The Serious Side of Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow is responsable for some of the funniest films to be released in the last few years, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, Knocked Up just to name a few, and here is his latest Funny People. Here is a different more serious side of him, it still has that trademark Apatow humor but it with a lot of heart. 

Looking forward to this.

Who Knew Wolverine Could Sing and Dance

So It's all over the winners were announced and the Oscars has been something that it hasn't been in years...entertaining. The musical numbers by Hugh Jackman and guest were actually pretty good, and there were so many funny moments. Seems that the few films I didn't see had a bigger impact on the academy than I thought. For instance Penelope Cruz winning for Vicky Christina Barcelona and Sean Penn for Milk, and there were a few surprises, neither of my picks for both of the screenplay categories and the director category where right, go fig. Two of my second picks won, Ben Button for visual effects and Kate Winslet for The Reader, she deserved it. Then there were the no brainers, Ledger for The Joker, WALL-E for animated feature, and Slumdog Millionaire for best picture, no surprises there. For me the highlights of the show was the decision to get rid of the "oscar clip" for the acting nominees, instead five former winners in each acting nominee presentation came onto the stage each describing one of the actors and actresses performances. It was a great choice to take the Oscars in a new direction and the result was some truly emotional responses. And how about the little movie that could, Slumdog Millionaire. Everyone thought Button was going to sweep, but Slumdog won every category it was nominated in except for one. The last time an independent film arose from obscurity and earned a place in film history was in 2000 with American Beauty. I am so glad Slumdog won because now anyone who hasn't seen it will want to, and it is a film that should be seen by everyone. Congratulations to all the winners.

My 2009 Oscar Picks

So I've caught up on quite a few films nominated in various catagories as I do every year, and here are my picks. First I'll say what or who I think should win, but then give my second pick, the one I wouldn't be mad about it my first pick doesn't win. I'm only going to do the catagories I care about, and I'll keep this short.

Best Animated Feature

1st pick:

WALL-E

2nd pick:

Kung Fu Panda

Visual Effects

1st pick:

Iron Man

2nd pick:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 

Adapted Screenplay

1st pick:

Doubt

2nd pick:

The Reader

Original Screenplay

1st pick:

WALL-E

2nd pick:

In Bruges

Best Director

1st pick:

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2nd pick:

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon

Best Supporting Actress

1st pick:

Taraji P. Henson as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2nd pick:

Amy Adams as Sister James in Doubt

Best Supporting Actor

1st pick:

Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight

2nd pick:

Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder

Best Actress

1st pick:

Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins in Changeling

2nd pick:

Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz in The Reader

Best Actor

1st pick:

Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler

2nd pick:

Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon

Best Picture

1st pick:

Slumdog Millionaire

2nd pick:

The Reader

We will all find out the winners tonight, it's been a busy week, so tonight I'm going to kick back and enjoy The Oscars.

Changeling

Inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles, Clint Eastwood's Changeling tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted LAPD after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to. The year was 1928, and the setting a working-class suburb of Los Angeles. As Christine beautifully played by Angelina Jolie said goodbye to her son, Walter, and departed for work, she never anticipated that this was the day her life would be forever changed. Upon returning home, Christine was distressed to discover that Walter was nowhere to be found. Over the course of the following months, the desperate mother would launch a search that would ultimately prove fruitless. Yet just when it seemed that all hope was lost, a nine-year-old boy claiming to be Christine's son seemed to appear out of thin air. Overcome with emotions and uncertain how to face the authorities or the press, Christine invites the child to stay in her home despite knowing without a doubt that he is not her son. As much as Christine would like to accept the fact that her son has been returned to her, she cannot accept the injustice being pushed upon her and continues to challenge the Prohibition-era Los Angeles police force at every turn. As a result, Christine is slandered by the powers that be, and painted as an unfit mother. In this town, a woman who challenges the system is putting her life on the line, and as the situation grows desperate, the only person willing to aid her in her search is benevolent local activist Reverend Briegleb played by John Malkovich. Back then women just earned their right to vote a short few years ago and had almost no credibility anywhere. The forces against her are giant and strong, but she turns out to be stronger. This is maybe Jolie's best performance ever, she is so heartbreaking but strong in this film that it really is shocking. It seemed to me that this film was very personal for her, being as she is a loving mother herself, and she uses that and makes you feel every single emotion that she goes through in this film. With Clint Eastwood behind the camera I excepted nothing less than excellence, and I am truly surprised that Changeling didn't get the best picture nom. This is a challenging film being as we live in a time where everyone is equal and has their rights it is very hard to see what these woman had to go through in America, it is a sad reality that showcases a dark chapter of our past, but shows that no matter how dark the times may be, there is always a way to find strength and redemption.

5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

Troy + Coheed & Cambria = Awesome

What do you get when you edit Troy, one of the most epic films ever made, to Coheed & Cambria's epic rock symphony Welcome Home? You get awesome.

Sick!

Coraline

A stop-motion film from the creators of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline is the story of a little girl as her family moves into a new apartment. Her parents are inconsiderate and ignore her for their work, her mom never cooks, and doesn't really care for Coraline the way a mother should, and her father is so into his work that he doesn't even notice that she's there. She is completely bored in her new home and has nothing else to do but explore the new house. In one of the rooms there is a small door in the fashion of Alice In Wonderland, but the only thing behind it is bricks. Suddenly a doll that looks exactly like her shows up, as a child would she thinks nothing of it and carries it around. Then one night cute little mice appear in her room and lead her to the little door, except this time there is a pathway that leads to...her house. What? But it's actually an alternate reality that mirrors her life, but better. She finds her "Other Mother" who cooks the best meals and shows her more love than one can handle and her "Other Father" shows her more attention and is so much fun. Her Other parents are perfect in every way except they have dead black buttons for eyes, this doesn't seem to bother Coraline. She ends up loving her "other" world so much that she wants to stay forever, and her Other parents will allow her to...if she lets her "Other Mother" sew buttons into her eyes. Coraline refuses much to the disappointment of her "Other Mother" and Coraline soon finds out her Other parents and "other" world isn't what it at first seemed to be. I wish I had seen this film earlier so I could write my review in time for you guys to see it in 3D, unfortunately this is the last weekend it will be available in 3D. Having said that Coraline is more than a movie, it is a work of art. It is quite possibly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, and certainly the best 3D film ever made. Every single shot in the film is exquisitely crafted for the 3D illusion. It is simply gorgeous and magnificently eye-popping. Not only is it beautiful, but the story is fascinating and calculated, it has a very deliberate pace the might irritate some of the children in the audience, but my thing is nowadays every film that is animated isn't necessarily for children. If you take your kids to a movie like this without doing your research because it looks "kid-friendly" then you deserve to be offended by it's material that may be too dark for young children. In fact there were a few trailers before the film that were animated, but obviously not for a young audience that parents who don't do their research will cry foul about. Sorry I went off on a tangent, back to Coraline. Even though you  might have missed out on it's 3D screenings do not miss out on the work of art that is Coraline, and a movie that looks this good in 3D will not doubt be re-released at some point in the tradition The Nightmare Before Christmas. That movie is re-released every year and I'm certain that Coraline will receive the same classic status. Stop-motion in 3D, wow.

5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

I Love Where Animated Films Are Going

With the releases of WALL-E and Coraline, plus the upcoming 9, animation studios are starting a trend that I can really hop on board with, darker material. Soon these film with be on par with live action films as far as acceptance goes, so it wont matter if a film is animated or not, a good movie is a good movie.

Doubt

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence. What follows is a verbal duel in which every word is sharpened to a fine point. This film is haunting and so far the most dramatic of the films I've been catching up on this week, being is the subject matter is so hard to swallow. Meryl Streep is relentless, her performance is so powerful that it had me on the edge of my seat. Her nonstop pursuit for the truth is awe-inspiring, a women who has nearly nothing to go from, but uses everything that she can outside of the system is perceptive and gripping stuff. Doubt is certainly a tough film to take in, but well worth the passionate journey for truth.

5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

Rachel Getting Married

In director Johnathen Demme's Rachel Getting Married, Rachel's sister, Kym played by Anne Hathaway has been an addict since she was in her teens. (Which drugs? All of them.) For the occasion, she is being let out of rehab for the weekend. The last actress you'd expect to see cast as a self-loathing, frayed-nerves drug casualty is a red-carpet blossom like Hathaway. Yet from the moment she shows up, her eyes peering with a junkie's paranoid radar from beneath her slashed-with-a-straight-razor hair, the actress wires you right into her rage and awareness. Kym is a walking disaster, but a disaster with feelings, and the effect she has upon her family is to electrify them with the dreaded truths she calls up. Hathaway is a revelation: She makes toxic narcissism mesmerizing. I don't think I've ever seen a wedding film that made me feel the way this one does, as if I wasn't just crashing the event but was part of the family. In a rehearsal dinner that sprawls on, the speeches are so revealing, stirring up so many awkward, touching moments, that it's as if you've known everyone in the room for years. That level of realism turns the most microscopic of interactions into drama, and that's the level Demme is working on here. It helps that the script, by Jenny Lumet (Sidney's Lumet's daughter), is a fully woven web of love, jealousy, and enabling demons.  Rachel Getting Married is a triumph Demme's finest work since The Silence of the Lambs, and a movie that tingles with life.

5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

Heath Ledger Fans Want The Joker Retired From Film...Forever

Oh those crazy Dark Knight fans… they’re always up to something. If they’re not busy petitioning for Oscar nominations, they’re trying to get Heath Ledger immortalized as the final version of The Joker ever to grace the screen. Seriously. A group of hardcore Ledger supporters have formed a website called The Ultimate Joker, which is trying to gather signatures to convince Warner Brothers to withdraw The Joker character from any and all future productions. They think no one will ever surpass his performance, and consequently, no one should even try.

“We are Batman fans from the comics and from the movies. After we saw The Dark Knight, we thought this Joker was really the best. It deserves to be withdrawn from any Batman sequels… When Michael Jordan retired, they withdrew the number 23 jersey as an honor. It’s the same thing with Heath.”

I really doubt anyone would even want to step into Ledger’s shoes in the immediate future, but there have been rumours that The Joker might crop up in a sequel to The Dark Knight, or also in David Goyer’s Super Max, a movie about a prison break from a facility that holds DC’s most famous supervillains. Either way, I don’t see this as a good enough reason to permanently retire The Joker. How would someone else playing the character take away from Ledger’s performance? It wouldn’t. And why close to the door to the possibility, no matter how remote, that someone could actually do a better job? Movies aren’t like sports. Ultimately there are no finite winners and losers, just a lot of people’s opinions on them.

Sweet Transformers 2 Teaser Trailer

Micheal Bay is not playing around with this one.

 

Remember When I Said Viral Marketing Was Getting Cooler

Another Watchmen website has launched at MinutemenArcade.com, which includes a kick ass old school style Watchmen video game. It’s kinda like if there was an 8-bit Watchmen video game for the NES. The set-up is much like the old Double Dragon games. What are you doing still reading my boring write-up? Head on over the the Minutemen Arcade and play it for yourself. Seems like the guys over in the UK are having a lot of fun marketing this film, which begs the question… why isn’t the film getting the same treatment in the states?

Even With All The Talent Behind This One, It Doesn't Excite Me

Tarantino's take on WWII

I believe Quintin Tarantino is Hollywood's best filmmaker. He does what he wants, how he wants and I love him for that. He has been my favorite director for a long time, and at this point he can do no wrong.

If This Was the Real Trailer I Would Have Waited for the DVD

What if movie trailers were more honest? Playdohfactoryworker created a new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which is a much more accurate representation of the film. I have this theory that most of the bad parts of Crystal Skull were ideas that George Lucas demanded be included, and Spielberg relented under the condition that the marketing for the film would reveal very little of the film’s plot. I’m pretty sure that Spielberg realized the audiences wouldn’t react positively to the alien elements in particular. Why does Lucas hate us so much, what did we ever do to him?

Frost/Nixon

So I'm catching up on the Oscar nominated films, as I do every year if I hadn't already seen them, and next on my list was Frost/Nixon. The main story of the film take place three years after former president Richard Nixon was impeached from office due to the Watergate scandal. He had remained quiet for all this time, not so much by choice, but because there were little to none interview offers given to him except one, a series of four interviews over twelve days. A British television talk show host named David Frost made the offer really only because his TV career hadn't gone where he wanted it to, and he saw this as his only chance to gain some real credibility. Little did he know that the Nixon camp saw this as an opportunity to change the public eyes view of him, Nixon had planned to dominate the interview seeing Frost as a target, not an interviewer. At first Frost is very intimidated by Nixon's dominance, and it looked like the interviews were not going to go as planned by Frost and his crew. That plan was to shake Nixon up and get him to speak truthfully on such issues as Vietnam, and the Watergate scandal. In what turns into a battle of wits Frost finally gets Nixon in a corner in what turned out to be the most famed interview in Presidential history. Now that all of that is out of the way how was the movie? Frost/Nixon is a very good film, but it isn't great. In fact to me the first half of the film felt like killing time until they got to the interviews, and even the interviews didn't really heat up until the film was nearly over. If it weren't for those last gripping 30 to 45 mins of the film I don't believe this film would have even been nominated. Then again the Academy does favor political films. Nonetheless Frost/Nixon is a gripping film but it isn't nearly as good and as flawless as Slumdog Millionaire.

4 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie

one luv, Toinne

This Has Nothing To Do With Movies But...

...and now I give you the greatest internet video since Dramatic Chipmunk, Obama's Elf.

You are welcome.

LOL Stephen Colbert Predicts The Oscars

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The DaColbert Code - Oscar Predictions

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

I must say, I agree with all of his picks. What do you think?

Slumdog Millionaire

What if everything that ever happened to you in your entire life led up to one significant moment. Well that's exactly what happened to Jamal Malik. I know I'm late to the party, but everything I had heard about this film is absolutely correct. Slumdog Millionaire is the very best film I have seen in a very long time. It is flawless, and this is coming from a person who can find flaws in any film no matter how good it is. Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love. This film is nothing short of amazing and is without doubt one of the best movie I have ever seen, ever. It is the type of film that connects us all, from any walk of life this film will connect with everyone. Please pick up a copy of the film when it is released on DVD you will not be disappointed.

a very strong 5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

Fan Film: Escape From City 17

Inspired by the Half-Life 2, David and Ian Purchase created a short film titled Escape from City 17, which chronicles the escape from City 17 by some members of the citizens resistance. The commercial directing duo filmed guerrilla style with no money, no time, no crew, and no script. When they weren’t shooting they were hiding from security patrols in between takes. The spec project ballooned into a multipart series, and the first two episodes were made from beginning to end on a budget of only $500. The short was sent to Valve, who in result flew The Purchase Brothers out to their Seattle headquarters last year. The second episode is nearing completion

DreamWorks Signs Distribtution Deal With Disney

As was rumored last week, Dreamworks has found a new home at Disney. The two companies have entered into a long term distribution agreement which will include six films a year. You can read the full press release, Although I didn't.

The Walt Disney Studios Enters Exclusive Long-Term Distribution Agreement With DreamWorks Studios; Steven Spielberg & Stacey Snider Align With Disney to Distribute and Market Their Live-Action Motion Pictures

BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 9  — The Walt Disney Studios has agreed to enter into an exclusive long-term distribution arrangement with filmmaker and DreamWorks Studios co-founder Steven Spielberg, and partner Stacey Snider, chief executive officer of DreamWorks, to distribute all upcoming live-action motion pictures produced by DreamWorks under their partnership with Reliance BIG Entertainment, part of The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, it was announced today by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Under the terms of this arrangement, Disney will handle distribution and marketing for approximately six DreamWorks films each year. The first DreamWorks motion picture to be released under the Touchstone Pictures banner is scheduled to hit theaters in 2010.

DreamWorks principals Spielberg and Snider partnered with Reliance BIG Entertainment last fall to form a new motion picture company. In addition to being a partner in DreamWorks, Reliance will also distribute the new company’s projects in India.

Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, “We’re both thrilled and honored to be marketing and distributing all of DreamWorks’ signature upcoming live-action motion pictures, and to begin a new relationship with such respected colleagues as Steven, Stacey, and their creative team at DreamWorks. Steven has made some of the biggest and most loved films of all-time, and continues to be one of the great icons of our industry. Stacey has an impeccable reputation and a phenomenal track record for making a wide variety of quality films. Their motion pictures will be the perfect complement to the already robust slate of Disney and Touchstone films being made by Oren Aviv and his team.”

Bob Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, added, “We are tremendously pleased to join forces with Steven Spielberg, whose artistic vision and commitment to quality filmmaking are legendary. DreamWorks has had a great creative and commercial track record under the leadership of Steven and Stacey Snider and I am delighted they’re now associated with Disney.”

Steven Spielberg said, “Disney is the birthplace of imagination and has always been as close to the worldwide audience as any company ever has. I am so pleased that industry leaders like Bob Iger and Dick Cook reached out to become our distribution partner. This is a major step forward for us and Reliance.”

Stacey Snider added, “Under Bob Iger and Dick Cook’s leadership, The Walt Disney Company represents the highest standard of quality in our industry. Everyone at DreamWorks is thrilled to be embarking upon this new and exciting partnership and we look forward to our future with their great team.”

About The Walt Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Studios is a unit of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) and produces and distributes motion pictures under the following banners: Walt Disney Pictures(which include live-action movies, animated feature films from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios) as well as Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International serves as the Studio’s international distribution arm. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes Disney and other film titles to the rental and sell-through home entertainment markets. Disney Theatrical Group is among the world’s most successful commercial theatre enterprises producing or licensing live entertainment events that reach a global annual audience of more than 20 million people in more than 40 countries, and the Disney Music Group distributes original music and motion picture soundtracks under its three record labels: Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records and Lyric Street Records.

About DreamWorks Studios

Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider and The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group announced the formation of a new motion picture company which will be led by Spielberg and Snider. The new company is a continuation of DreamWorks Studios which was formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The company won three consecutive Best Picture Academy Awards with “American Beauty,” “Gladiator,” and “A Beautiful Mind” (co-produced with Universal). Among the company’s other successes have been such films as “Saving Private Ryan” (co-produced with Paramount), “The Ring,” “Minority Report” (co-produced with 20th Century Fox), “War of the Worlds,” “Dreamgirls,” and “Transformers” (all co-produced with Paramount). Snider joined DreamWorks Studios in 2006 as Co-Chairman and CEO. Snider has overseen the company’s business strategy as well as the creative and financial aspects of all film development and production.

Funny Is Funny

If there is any film I would dare poke fun it's the Watchmen, but this vid that's been floating around the web and well it's kinda funny.

Intersting Little Animated Flick Called 9

This flew under my radar until about two minutes ago. I think I'll keep up with this one until it's release.

Taken

Imagine if Jason Bourne grew up and had a daughter, and then she was kidnapped. What do you think he would do get her back? Well with that you have Taken starring Liam Neeson as a retired CIA operative who is trying to reconnect with his 17 year old daughter after being gone for so many years. She asks him of she could go to Paris with one of her friends. Initially he has reservations, but he decides to let her go. Almost as soon as they arrive in Paris they are kidnapped. While this is happening she calls her dad and this is where our movie starts. Neeson character goes on a rampage through Paris claiming he would "Tear down the Eiffel Tower if I have to.." to find his daughter. Overall Taken was a pretty entertaining, being as my expectations were so high for this film it didn't quite deliver. That's not so say is wasn't good though, because it was. Seeing Liam Neeson use no limits to what he would do to find his daughter was very compelling, and the action was decent, but for some reason I got in my head that this film was going to be another Bourne film. So with that expectation, for me, it didn't deliver, other than that Taken is a really entertaining ride.

3 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne