Jan 30 2007

Stranger Than Fiction

Category: 2006,Movies,Reviews — velveetahead @ 2:01 am

Stranger Than Fiction
Directed: Marc Forster

Will Ferrell plays a man who realizes his life is being narrated (literally in his head) by Emma Thompson since he’s a character in her book and she’s planning on killing him off.

I wanted to see this movie since I read a little snippet about it in Entertainment Weekly. I can’t remember if it was previewing things coming out in 2006 or if it was the It issue. It might have been the latter since it focused on the screenplay. I read the scene about when Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) realized someone was narrating his life and he could hear it. I thought it was hilarious and had to see it.

The movie is very cute. It could almost be too cute for some people. If you are amused at the trailer at all then I think you will enjoy it. If you weren’t overly thrilled with it, I would think you would find the movie too cute. I don’t think it would win over anyone that didn’t find the concept funny.

I did find the concept funny so I enjoyed the movie. Harold realizes a woman is narrating his life and plans on killing him. That woman is played by Emma Thompson who is writing a book after having writer’s block for ten years. She is trying to figure out how to kill the main character of her book, Harold Crick, since that’s how she ends all her books. Her publishers think she isn’t going to ever visit so they send Queen Latifah to be her assistant. Her role was unnecessary and I have no idea why she was even in the movie. She really didn’t do much except be there as someone Emma could talk to, but she could have talked to herself. I think it would have fit the character fine.

Will Ferrell isn’t his typical Will Ferrell-type. he’s very believable as an IRS agent. The movie is funny, but he’s playing a straight-man. He doesn’t have much of a personality, at least at the beginning. Then he meets Maggie Gyllenhaal who he has to audit. They end up starting a romance, and are actually believable which amazed me since no one would be attracted to Harold Crick. They had chemistry so I bought it!

It was a goofy and sweet story. It had a goofy and sweet ending to it too, but I didn’t mind.

Finally, it had an excellent soundtrack. Britt Daniels, lead singer from Spoon, was in charge of it. All the instrumentals in the movie were Spoon songs and the song over the credit was a new Spoon song. The other songs in the movie were also good too. I was just happy everytime I was hearing Spoon. Yeah!

Rating: B

Jan 29 2007

Marie Antoinette

Category: 2006,Movies,Reviews — velveetahead @ 2:51 am

Marie Antoinette
Directed: Sofia Coppola

Kirsten Dunst is the much adored and hated queen of France with a punk-rock style and New Wave soundtrack.

I really don’t know much about Marie Antoinette beyond the cake quote and she was beheaded. I have no idea how much of this movie was true, but I just watched it for what it was, which was a girl that was married off and made queen way too young. The movie does make mention of the cake quote in quite a clever way.

Marie was a rich girl in Austria when she was married off to the prince of France. She had to leave everything behind when she went to France. She couldn’t even take her little purse dog with her. She had a whole new set of fancy clothes and had to get all new friends. She knew it was important for Austria and France that she was a good wife and future queen so she did the best she could, even though she was only fifteen.

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Jan 28 2007

Pan’s Labyrinth

Category: 2006,Movies,Reviews — velveetahead @ 7:26 pm

Pan’s Labyrinth
Directed: Guillermo Del Toro

In 1944 Spain, where a young girl’s father does unspeakable things due to a fascist regime, and she retreats into a fairy tale world.

The movie takes place at the end of World War II, where some fascists don’t really like that the war has ended. They still want to control everything by rationing off food and medicine to the people of Spain while killing off the last of the resistance fighters. A Captain has holed himself up in the woods where he has receive reports there are still fighters around. He recently married and impregnated a woman so he can have an heir. She is very late into her pregnancy when he demands she come to the abandoned mill he has made his temporary home because his son should be born where his father resides. She brings along her eight-year-old daughter Ofelia.

Ofelia lives inside her books that are filled with fantasy and fairy tales. She seems a flying bug and calls it a fairy. When she arrives at the mill, she does not like the Captain, but loves the labyrinth next to it. The fairy that she saw comes to her and shows her the way to the heart of the labyrinth where she enters into a magical world filled with fauns and other magical creatures. They talk about how a princess once rules their world, but ran away forgetting her past. They are convinced that Ofelia is their princess ruler, but she must prove herself by completing three quests.

That is where the movie reminded me of EverQuest or World of Warcraft. The first quest was something that you would find in game and was hilarious to watch. I loved the parts of the movie when she was in her fairytale world since it was so beautiful and magical, even when she was in the gross roots of an ancient tree fighting with a giant toad. There is another monster who has no eyes on his face, but in the palms of his hands. It seems he can only see if he puts his palms up to his face and looks out. He was creepy, but also funny at the same time.

The other half of the movie dealt with the Captain and his brutality in fighting the resistance. He was extremely violent and he was extremely cruel. Most of his scenes were very disturbing. It made sense that his world was so very cruel to explain why Ofelia would want to escape it to the other, much prettier world, but I still wished more time had been spent in the pretty world compared to the ugly one. The fantasy part would make the movie rewatchable for me, but I’m not sure how many times I can rewatch it thinking about all the Captain scenes.

Rating: B+

Jan 28 2007

TV Shows: Week of Jan 29

Category: TV,Upcoming — velveetahead @ 7:05 pm

Returning Shows

King of the Hill
Channel: FOX
Time: 8:30 ET/PT
Premieres: Sunday, January 28

Peggy is really getting into real estate, Bobby becomes a leader and Hank still loves propane.

New Shows

Top Design
Channel: Bravo
Time: 11 ET/PT
Premieres: Wednesday, January 31

It takes off of Project Runway by having interior-designers compete to become the top designer through various home-decorating challenges. The winner will receive a car, an editorial feature in Elle Decor magazine, and a chance to showcase their skills at Elle Decor’s Dining by Design.

Sources: TV Guide, AOL, Entertainment Weekly

Jan 27 2007

Movies Opening Jan 26

Category: 2007,Movies,Opening — velveetahead @ 11:48 am

Nationwide Releases

Smokin’ Aces
Directed: Joe Carnahan

A mob boss wants Jeremy Piven (playing a magician) killed before he turns state’s evidence against him. He hires two hit men, but then tons of other hit men want to get in on the action and the money, so they all try to kill him first.

RT Score: 27%
RT Consensus: A violent mess of a movie, Smokin’ Aces has some Quentin Tarantino’s style but not much of his wit or humor.

The sum feels significantly less than its parts … it’s hard to think of a decent payoff to the glorious chaos Carnahan whips up in the first two acts, short of the earth itself exploding.
- Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Best consumed with pizza and lots of brewskis, Joe Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces is shamelessly and unapologetically a guy movie.
- Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

You can’t take it seriously, but the movie is as lively as it is debased.
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

The worst movie of 1998.
- Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

Smokin’ Aces is Tarantino lite — a vague and unsuccessful attempt to bring together a bunch of offbeat, unrelated characters in a situation where a bloody resolution is inescapable.
- James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Narrative spunk ultimately tapers off to a series of slick but silly plot devices that drag the action over the finish line with a resounding and disappointing thud.
- Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Continue reading “Movies Opening Jan 26″

Jan 21 2007

24: Bye Serious Cat!

Category: Recaps,TV — velveetahead @ 9:39 pm

24 – FOX
6:00 AM – 10:00 AM

It took all week, but we finally finished watching the four-hour premiere of 24. Here are my random thoughts!

Bye Serious Cat
I love to make nicknames for people on this show, but I never had one for Curtis. Until now! The first time I saw him this season, he was serious cat. He has one facial expression and usually only has one emotion, and it usually looks just like this cat.

He finally had a nickname and it suited him so well. Then he went all freaky and ended up being dead. It didn’t happen because he hated Assad or Jack had to do what he had to do. It happened because Serious Cat ventured from his one emotion to crazy-eye guy. Once he had more than one emotion, it killed him. I’ll miss you Serious Cat.

Magic Mountain Done Blown Up
An actual nuclear bomb went off in the middle of a city instead of the middle of a desert where it just kills George a few seasons ago. As soon as they gave the address of Fayed’s location in Valencia, I thought, “He’s at Magic Mountain!” since it is located in Valencia. Then it blew up. I’ll miss Magic Mountain.

Jack, Chinese Fury, and Vampirism
Jack is all sorts of messed up after being tortured by the Chinese for twenty months. He must have learned some crazy Chinese Fury techniques that made him think terrorist’s necks are tasty. He didn’t only bite the guy’s neck, but bit a chunk out that he had to spit. Then he had blood dripping out of his mouth. Terrorists need to watch more vampire movies from the 80′s if they want to survive. “Don’t ever invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy. It renders you powerless.”

When Did Kumar Turn Middle Eastern?
I laughed when I first saw Kumar and made many White Castle remarks. Then I laughed at him being portrayed as Middle Eastern, especially when he was yelling at Scott for not pronouncing his name correctly. I remarked that he was Indian and not Middle Eastern. I also started calling Scott, like how Sean Connery would say Scottish and tell Kumar that’s how you really said it. If only he could hear me! :)

Jan 21 2007

Return of Random Songs

Category: Music,Random Songs — velveetahead @ 6:12 pm

My new year’s resolution last year didn’t last very long. I plan on bringing it back this year, but with a new twist. Each week, the songs will fit into a monthly theme. I’ll list the ideas I have so far, but please suggest a theme and I’ll see what I can do!

February: Love

March: Lusty

April: Fluffy (guilty pleasure dance songs)

May: Industrial

June: Numbers

Jan 21 2007

TV Shows: Week of Jan 21

Category: TV,Upcoming — velveetahead @ 2:15 pm

Returning Shows

Masterpiece Theatre
Channel: PBS
Time: 9 ET/PT
Premieres: Sunday, January 21

Starts off its 37th season with an adaptation of Jane Eyre.

Battlestar Galactica
Channel: SCI
Time: 10 ET/PT
Premieres: Sunday, January 21

The series moves to Sundays in hopes of improving its ratings. Past issues come to the surface with flashbacks to Adam’s deceased wife and Starbuck’s troubled childhood. There is also a search for five Cylon models that haven’t been seen yet.

Heroes
Channel: NBC
Time: 9 ET/PT
Premieres: Monday, January 22

It returns after its hiatus with a new tagline, “Are you on the list?” There is also a new hero revealed, Claude played by Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who).

George Lopez
Channel: ABC
Time: 8 ET/PT
Premieres: Wednesday, January 24

Returns for its sixth season with the usual family wackiness.

New Shows

The Dresden Files
Channel: SCI
Time: 9 ET/PT
Premieres: Sunday, January 21

Based on a mystery novel series about Harry Dresden, a Chicago detective who is also a wizard.

 

Sources: TV Guide, AOL, Entertainment Weekly

Jan 20 2007

Movies Opening Jan 19

Category: 2007,Movies,Opening — velveetahead @ 7:40 pm

Nationwide Releases

The Hitcher
Directed: Dave Meyers

Remake with the same message: picking up hitchhikers are a bad idea.

RT Score: 21%
RT Consensus: Sean Bean tries giving motive and emotion to the hitcher, but director Dave Meyers is more interested in cheap shocks, and gratuitious gore and torture.

Bigger, louder and far bloodier than the original, but devoid of all the delicious ambiguity that made it so fascinating.
– Frank Swietek
One Guy’s Opinion

A long slow freeway drive to nowhere, marked by non-events that should be a lot more frightening than they are.
– Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

So blandly forgettable that it almost makes one miss the original’s C. Thomas Howell…if, that is, it were humanely possible to miss C. Thomas Howell.
– Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Probably the nerviest move on filmmaker Dave Meyers’ part was to include a clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, well demonstrating just how far we’ve descended when it comes to cinematic suspense.
– Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

The screenplay disastrously rewrites the original’s climax, turning Bush’s college waif into an indestructible female Terminator who can unerringly fire a police-issue riot gun and kick a steel paddy-wagon door off its hinges.
– Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Limited Releases

The Italian
Directed: Andrey Kravchuk

An Italian family wants to adopt a six-year-old abandoned Russian boy, but he escapes to search for his mother.

RT Score: 81%
RT Consensus: The Italian stands out from other European tearjerkers with its gritty cinematography and amazing, poised performance from the lead child actor.

The hardships and setbacks are just grim enough to be effective without plunging the viewer into Russian despair.
– Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

The picture captures with a piercing sympathy the ambiguous state of post-Glasnost Russia.
– Kevin Courrier
Boxoffice Magazine

A gorgeous, heartbreaking modern fairy tale that felt so real my cynical heart melted, then immediately froze in fear that it was all too real.
– Gina Carbone
Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine)

For all its sly appraisals, grouty surfaces and hard-luck situations, The Italian is underneath it all a fairy-tale.
– Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times

… a nice little movie, it is also as wispy and insubstantial as cotton candy, but not quite as sweet.
– Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Alone With Her
Directed: Eric Nicholas

A stalker decides to hides camera’s all over himself so he can film every moment with the girl of his dreams.

RT Score: 64%

A Blair Witch Project for the new, surveillance-obsessed millennium.
– Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Through Hanks’ and Talancon’s subtle, naturalistic performance [writer-director Eric Nicholas] cultivates a human dimension often missing from thrillers.
– Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide’s Movie Guide

A relentlessly-disturbing, cautionary tale about how easy it might be for a deranged maniac to worm his way into your good graces.
– Kam Williams
BlackFilm.com

A B-picture waiting to cut loose in its final 15 minutes, when it devolves into generic stalker-thriller theatrics of the Julia-Roberts-in-distress kind.
– Jan Stuart
Newsday

For all its technological ingenuity, however, the film is ultimately a fairly routine stalker thriller that soon becomes repetitive in its contrivances. And the footage, necessarily shot on digital video, is not particularly easy to watch.
– Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

Jan 20 2007

Sleepworthy Celebs IF They Were in Their Prime

Category: Top Five — piraflambe @ 2:09 am

So some have fallen out our our “do” list and it might because they haven’t really aged well.

If they were still young and hot:

1. Clint Eastwood

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger


3. Sean Connery

4. Rick Springfield

5. Harrison Ford

Now realistically I would like still keep a few of these near the top 10 because even in the older age they are pretty hot!

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