
3. And who wins the prize for biggest trainwreck of the year?
Well, you know we didn't have a Britney this year ... [Laughs] I think it's Sarah Palin. Even though we're not a political show, obviously her popularity in pop culture was so big that E! actually allowed us to talk about it. They usually don't like us talking about political things, because they assume people watching E! don't care I guess. But she kind of was overwhelming. She was everywhere. Her name must've been mentioned 50 million times on television. I would love if there was some sort of machine that could track the number of times the word "Palin" was said. It would be like tracking the word "O.J." in 1994. She takes the cake -- especially after the Katie Couric interview, and then her not knowing the answer to a bunch of stuff. But let's not call her the trainwreck -- let's call her the slaughtered turkey.
4. What would you get Ryan Seacrest if you were his Secret Santa?
Full-body massage. From me. [Laughs] No, I got him what I got last year -- we have matching Uggs. I wish. I need to get a pair of those at some point. You know, the hiphugger jeans are somehow still in fashion right? But then for a while the girls were wanting to wear short skirts, right? So you'd see these pubescent girls with kind of a weird hiphugger skirt on, but it'd be kind of a short skirt, but then their bellies would be hanging out and then they'd be wearing Ugg boots. That is as unattractive as possible, without just covering herself with feces. [Laughs] Moonboots? Check. Slut skirt? Check. Belly out? Check.
5. We know you're a huge Battlestar Galactica fan -- what other shows do you watch without the intent to make fun of them?
Mad Men -- I love Mad Men. I love Flight of the Conchords. I loved Pushing Daisies -- and I was on it which makes me love it even more. And as far as reality shows go, I like watching The Ultimate Fighter. And I ain't joking. Why you ask? Because it is the most honest reality show on television. On American Idol it's like, "You sang off key"; in Ultimate Fighter it's like, "You broke his nose." But with your broken nose, you're fighting tomorrow. That's honesty.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
My Top Five Christmas Movies
There is nothing Hollywood loves more than giving us a good reason to head to the multiplex over the holidays. Here are my Top 5 Christmas movies of all time:5. Die Hard - Come on, Bruce killing a bunch of Aryan bad guys at Christmas? Perfect Holiday fare!
4. It's a Wonderful Life - Impossible to leave out, Frank Capra created a classic for the ages.
3. Love Actually - Ah yes, bumbling 'whoops-a-daisy' Hugh Grant helps to make this about as good as it gets for a modern urban Christmas flick.
2. Home Alone - I am weirdly addicted to this movie. Great performance from the then 10 year old Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were the perfect bungling bad guys.
1. White Christmas - 54 years on this is still the one. Look up Christmas in the dictionary and this flick might well be there.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The 10th Annual A Home for the Holidays with Faith Hill
If you are looking for a large dose of TV schmaltz this Holiday Season with a generous topping of surgary goo look now further than Faith Hill's annual Christmas sing-a-long.
Airing tonight on CBS we can expect Hill to be joined in festive song by the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Gavin Rossdale, Jamie Foxx, and others.
I like the Holidays as much as anyone else but 'a night of inspirational stories about adoption' is not quite the festive evening I had in mind ... I wonder what Dexter does for Christmas?!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Movie Review - Wall-E
It's hard to watch a movie that Time Magazine just rated number one of 2008 without any expectations and so last Sunday I sat slotted the DVD in and expected to be wowed.The story revolves around a child-like trash-compacting robot called Wall-E who is the last surviving mechaniod on a earth that has been long deserted by the human race. Declared uninhabitable due to the detritus accumulated afters years of consumption humanity headed into space and left the earth behind. Wall-E, clearly having missed the memo about humanity no longer needing his services, continues to build skyscrapers of compacted trash until a life hunting probe (EVE ... get it?) returns to earth in search of proof of a regenerated planet. Wall-E falls for EVE and eventually follows her back to the Human ship from which she was dispatched where we are introduced to ourselves as overweight pampered beings unable to move on our own accord.
The lengthy lack of dialogue in the first part of the movie is irrelevant as you are so captured by the superb animation PIXAR have created to tell this omen of a story about human greed and sloth. The smallest details are extraordinary from the reflections in EVE's sleek white almost Apple Mac white design to the fantastically complex shots of a deserted and defiled earth.
I enjoyed this movie really as showpiece for what PIXAR can create as opposed to a fun flick with a zippy plot. The second half of the movie reverts to a pretty familiar formula which while it still works was safe and with Disney this shouldn't come as a big surprise.
If Time Magazine rated this movie based on technical achievement then I would agree with it's first place but as a whole this not the best film of 2008.
Rating: ****
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Ever Wanted to Work for CNN?
Job Title: Producer, American Morning
TimeWarner Division: Turner Broadcasting
Industry: Advertising Cable/Broadcast Television Networks Online Content/Services
Location: United States - New York - New York
Requisition: #110086BR
Position Type: Full Time
Posting Job Description: Qualifications: Minimum of five years production experience in the news television industry. Must have strong leadership skills and work well with both production crews and talent. The successful candidate for this position will have a minimum of 5 years of producing at either a cable or broadcast network. The job requires strong feature and segment producing, strong writing skills and a thorough understanding of the news business. He/she must be a creative thinker who can generate numerous story ideas off the week's news headlines. Ability to handle the demands of television talent a must. This producer must be familiar with all aspects of television production. Applicant will have strong editorial and field skills. Experience at setting up remotes, conducting interviews, and is familiar with all CNN ENG aspects. Must be flexible and able to work long hours under deadline pressures. Must have strong leadership and interpersonal skills and work well within a team. Must be able to generate and execute story ideas. Ability to edit scripts, write, and edit tape material.
Duties: Work with the co-anchors of the program to prepare for live interviews each morning. Serve as their primary source for editorial content before and during the show. Coordinate production elements, including graphics and videotape, for all live segments. Work from control room, funneling information to the anchors as news develops each day. Write and edit suggested questions. Travel with the anchors, sometimes on very short notice, to breaking news stories. This Producer will work directly with the anchors to produce daily segments and field produce as needed.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers.
Luhrmann Buys Rights to Great Gatsby
It is one of my favorite books of all time and I was thrilled to hear that Australian director Baz Luhrmann had purchased the rights to The Great Gatsby. No studio is involved yet but this classic story of the roaring twenties has not been given the big screen treatment since Coppola directed Redford in the lead back in 1974.
For more from this director with such a unique style check out this LA Times interview he gave recently:
Friday, December 19, 2008
Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
The SAG Awards air on TNT on January 15th 2009
Motion Pictures
Actor
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Actress
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Ensemble Cast
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Stunt Ensemble
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Wanted
Primetime Television
Actor in a television movie or miniseries
Ralph Fiennes - Bernard and Doris
Paul Giamatti - John Adams
Kevin Spacey - Recount
Kiefer Sutherland - 24: Redemption
Tom Wilkinson - John Adams
Actress in a television movie or miniseries
Laura Dern - Recount
Laura Linney - John Adams
Shirley Maclaine - Coco Chanel
Phylicia Rashad - A Raisin in the Sun
Susan Sarandon - Bernard And Doris
Actor in a drama series
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - House
William Shatner - Boston Legal
James Spader - Boston Legal
Actress in a drama series
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace
Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Actor in a comedy series
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
David Duchovny - Californication
Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Tony Shalhoub - Monk
Actress in a comedy series
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds
Tracey Ullman - Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union
Ensemble in a drama Series
Boston Legal
Dexter
House
Mad Men
The Closer
Ensemble in a comedy series
30 Rock
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Weeds
Stunt ensemble
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Prison Break
The Unit
The Closer
Life achievement award
James Earl Jones
Where Was I That Night?
We all do it. When we are reading online or offline (huh?) about one of our favorite actors that has recently been speaking or making an appearance in our neighborhood. Well it happened to me today when I read that Crispin Glover had been in town back in June promoting his film What Is It? at the Chandler Cinemas. I have no idea what I was doing in June but knowing my luck I would have been out of town anyway.That said it does give me some solace that people I have heard of occasionally make it out to the South East corner of our Valley of the Sun. Check out the Phoenix New Times article I was reading, apparently his appearance didn't go according to plan!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
TV's Top Ten Ensemble Cast
TV.com just released their favorite ensemble casts on TV, did they feature your favorite? Counting down from ten:10. One Tree Hill
Led by Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty, One Tree Hill boasts one of the best young casts on television. Plus, we've watched them grow up before our eyes and they haven't missed a step.
9. 30 Rock
I know, I know, 30 Rock at number nine? Like we said, the field is packed. Alec Baldwin is sublime as Jack, but what really makes this show work is the way all the zany characters pop in and out of Liz Lemon's daily routine with ease.
8. Gossip Girl
They're young. They're hot. No wonder they're all hooking up with each other off screen. Did we mention they're hot? This guilty pleasure sits at number eight because we can't keep our eyes off them.
7. Mad Men
Almost no one knew who John Hamm was a few years ago. Now he's everywhere thanks to playing Don Draper, and he owes a lot to those who work daily with him. The men are 1960s men (Tullamore Dew on the rocks for lunch, please), and the women--oh my, the women--are 1960s women (I'm talking about you, Christina Hendricks).
Will we see these two tango together again?
6. Lost
ABC's best product helped redefine the ensemble cast thanks to its spectacular diversity. Where else can you watch an hour of television that looks like a Benetton ad? And with Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Jeremy Davies, and Rebecca Mader joining the cast as the show progressed, it only got better.
5. Pushing Daisies
Imagine you are casting a show about a pie-maker who brings the dead back to life and solves crimes with a money-hungry P.I. Add a dead crush, a pint-sized waitress, and synchronized swimming aunts. Yeah, we couldn't do better either. This is perfection.
4. The Office
Each piece of this comedy puzzle is a perfect fit. Could Andy, Creed, Angela, or Oscar have their own show? Probably not. But then again, Michael Scott probably couldn't either (yes, Dwight could). The Office is a team effort, and the finest example of a comedy ensemble.
3. Battlestar Galactica
Producers have been circling the Battlestar cast like bloodthirsty sharks ever since an end date to this sci-fi epic was announced, and it's easy to see why. They're all moving on to big roles with no problems. The Emmys have ignored them, but we haven't.
Kyle and Connie are a dynamite duo.
2. The Wire
Bunk. McNulty. Stringer. Avon. Carver. Herc. Daniels. Bubbles. Michael. Dukie. Greggs. Freamon. Prez. Bodie. Carcetti. Marlo. Chris. Snoop. And of course, Omar. The best show ever on television also has one of the best casts ever. Again, the Emmys have ignored them, but we haven't.
1. Friday Night Lights
If you've never seen Kyle Chandler (can any other actor say more without speaking a word?) and Connie Britton on the screen at the same time, you've never seen a drama about everyday people. And let's not forget how far Landry has come. Each performer is their character--this is acting. Emmys? Hello?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Keanu Reeves - A Career in Pictures
(images courtesy of Empire Online)
Bill & Ted, Point Break, My Own Private Idaho, Dracula, Little Buddha, Speed, The Matrix, Constantine, A Scanner Darkly ... which was your favorite Keanu movie?
In Memorium - Oliver Postgate
The creator of shows I grew up with as a kid like Bagpuss, The Clangers and Ivor the Engine (a real nod to my Welsh heritage there!) died last week aged 83. TV.com reports:
"The artist and puppeteer created many of Britain's most-loved children's programmes including Ivor the Engine and The Clangers. Oliver Postgate, who died on Monday at a nursing home in Broadstairs, East Kent, created classic children's programming for three decades. Providing both the voices and narration to his stories, his creations proved popular with viewers with his 1970s animation Bagpuss topped several polls of Britain's favourite children's shows. His family reported that he died this week and in honour of his passing, here is a collection of his most famous shows:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Congratulations Dexter
Fresh off Golden Globe nominations for drama series and lead actor Michael C. Hall, the season-three finale of Showtime's "Dexter" scored the pay cabler's biggest numbers ever.
Series garnered more than 1.5 million viewers for its initial 9 p.m. run Sunday, better than any Showtime perf since the network switched to measuring ratings on just its primary channel in 2004. Series averaged 1.1 million viewers on its initial run for the season.
The pay cabler's previous best single-airing perf was established three years ago by "Weeds."
"Californication" also scored its best numbers of the season, with 615,000 viewers watching its initial run, which led out of "Dexter" at 10 p.m.
(source variety.com)
Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt?
I found myself in a log cabin in the woods of Oregon recently watching an old VHS (gotta love the whirring sound of the REW & FFWD buttons!) version of 1997's As Good As It Gets. I enjoyed re-watching this and a second time around Nicholson's performance just gets even better. But sitting there with the rain pouring down outside for the 12th consecutive hour I wondered what had become of his weary waitress played so well by Helen Hunt. I guess the phrase 'at least she's working' applies in this piece of news from variety.com:
"Helen Hunt will helm a 60-second snack food commercial for Frito-Lay, set to air during the Feb. 22 Oscar telecast. The actress will direct a short film of the most inspiring entry in a story contest for the company's True North snacks. Frito-Lay will also pay the winner $25,000. Stories will focus on how the author or someone the author knows is pursuing a life's passion.
True North is due for some rebranding after summer, when one of its ads became a minor viral sensation because of its easily misunderstood kicker: "True North: An Extraordinary Nut Snack." ... cue tittering.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Star Trek Movie Update
Paramount Pictures and IMAX Corporation today announced that Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams (“Mission: Impossible III”, "Lost" and "Alias”), will be simultaneously released to both IMAX® and conventional theatres worldwide on May 8, 2009. Star Trek, which chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members, will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. Paramount Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film to IMAX theatres worldwide.
Lesbian Vampire Killers - No Really
I also thought this was either a joke or some movie that was only going to play at the sort of theaters that Mayor Guillani closed down on New York's treasured 42nd street. But no, Lesbian Vampire Killers (shall we just call it LVK from now on?) is actually a real comedy horror movie being made in the UK by director Phil Claydon and starring Paul McGann who made a brief appearance in the Doctor Who franchise as the Doctor in 1996. The tongue is firmly placed in cheek when we read the IMDB synopsis of the flick 'Their women having been enslaved by the local pack of lesbian vampires thanks to an ancient curse, the remaining menfolk of a rural Welsh town send two hapless young lads out onto the moors as a sacrifice.' Talk about American Werewolf in London gone wrong, this sounds nuts!
The movie was dreamed up by a pair of jokers who used to work at MTV and were apparently challenged to come up with the most commercial movie title ever ... errr well done lads! If you are a fan of the BBC show Gavin & Stacey you will be pleased to hear that James Corden and Matthew Horne team up again to appear in LVK.
It's slated for a March 2009 release in the UK where I have a feeling it is going to do pretty well so we should see it later in the year on this side of the pond. What looks like a total trash festival (nothing wrong with that on the right night) could actually turn out to be a pretty funny flick if the gags are good enough although you may have to wade through a few protesters to buy a ticket though!
Weekend Box Office
December 12, 2008 - December 14, 2008
1 Day The Earth Stood Still, The - $31,000,000
2 Four Christmases - $13,270,000
3 Twilight - $8,013,000
4 Bolt - $7,506,000
5 Australia - $4,285,000
6 Quantum Of Solace - $3,800,000
7 Nothing Like The Holidays - $3,500,000
8 Madagascar Escape 2 Africa - $3,250,000
9 Milk - $2,635,552
10 Transporter 3 - $2,250,000
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Bargain Holiday Gift Ideas
So the Holiday season is fast approaching and I think pretty much everyone on the North American continent (where most of my readers come from ... oh and you too Afyonkarahisar, Turkey!) are looking to save some dinero on gifts. Well thank goodness for the Kevin Smith Empire of movies, blogs, books and well, stuff. Head on over to his online store known as the Secret Stash and pick up a number of genuine View Askew movie related bargains for 15 bucks or less. You can impress your nearest and dearest with:
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Mini Poster - signed by Kevin Smith $15.00
- My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith $14.99
- Bean N Gone Ceramic Coffee Mugs (from Zack & Miri Make a Porno) $9.99
- Buddy Christ Dashboard (from Dogma) Statue $14.95
- Clerks Soundtrack - Autographed $15.00
- Mooby's Restaurant Plastic Cup (Dogma & Clerks II) $1.99
Click here to go shopping and hopefully Mr Smith will cut me a slice of the action or at least a $3.50 Clerks Bumper Sticker!
If you want to go nuts you can also do what I did grab a signed copy of the 10th Anniversary Clerks DVD ... the extras are off the chain!
In Treatment Looks Golden
The Hollywood Foreign Press and I agree on many things but their multiple Golden Globe nominations for HBO's naval gazing show In Treatment leaves me scratching my head. I won't rehash my September post about this show but a series leading 5 nominations is beyond me. Here's the rest of the TV shows in contention on January 11th (a star indicates my choice for winner):
Television Series - Drama
Dexter*
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood
Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
January Jones, Mad Men
Anna Paquin, True Blood*
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Michael C. Hall, Dexter*
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
Television Series - Comedy or Musical
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office*
Weeds
Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds*
Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Muscial
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office*
Kevin Connolly, Entourage
David Duchovny, Californication
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
A Raisin in the Sun
Bernard and Doris
Cranford*
John Adams
Recount
Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench, Cranford*
Catherine Keener, An American Crime
Laura Linney, John Adams
Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon, Bernard and Doris
Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes, Bernard and Doris
Paul Giamatti, John Adams*
Kevin Spacey, Recount
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Redemption
Tom Wilkinson, Recount
Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins, Cranford*
Laura Dern, Recount
Melissa George, In Treatment
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Denis Leary, Recount
Jeremy Piven, Entourage*
Blair Underwood, In Treatment
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The House Always Wins
The best show I have never seen continues to dominate Tuesday night ratings with House picking up the top spot for FOX with 13.9m viewers. The show debuted four years ago with British actor Hugh Laurie playing an cynical diagnostician at a fictional Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital. Film director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Confession of a Dangerous Mind, Valkyrie) is an executive producer on the show and directed the pilot episode essentially setting the tone for seasons to come. As we all know I am a total ER loyalist which has meant for sanity's sake I have had to forgo Tivoing other medical dramas and this has perhaps meant a loss when it comes to House but of course a total result when you think about Grays Anatomy!
Like every TV show ever made these days you can rent House on DVD so I may add it to my Netflix list and try my best not to see Hugh Laurie as the guy from Stuart Little!
Movie Review - The Day The Earth Stood Still
So this was a perfect 'spare couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon' movie which wasn't going to be unduly taxing on the brain and hopefully would provide a few thrills along the way.Well it certainly wasn't taxing even if the thrills were somewhat lacking. This remake of the 1951 original was a watchable sci-fi flick replete with the standard end of the world CGI effects we have seen in movies like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon etc. There were a few nods to the original with Reeves' alien taking the same 'spacey' name Klaatu and bringing his iconic robot buddy GORT (retooled for the modern age to mean Genetically Organized Robotic Technology) along to do some menacing.
The movie gets on with things pretty quickly, sensibly skipping too much preamble and preferring to crank up the arrival of the spheres of doom at various locations on Earth. Jennifer Connolly plays the obligatory egg-head in this version, befriending the alien when the seemingly Bush Administration appointed Kathy Bates, playing the President's 'representative', starts suggesting a Guantanamo style welcome for Klaatu. Reeves is actually very good in the role of the visiting creature from another planet forced to take human form to carry out his mission. His Vulcan-like emotionless acting will surely have provided some chuckles for his detractors but I enjoyed the icy Gary Numan like repartee with the humans he encounters throughout the movie. Naturally with this being a big budget Hollywood affair we had to have a human back story with requisite child, Jaden Smith, grieving for his lost parent while struggling with step-parent Connolly only for them both to reconcile in the end enabling Klaatu to realize humans have 'another side' (yawn).
What was a genuine surprise for me was that this film was basically a full blown commercial for everything Al Gore. The 1951 screenplay was updated by original writer Edmund H. North who was joined by David Scarpa to give Klaatu's reason for arriving on earth with GORT more relevancy to the present day. Reeves told slashfilm.com:
“The first one was borne out of the cold war and nuclear detente. Klaatu came and was saying cease and desist with your violence. If you can’t do it yourselves we’re going to do it. That was the film of that day,” Reeves explained. “The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth. …what we are doing and who we are as a species. We’re trying to reach beyond the idea of [just] environmentalism.”
It's hard to argue against the message in the film and frankly the way the world is headed environmentally it would be the best thing since sliced bread if aliens showed up to lend a hand!
Rating: ***
Favorite Promo Posters # 8 - Dark Knight
Friday, December 12, 2008
Half-Blood Prince Sneak Peek
The latest installment of the Harry Potter series comes to theaters next summer and we are introduced to one of my favorite actors, Jim Broadbent, playing the celebrity obsessed Professor Slughorn.
Jackman to Host Oscars?
It seems Hugh Jackman is in the frame to host the the 81st Annual Academy Awards. I'm not exactly thrilled by this news as I think the host needs to have a bit more unscripted humor at their disposal which is why I got excited when I read the rumor about Ricky Gervais taking a turn. Chris Rock was my favorite in recent years and think he should be invited back for another crack of the whip. Whoopi? Letterman? Stewart? Rock? Crystal? Who did the best job so far in your opinion?
Star Trek Movie Site
The movie doesn't actually open until May 8th of next year but the trailer has been doing the rounds in theaters for a few weeks now. The studio behind the Trek franchise, Paramount, have started to really ramp up their official movie site. You can watch video, check out a gallery and download wallpaper and icons on the site and of course no movie launch would be complete without the obligatory Social Media so you are invited to become a fan on Facebook (OK then) or Myspace (No thanks). They are also encouraging nerds like me who blog about this kind of thing to sign up with their webmaster program 'to receive access to breaking news, exclusive photos, video clips, interviews, concept art and promotional items for use on your web site.'
If you are not even vaguely interested in the world of Trek (shame on you!) then you may want to avoid me until May but if like me you can hardly wait to see a younger, fitter and altogether less 60s Kirk and the gang then keep it here!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
DVD Box Sets
OK so my take on buying DVDs of TV series is this .... companies such as HBO, Showtime, FOX etc make a fortune out of releasing each season on DVD before the next season premieres on TV. Which for them makes perfect sense and if we think about the example of Family Guy, which you cannot even find on youtube due to FOX piracy police, the companies make an absolute fortune as people buy them in droves.What I don't understand is why people would buy season after season of a show like Six Feet Under (all hail the greatest show on earth ... is that Angels I hear singing?!) when they know HBO is going to release a Mega Fancy box set with a ton of previously unavailable extras. Don't get me wrong I found waiting for the box set of Six Feet Under to be released agonizing but when the payoff came, well, it came big time. Now I admit I am not able to talk rationally on the subject of this show but when my better half gave me the box set for by 40th last year well it was quite a moment let me tell you!
So come one people, breath deeply, don't rush out and buy every season of Dexter, The Shield, Weeds etc on DVD, wait for the end and get the groovy extras you know they are saving for the big release when the show is officially over.
Oh and bargain of the season right now for the Holidays has to be the Six Feet Under box set which is going for around $150 according to epinions!
Golden Globe Nominations 2009
The 66th Annual Golden Globes,
January 11th, 2009
Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California
Live on NBC 8:00 EST
Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures
Frost/Nixon
Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures
The Reader
Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company
Revolutionary Road
An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage
Slumdog Millionaire
Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas – I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Burn After Reading
Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
Happy-Go-Lucky
Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
In Bruges
Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
Mamma Mia!
Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mediapro; The Weinstein Company
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell – In Bruges
James Franco – Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey
Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams – Doubt
Pen̩lope Cruz РVicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Kate Winslet – The Reader
Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Best Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Kung Fu Panda
DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
Wall-E
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
(DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX) Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)
(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK) Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
Gomorrah (Italy)
(GOMORRA) Fandango; IFC Films
I've Loved You So Long (France)
(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME) UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics
Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
