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• The Spiderwick Chronicles (Widescreen Edition)
• The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Fool's Gold (Widescreen Edition)
• Vantage Point (Single-Disc Edition)
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This is good news for all the Jodi Picoult fans! A movie based on her novel 'My Sister's Keeper' is coming out. It is currently in post-production and will be in cinemas next year. John Leven and director Nick Cassavetes wrote the screenplay for 'My Sister's Keeper'. They previously worked together on 'Notebook' (2004), which was directed by Cassavetes also and adapted for the screen by Leven. What a gorgeous movie that was! It promises more wonderful viewing from this talented pair.

The main character in the novel is 'Anna', a thirteen year old girl whose entire existence revolves around her older sister who is going through chemotherapy. Anna's character will be portrayed by the 12-year old Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). The cast includes Cameron Diaz (Anna's mother), Sofia Vassilieva (Anna's sister Kate), Alec Baldwin, Thomas Dekker, Joan Cusack & Jason Patrick.

I loved Jodi Picoult's book and adored the movie 'Notebook', which alone would have convinced me that this could be a great movie, but there is more...

The director of photography for 'My Sister's Keeper' is Caleb Deschanel. If cinematography matters to you, this is a name you should definitely know - his DOP credits include 'The Patriot', 'The Passion of the Christ' and more recently 'The Spiderwick Chronicles'.

I'm not sure about the release date, but I'll be on the lookout for this one and keep you posted!

PLOT:

Master chef Kate lives her life like she runs the kitchen at the upscale Greenwich Village restaurant 22 Bleecker with an intensity that intimidates everyone around her. More at ease behind the scenes, she leaves the sanctuary of her kitchen only to accept compliments from one of the regular diners or, on rare occasions, to tangle with a customer who questions her expertise. Most nights find her in bed before midnight, set to rise at dawn to beat her competition to the fish market for the next day's freshest selections.

Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when her motherless niece Zoe unexpectedly comes to live with her and brash, high-spirited sous-chef Nick joins her staff. As time passes, Kate is not sure what bothers her more — that Nick's talent scores with 22 Bleecker's owner Paula and its discriminating clientèle, or that his easygoing charm quickly wins over the shy Zoe, who finds it easier to open up to him than to her aunt.

When Nick challenges the boundary between rivalry and romance, Kate finds herself questioning some of beliefs she has embraced in both her professional and personal lives as she is faced with choices she needs to make about her and Zoe's future.

REVIEW:

Whoever labeled this as a romantic comedy was sadly mistaken. There are a few comedic moments, and even more romantic moments, but neither dominate the film enough to be able to label it as a romantic comedy. However, its not serious enough to be a drama, so I guess it has to be a romantic comedy. What else would it be?

During some of the kitchen scenes, Catherine Zeta-Jones reminds me of Gordon Ramsay. I imagine that's who she studied for the part, at least the anal retentive taskmaster part. As usual, on top of her performance, she is stunningly beautiful.

Abigail Breslin is coming into her own as an actress. I may have said this in a previous entry, but
I see alot of Kirsten Dunst in her. I hope she has that kind of career and doesn't end up going the way of so many child stars.

Aaron Eckhart is an underrated actor. He slips in at the last minute, and adds a bit of flair (and testosterone) to what was severely headed toward strict chick flick territory!

It was very heartbreaking to watch the scene where Kate has to tell Zoe about her mother. You could feel the pain and tension in that room.

This film has a typical happy ending, though, which is great. "...and they lived happily ever after" could have been written across the screen. It was perfect for the film

4 out of 5 stars

Udah lama dikasi rekomendasi sama salah satu temen forum tentang film ini, tapi baru tadi siang sempet nonton.

Film ini mengisahkan tentang seorang political consultant, William Hayes [Ryan Reynolds]. Will memiliki seorang anak perempuan usia 10 tahun, Maya Hayes [Abigail Breslin]. Film dimulai dengan pertanyaan Maya mengenai kehidupan Will sebelum menikah, bagaimana kedua orang tuanya bisa bertemu dan saling jatuh cinta. Hal ini berlanjut dengan keingintahuannya atas semua kisah asmara yang pernah dialami oleh ayahnya. Dengan terpaksa, Will akhirnya bercerita juga.

Film pun mulai berjalan mundur ke masa di mana William memulai kisah hidupnya sebagai seorang intern untuk kampanye presiden Bill Clinton di tahun 1992. Will pun menceritakan bagaimana ia menjalin hubungan dengan 3 orang wanita, di mana nama mereka disamarkan sehingga Maya tidak bisa menebak kisah cinta mana yang merupakan kisah cinta Will dan ibunya. Kita pun ikut terbawa rasa penasaran, siapakah sebenarnya Ibu dari Maya. Apakah, Emily [Elizabeth Banks], kekasih hati Will semasa kuliah? Ataukah April [Isla Fisher], gadis manis yang dikenal Will saat kampanye presiden, dan menjadi sahabatnya bertahun-tahun? Atau bisa juga Summer [Rachel Weisz], jurnalis cantik yang merupakan teman dari Emily?

Satu persatu nama wanita itu dicoret dari daftar Maya. Sampai akhirnya ia bisa menebak siapa ibunya. Bersama Maya, kita diajak belajar bahwa cinta itu tidaklah mudah. Butuh pengorbanan untuk menemukan cinta sejati. Dan uniknya, di ending film ini yang penting bukanlah siapa Ibu dari Maya, tapi bagaimana caranya menyatukan 2 hati yang seharusnya sudah bersama sejak dulu.

Bagi mereka yang memang menyukai genre romantis spt Love Actually, The Holiday, dll, pasti suka dengan film ini. Romantis, ringan, penuh cinta, dengan alur kisah yang berbeda dengan film2 lain, dijamin gak mau stop nontonnya. Segera cari film ini dan selamat menikmati perjalanan cinta William Hayes di New York.

Some images from the movie:

senengnyaaaaaaaaaaaa...
review gw masuk juga di detikhot.com

Definitely, Maybe

dapet sun deh dari suamikuw... hihihi...

I found this movie to be very strange because even though I didn't completely like it, I have to admit that it's well-made and daring. The reason why I didn't buy the whole package is that there's no reason for the film to run for two hours and thirty minutes. It took too much of its time setting everything up, to the point where I scratched my head and wondered where the story was going (or if it was planning on going anywhere at all). But once it gained its footing about an hour and fifteen minutes into the picture, it was very engaging because it was able to touch the macabre. A lot of the scenes are darkly amusing despite the murders perfomed by Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, brilliantly acted by Ben Wishaw. I've been curious about his acting abilities ever since I saw "I'm Not There" so it was nice to see him in this film as the lead and prove himself. The supporting actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman are great here because their characters are memorable and crucial to the picture. I feel like the two of them made the picture that much more serious and important. I also thought the idea of making a movie about the sense of smell is original; not to mention it has one of the most mysterious endings I've seen in a while. So, I must give kudos to the director, Tom Tykwer, who also directed some of the films I loved ("Paris, je t'aime" and "Run, Lola, Run"). However, I must say that some people oversell this flick. It's a good movie but nothing extraordinary.

Last House on the Left (1972)
[ 2 stars out of 4 ]

Even though this was released in 1972, it's still really disturbing compared today's standards (or lack thereof some might argue). This is Wes Craven's first film and though it may seem really dated, it shows a lot of promise when it comes to its story. It's a horror film and a revenge movie wrapped in one. There are three factors that holds this movie back: the comical scenes regarding the police, its low level of cinematography due to its low budget, and the amateur acting. The script is fine because I thought some of the dialogue was interesting to listen to; the direction and pacing are not that bad. I've had my share of violent pictures but when this movie's teeth started to show, I couldn't help but wince. After watching this film, it became apparent to me why this became a template for the slasher flicks that invaded the 1980's. I've heard that this movie is going to have a remake and I can imagine that the upgrade will be just as violent or even more so. Hopefully, the remake will improve upon the flaws that this film had because despite its violence, its impact on the horror genre is undeniable.

Nim's Island
[ 2 stars out of 4 ]

I always like children's movies because I'm a kid at heart but this one is one of those few exceptions. There's not much story that can be found here unless one would like to see fake animals helping out the characters. Even though I did enjoy watching Jodie Foster as an agoraphobic writer (her trip to the island was pretty funny), I feel like she could've been on a different (and better) movie than waste her talents here. I didn't care much for Gerard Butler because I'm not a fan, but I didn't care for his character either. On the other hand, I thought Abigail Breslin is pretty good and I like her in pretty much every movie she's in. It's hard for me to give this movie a bad rating because everything seems to be trying too hard. I agree that they have something here, but only a quarter of it worked. Maybe with a little more focused writing to improve the story and completely remove those distracting fake animals, this movie could've been something else entirely. This is more a children's movie than a family movie because the film pretty much doesn't offer anything to the adults. Overall, it's a good movie if you're babysitting and you want the kids to be quiet in front of the television as you prepare their dinner. Otherwise, it's nothing terribly special.

Há muito tempo que a Walden Media é carimbada em fantasias deliberadamente infanto-juvenis, especialmente, as baseadas em best-sellers fantásticos. Da cinesérie “Crônicas de Nárnia” (numa parceria com a Disney) até o recente “Viagem ao Centro da Terra 3D”, foram inúmeras adaptações para as telonas do cinema, ganhando notória experiência - e por conseqüência, natural credibilidade - na hora de bancar as propostas que chegam (frescas) as mãos da prolífera Companhia. Como a idealizada pela produtora Paula Mazur, que trazia embaixo do braço um curiosíssimo título da escritora Wendy Orr: “A Ilha da Imaginação” (ou simplesmente “Nim’s Island” no original, lançado em 2002), obra encontrada (por acaso) em seus passeios costumeiros à biblioteca de Santa Mônica na Califórnia. “Achei a história central muito bela e bem escrita, com personagens fortes - o pai, a filha e uma autora que estão destinados a se encontrarem - assim, imediatamente pensei: ‘Adoraria ver isso transcrito num filme’”, revela Mazur, naquele momento, ainda sem saber se os "direitos" para tanto estariam disponíveis.

Rapidamente, os realizadores chamaram (correndo) uma dupla para tecer o roteiro preliminar. Os mesmos que, futuramente, dirigiriam a película em conjunto. Os felizardos foram o casal responsável pelo belo “ABC do Amor” (2005), Mark Levin e Jennifer Flackett. “Trabalhamos juntos para recriar esse lugar incrível e sua belíssima narrativa, refletindo a visão presente no romance de Wendy Orr”, conta Levin, um dos co-autores desta singela empreitada. Película, que logo chamou a atenção (inclusive) de uma leitora ilustre, para (grata) surpresa de todos os envolvidos. “Geralmente não se associa o nome 'Jodie Foster' com este tipo de longa, mas ela realmente queria participar, e é, certamente, uma das maiores atrizes atualmente vivas”, assume Paula, obviamente, contente com a inesperada aquisição da ganhadora do Oscar por “Silêncio dos Inocentes” (em 1991) e "Acusados" (de 1888). Ela ficou visivelmente encantada pelos primeiros rascunhos da historieta elaborada. “É um belo conto que inspira garotas - ou garotos - a encarar aventuras e realmente vivenciar o mundo”, opina a veterana atriz.

Foster, que no tempo vago também é uma mãe super dedicada, encontrou outra “motivação profissional” durante a preparação preliminar para o longa-metragem, coincidentemente ou não, achando (acidentalmente) um “sinal” na lista de leitura do filho mais velho. “Pegamos a lista e eu falei: ‘Meu Deus, é A Ilha de Nim!’ Então, lemos o livro juntos e depois relemos para seu irmão mais novo, o que foi adorável”, relembra orgulhosa. Fato que emocionou a escritora do citado exemplar: “Saber que meu trabalho ajudou ao filho de Jodie Foster adquirir um gosto pela leitura foi muito especial pra mim”, derrete-se. “Isso deu novo significado a ela interpretando Alexandra”, finaliza Wendy, comentando sobre Alex Rover, a mulher vivida por Jodie, impecavelmente. “Claro que ela superou nossas melhores expectativas”, fala Mazur, agradecida pelos rumos de “A Ilha da Imaginação” com esta artista tão excepcional.

“Sua essência fala de pessoas querendo criar um elo - um pai tentando voltar para casa, para sua filhinha, uma menina que tenta pedir ajuda a seu herói na hora da dificuldade. E uma escritora que tenta interagir com o mundo e com a pessoa que sempre quis ser”, sintetiza Levin, revelando (no embalo) outras duas peças fundamentais para a elaborada co-relação do trio principal. O biólogo encarnado por Gerard Butler (de “300”) e a filha interpretada pela carismática Abigail Breslin (do independente “Pequena Miss Sunshine”). “Gerard realmente nos inspirou a convidá-lo para dois papéis”, intercede o cineasta, revelando a duplicidade de atuação do astro (numa atípica dupla jornada), encarando também o aventureiro fictício das tramas escritas por Rover. “Tê-lo como pai e - simultaneamente - na pele do ícone literário da mesma garota, mostrou-se bastante apropriado. Ele tem a habilidade e o carisma de poder fazer jus as personas, mostrando como eles são lados da mesma moeda. Isso realmente acentua a qualidade literária do produto”, segue contando. “Também adoramos o fato de haver esta forte tradição nos 'clássicos'. Em ‘Peter Pan’, exemplarmente, um ator freqüentemente interpretava tanto o pai de Wendy quanto o Capitão Gancho”, compara o filmmaker.

Independente do elenco repleto de personalidades respeitadíssimas, boa parte das figuras que aparecem nesta “Ilha”, logicamente, sequer são humanas. Obrigando um cuidado extra na seleção dos animais que participariam - ativamente - das gravações. “O mais difícil para os leões-marinhos, por exemplo, é que eles eram acostumados a trabalhar sempre muito próximo de seus treinadores, entretanto, precisariam ficar a certa distância deles durante as várias filmagens, o que não foi nada fácil”, explica Katie Brock, uma das tratadoras destas talentosas criaturas. “Quando Wendy veio ao set e os conheceu, começou a chorar”, lembra a treinadora. “Ela disse: ‘Não acredito que vocês realmente deram vida aos bichinhos. Nunca sonhei que leões-marinhos pudessem realmente fazer o que escrevi no livro’”, conta Katie, feliz com os resultados de tanto esforço desprendido para concretizar tamanha façanha. Em todos os aspectos na concepção da imaginativa ilhota paradisíaca. “Acho que as pessoas sentirão que não é como nenhum local em que já tenham estado antes - é uma experiência totalmente diferente”, palpita Mark Levin. Longe de errar em seu certeiro prognóstico.

Fonte: Universal Pictures

No Reservations (EUA, 2007)

Direção: Scott Hicks

Roteiro: Carol Fuchs, Sandra Nettlebeck

Elenco Famoso: Caterine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Bob Balaban, Brian F. O'Byrne, Lily Rabe, Eric Silver, Arija Bareikis, John McMartin.

Kate Armstrong (Caterine Zeta-Jones) é uma bem sucedida chef num restaurante em Manhattan. Completamente obcecada por seu trabalho, Kate não reserva tempo para outras atividades em sua vida até que sua irmã morre em um acidente de carro e deixa a filha Zoe (Abigail Breslin) aos cuidados de Kate.

Kate sofre para criar um lar para Zoe, tentando inseri-la em sua vida, mas a garota a deixa perdida em suas oscilações de humor por ter perdido a mãe e estar num lugar completamente estranho. Zoe não consegue nem comer a comida sofisticada que Kate prepara. Tudo começa a mudar quando Nick (Aaron Eckhart), o novo subchef do restaurante de Kate, surge e conquista Zoe com sua comida italiana.

Nick inicialmente vai contra tudo que Kate aprecia, tomando conta de sua cozinha com a culinária italiana, seu bom-humor e carisma. Enquanto Kate tenta assumir novamente o controle de sua vida e principalmente de sua cozinha ela vai descobrindo o que realmente lhe faz falta.

Essa comédia romantica água-com-açúcar é um remake do alemão Simplismente Martha, e não traz muitas modificações no roteiro, o diferencial da versão hollywoodiana é que tudo é muito mais colorido e a comida é realmente atraente. Os protagonistas trazem carisma a seus personagens, mas (como sempre) quem rouba a cena é Abigail Breslin (de Pequena Miss Sunshine) com seu enorme talento e leveza diante das cameras. Grande atriz.

Nota 7.5

Resenha por Priscila

CAMPANITA (TINKER BELL)
De arranque, hasta en la traducción al español (latino por lo menos) ha perdido su nombre de Campanita, ahora debemos acostumbrarnos, agiornarnos a "Tinker Bell".
Primera vez en la historia que Campanita habla (recuerden que nunca habló en las películas de Peter Pan, ni Julia Roberts).

"Con la primer risa de un bebé, nace una nueva hada"

Y así es, así nació esta rubiecita linda, simpática y de carácter fuerte (ah si, también hay hadas con carácter). Su Majestad, la diosa de las hadas, le pide que pase frente a distintos objetos o elementos, para saber cuál es su "Don" y asi saber a que grupo de Hadas pertenece.
Artesana, esa es la clase de hadas que es Tinker Bell. Pero ella verá como otras hadas tienen dones para hacer el invierno, para hacer la primavera, para pintar las flores, para pintar arcoiris, para poner gotas de rocío en las telarañas ..... Hadas que viajan a Tierra Firme (recuerden que ellas viven en la Tierra de las Hadas, en Nunca Jamás), hadas que nos pintan esta linda primavera que recién empieza.
Tinker quiere eso, no quiere ser una simple artesana y no tener la posibilidad de viajar a tierra firme. Es que ella encuentra objetos perdidos, esos que dos por tres perdemos y no sabemos dónde los dejamos; pues las hadas las encuentran .... Claro, no saben mucho qué son esas cosas, pero la pequeña Bell se da maña.
El asunto, entonces es así, ella es artesana pero no quiere serlo, quiere ver el mundo, quiere hacer otras cosas. A eso le agregamos, como debe ser siempre, un hada un poco malintensionada, celosa; más un excelente puesta en 3D. Resultado: una buena película de Disney, un Disney "agiornado", actual, que les llega a los niños de ahora. Hasta se nota que hay gente joven detrás de los dibujos. Las hadas son estilizadas, lindas, no los viejos dibujos. Claro, está Lesseter detrás. ¿Cómo, Lesseter no es el "mandamás2 de Pixar?, me preguntarás. Sep, y te explico:

Los que tenemos niñas chicas, nos estábamos dando cuenta que Barbie les está ganando terreno a Disney desde hace un tiempito. Y con las hadas también le pegó duro. Así que tenían, los de Disney, salir a recuperar terreno.
Con Tinker Bell (Campanita), DisneyToon Studios arranca una nueva etapa de su producción animada luego de un proceso de crisis y reconversión que terminó en la fusión con la compañía más creativa e importante del género, Pixar, y con la asunción de John Lasseter (cuatro veces ganador del Premio de la Academia®) como responsable del área en la tradicional compañía especializada en contenidos infantiles y juveniles.
Y la idea era distribuirla solo en DVD y Blu-Ray (que les cuento ya salen en octubre ... jaja), decidieron proyectarla en cines, solo en algunos países latinoamericanos y europeos.
En su versión original cuenta con las voces de America Ferrera, Lucy Liu, Kristin Chenoweth, Jesse McCartney, Mae Whitman, Anjelica Hustonlas; pero doblada, las voces son de Dominika Paleta, Ricardo Montaner, Cecilia Roth, Diego Verdaguer, María Roiz, Carla Medina y Clara Alonso.
Calificación: A Nicole le fascinó y lo cuenta en su sitio.

LA ISLA DE NIM
Una niña con mucho carácter llamada Nim, rodeada de sus exóticos amigos animales, de libros y de leyendas, lleva una increíble vida tropical que refleja la de su personaje literario favorito: Alex Rover, el primer aventurero del planeta. La niña idolatra a Rover. Cuando a su padre, que es científico, no regresa a casa y la isla secreta en la que viven se ve amenazada por turistas ricachones, Nim pide ayuda al creador de su admirado héroe. Pero Nim no sabe que el aclamado autor de la serie de aventuras es Alexandra Rover, una mujer tímida y nada valiente que vive recluida en un piso de una gran ciudad.
Pocas veces me reí tanto con Jodie Foster. Alexandra se atreve a aventurarse en el mundo real, le pasa de todo, más para una persona suya mayor aventura era salir de su casa hasta el portón a buscar el correo.
Gerard Butler (el fuerzudo de 300) tiene doble papel, pero igual de aventureros. Es el papá de Nim, científico el y es también el imaginario aventurero Alex Rover, el personaje de los libros que lee Nim.

Cuando un barco bucanero trae turistas ricos, sedientos de paraísos nuevos, Nim y sus amigos animales emulan "Mi pobre angelito" (Sólo en casa), haciendo trampas caseras para correrlos.
Al ver esta escena, como espectador traté de imaginarme ambos lados de la situación.
1- Si sos turista, te pagaste terrible crucero y te lleva a una paradisíaca, seguro querrás disfrutarla, sacarle fotos, investigarla. Por lo menos yo. Claro, nunca como los estúpidos turistas parodiados en esta peli.
2- Si vivís en la isla, amas esa tranquilidad, ese paraíso en el que vivís, seguro querrás echar a patadas a esos intrusos.
¿No?.

Como sea, la película más bien que se pone del lado de la niña, del paraíso inviolable .... y nosotros también.
La niña Abigail Breslin, que la disfrutamos en Pequeña Miss Sunshine (también en Señales), está muy bien en su rol de niña aventurera, el film es de ella. Butler, simplemente o está mal y le pone onda, simpatía. Y Jodie Foster le pone toda la sal, es la que hace reir.
Calificación:

Como dije, Campanita es más para niños chicos, La Isla de Nim es para más grandes, ambas disfrutables. Y ambas están a punto de salir en DVD y Blu-Ray .... cosas que nunca comprendo.

PLOT:

Nim (Abigail Breslin) is an 11-year-old girl, whose mother has died. Her father said she was swallowed by a Blue Whale after it was scared by a ship called the Buccaneers. She lives with her father Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler), a marine biologist, on an island in the South Pacific. She has some local animals for company: Selkie the Sea lion, Fred the Bearded Dragon, Chica the Turtle, and Galileo the Pelican. Jack goes by boat on a scientific mission of two days to find protozoa Nim (a new species of plankton); he wants to take her along, but she convinces him that she can manage on her own on the island; they will be able to communicate by satellite phone.

Nim, who is fond of Alex Rover adventure books written by Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), receives an email addressed to her father with an inquiry about his field of knowledge. The sender "Alex Rover" seems to be the explorer, but is actually Alexandra, a neurotic San Franciscan who constantly sees her character Alex Rover (also Gerard Butler). An email conversation follows, where Nim first poses as her father's assistant and then goes to the volcano on the island to see whats inside it and is hurt in the process.

Jack suffers a shipwreck, which makes it impossible for Nim and Jack to communicate. Also, he does not return on the planned date. Throughout the movie, Galileo brings Jack things he needs to fix his ship. Nim explains the situation to "Alex". Although she suffers from agoraphobia and therefore never leaves the house or even opens the door, she travels to the island to rescue Nim.

The island is visited by tourists, taken by Nim to be pirates. Without exposing herself, she scares them away by shooting animals at them. One of the tourists, a spoiled rich boy named Edmund, follows her and sees her. He is confused by her presence, and believes her to be another tourist. But when he tells the others, he isn't believed and punished severely by his parents for leaving them. The tourists leave. Alex arrives by helicopter at the tourists' boat and tells about her rescue mission. The tourists do not believe that a girl is on the island, but Edmund tells her what he had seen. Encouraged, Alex goes to the island and is saved by Nim from drowning. At first Nim doesn't want her to stay, but eventually allows her. Later Jack arrives on a raft still holding the plankton and he and Alexandra fall in love.

REVIEW:

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. I've heard various things praising it and bashing it. I'm not one to put much stock in what a critic says. I'm more likely to take a real person's word over them any day.

This was a pretty good movie when all was said and done. It falls into the Home Alone trap a bit, though, but at the same time, it works. Most likely because it's not in a house.

I found Jodie Foster's chracter a bit strange, mostly becuse she was talking toi her alter-ego Alex Rover, and they didn't really explain why. Nothing wrong with it, just kind of out there in left field.

You really have to feel bad for the father, though. It seemed that just as soon as something seemed to be going right for him, there would be something to go wrong. Poor guy.

Abigai Breslin reminds me of Kirsten Dunst. Hopefully she'll follow in her footsteps and become as good an actress. Time will tell.

This was just a nice little film. Nothing fancy about it, but at the same time, nothing really memorable.

3 out of 5 stars

Last night, Brooks Brothers hosted a sneak peek party for the new Ricky Gervais & Greg Kinnear flick entitled, "Ghost Town."  One reporter asked Ricky if his teeth were fake!  That's like asking a fat girl if she's pregnant!

His smile is all natural and I happen to like his fangs!  When I look at some of these celebrities with their mouths full of porcelain veneers, I think they look ridiculous!  People love to trash celebs for that but when an actor like Ricky wears them natural they find it ugly!  Make up your minds!

Also attending the party were Kevin Bacon, Abigail Breslin, Aasif Mandvi, James Lipton, and Kristen Wiig.

That's of course from Wikipedia because I am feeling lazy today ~lol~ I thought this movie was really cute for kids and had a great message about reading in it. I remember when I was a kid thinking that reading a book could really be an escape. I think it's important in this day and age with the internet and video games and everything else available to kids, that they remember how important imagination and creativity are.

Jodie Foster was great in this movie, I personally thought she was the best out of the movie, next to the animals of course. Gerard Butler was of course sexy in this role, but I felt more like they were just milking his accent and his bod to appeal to the mothers who would be sitting in theatres with their kids. Abigail Breslin is adorable and I think she's a great actress for such a young age. I can't wait to see her in a few more years when she's doing some more adult geared work.

I don't want to say too many bad things about the movie because, well, it wasn't made for someone 24 years old. It was made for kids, and quite honestly I would've loved this film as a child. It would have been one of my favorites for sure. The idea of being on an island completely by yourself, the hero coming to your rescue, your parents (who most young kids still adore ~lol~) coming back safe and books? Hell yeah, I would've been all over that. (Which by the way gives me an idea for a blog ~ Favorite Movies As A Kid~)

All in all this movie was great, I was laughing in quite a few parts, and I really enjoyed the way the animals interacted with the humans. Watching Jodie Foster as an agoraphobic was probably the most entertaining. I think this is a wholesome family movie, and like I said, the message it gets across is an awesome one.

¿Hasta dónde somos capaces de llegar por aquello que más apreciamos? Este thriller me mantuvo despierta a altas horas de la noche, y ese es un dato importante cuando me refiero a películas. Siguiendo algunas recomendaciones de los clientes del videoclub nos lanzamos a ver Chantaje una noche de esas de las que aún no quieres aceptar que agosto termina. La verdad es que todos acabamos bastante satisfechos.

Trata de una pareja a la que le sobra bastante el dinero y que tiene una hija. Les sobra tanto que solo trabaja el marido en una super empresa y la mujer se pasa el día en su caserón jugando con la hija. Un día a ella se le ocurre hacerle una sorpresilla y contratan una canguro para irse de viaje un fin de semana, pero mientras están en el coche les aparece un tío de los asientos de atrás del coche apuntándoles con una pistola y diciéndoles que su hija está secuestrada, que obedezcan todo lo que dice o morirá. Así que se trata de ir haciendo caso a dicho desconocido con la lógica desesperación que eso desencadena: no saben quién es, tiene a su hija y encima se lo hacen pasar muy mal... pero que muy mal...

Eso sí, la película da un giro increíble.

Sin Reservas

Lo mismo, no me dormí :D. La verdad es que no se escapa de ser bastante típica película americanita pero sin embargo me gustó. Sé que es americana porque en una de las escenas los protagonistas cruzan una calle de la ciudad sin mirar a ambos lados, pasan entre los coches que pitan alarmados, y no les pasa nada (os lo juro, es una prueba infalible).

Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones, guapísima por cierto) es la chef de un restaurante bastante esquisito, es una especie de Mónica de Friends, dura, exigente, seria... se dedica en cuerpo y alma a la cocina. Un día recibe una fatal noticia y tiene que hacerse cargo de su sobrina Zoe (Abigail breslin, Pequeña Miss Sunshine). Cuando intenta volver al trabajo ve que han contratado a otra persona que resulta ser bastante rarito... no le mola nada pero poco a poco le irá pillando el puntillo. Es una película divertida y dramática a la vez... yo iba riendo y llorando a intervalos muy cortos... no me daba tiempo a secarme los lagrimones que ya me estaba partiendo.

Apa, si las véis ya me diréis.

Llega un nuevo mes y por la ventana de los estrenos se nos cuela un vientecillo fresco, higiénico, rejuvenecedor, que viene a llevarse los pestilentes aromas de esas películas que, a fuerza de languidecer en la cartelera, han acabado pudriéndose sin que nadie les prestara atención. ¿Carne de Oscar? Es pronto para decirlo. Pero sí films dignos y sabrosos:

-El tren de las 3:10: Russel Crowe, Christian Bale (¡este señor no para!), Peter Fonda (de verdad) y Ben Foster en el remake de todo un clásico del western, con James Mangold detrás de las cámaras; personalmente, no veo el momento de presenciar el cara a cara entre el neozelandés y el británico, del que prometen saltar chispas; un forajido, el hombre que debe apresarlo, un tren que sale, como dice el título, a las 3:10 para Yuma... vamos, que la cosa no puede prometer más; cine de calidad, por fin, que ya era hora.

-Che, el argentino: ahora Steven Soderbergh se nos monta un díptico sobre la revolución cubana del que esta es su primera entrega; quienes acudan a la sala para presenciar un Traffic "caribeño", seguramente se llevarán una decepción al encontrarse con un producto bastante más denso; lo mejor es dejarse cautivar por la asombrosa caracterización de Benicio del Toro, al que no extrañaría ver paseándose por la alfombra roja el año que viene, candidatura bajo el brazo a Mejor Actor.

-Viaje al centro de la tierra: al menos, promete ser entretenida; Brendan Fraser, una auténtica paradoja, al ser el héroe más "rellenito", por ser suave, que recuerda la historia del cine, se nos embarca en otra de carreras, saltos y mucha adrenalina, con más filtro infantil todavía que La Momia, para revisar todo un clasicazo de Julio Verne; a los enanos les encantará.

-La Isla de Nim: basada en un éxito editorial, reúne a Jodie Foster (ay, Jodie, quién te ha visto y quién te ve), Abigail Breslin (sí, la cría de Pequeña Miss Sunshine, donde se comía la pantalla) y Gerald Butler, prota de 300 que a este punto presentará también el telediario, y si no al tiempo, que este señor, desde su pelotazo espartano, esta que no para; una isla, mucha fantasía... otra buena opción para los pequeños.

-Uranya: comedia griega protagonizada por la italiana Maria Grazia Cucinotta; no parece que vaya a tener un gran tirón.

-La conjura de El Escorial: él es Jason Isaacs (Malfoy senior en Harry Potter) y ella Julia Ormond (tuvo su momento en los 90: véase Sabrina), pero el resto son españoles (Puigcorbé, arg), incluido el director, Antonio Del Real; sudor frío bajando por la espina dorsal...

Por fin viernes. En unas horas nos vamos de fin de semana y qué mejor plan para esta noche que una buena cena con amigos y un cine. Las opciones son jugosas esta semana, camaradas...

Título: 'EL TREN DE LAS 3:10'
Dirección: James Mangold.
País: USA.
Año: 2007.
Duración: 117 min.
Género: Western, drama.
Interpretación: Russell Crowe (Ben Wade), Christian Bale (Dan Evans), Logan Lerman (William Evans), Ben Foster (Charlie Prince), Peter Fonda (Byron McElroy), Vinessa Shaw (Emma Nelson), Alan Tudyk (Doc Potter), Luce Rains (Weathers), Gretchen Mol (Alice Evans), Dallas Roberts (Grayson Butterfield).
Guión: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt y Derek Haas; basado en un relato corto de Elmore Leonard.
Música: Marco Beltrami.
Sinopsis:Dan Evans (Christian Bale) es un típico ranchero de un pueblo de Arizona y veterano de la Guerra de Secesión que, para aliviar sus penurias económicas, decide escoltar al peligroso forajido Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) mientras llega el tren que tiene que llevarlo ante la justicia. Pero no todo saldrá bien y la violencia no tardará en aparecer. Se inicia una dramática lucha psicológica entre ambos hombres mientras los compañeros del forajido intentan liberarle. Remake del clásico "El tren de las 3:10" de 1957, dirigida por Delmer Daves y protagonizada por Glenn Ford.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Inocencio, faltaría más. Porque hay que ser muy inocente ( o tener pasta de sobra) para ir a ver esta peli al cine, y no precisamente porque sea mala. Un año de retraso entre el estreno americano y el español, ahí es nada. El que no la haya visto ya en dvd es porque no le ha dado la gana.

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Título: 'CHE: EL ARGENTINO'
Dirección: Steven Soderbergh.
Países: USA, Francia y España.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 131 min.
Género: Drama.
Interpretación: Benicio del Toro (Che), Demián Bichir (Fidel Castro), Santiago Cabrera (Camilo Cienfuegos), Elvira Mínguez (Celia Sánchez), Julia Ormond, Jorge Perugorría (Joaquín), Edgar Ramírez (Ciro Redondo), Victor Rasuk (Rogelio Acevedo), Armando Riesco (Benigno), Catalina Sandino Moreno (Aleida Guevara), Rodrigo Santoro (Raúl Castro), Unax Ugalde (Pequeño Cowboy), Yul Vázquez (Alejandro Ramírez).
Guión: Peter Buchman; inspirado en "Pasajes de la guerra revolucionaria" de Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Música: Alberto Iglesias.
Fotografía: Peter Andrews.
Sinopsis:En 1952, el general Fulgencio Batista orquestó un golpe de estado en Cuba, tomó el control del gobierno del país y suspendió las elecciones. Su corrupta dictadura estaba respaldada por un ejército de 40.000 hombres, pero un joven abogado llamado Fidel Castro intentó incitar a la rebelión popular asaltando el cuartel Moncada el 26 de julio de 1953. El ataque no tuvo éxito y Castro pasó dos años en la cárcel antes de ir al exilio en México. Entre tanto, un joven idealista argentino llamado Ernesto Guevara se había involucrado en la actividad política de Guatemala. En 1954, cuando el gobierno legítimo de Jacobo Álvarez fue depuesto por una operación militar organizada por la CIA, Guevara escapó a México. Un conocido de Guatemala le puso en contacto con un grupo de revolucionarios cubanos en el exilio. El 13 de julio de 1955 tuvo lugar un evento silencioso pero con grandes repercusiones en la historia de la Revolución Cubana. En un humilde apartamento de la ciudad de México, se conocieron Ernesto Guevara y Fidel Castro, presentados por Raúl Castro, el hermano pequeño de Fidel. Guevara se alistó inmediatamente en una misión de guerrilla destinada a derrocar al dictador cubano. Los cubanos apodaron al joven rebelde "Che", una conocida expresión argentina. El 26 de noviembre de 1956, Fidel Castro navegó a Cuba con ochenta rebeldes, de los que sólo sobrevivieron doce. Uno de ellos era el Che, que se había unido al grupo como médico acompañante. El Che se familiarizó rápidamente con el arte de la guerra de guerrillas y demostró ser un combatiente indispensable. Se lanzó de lleno al conflicto y recibió el apoyo de sus camaradas y del pueblo cubano. La película termina en los albores del Año Nuevo de 1959, con el Che celebrando la victoria revolucionaria en Santa Clara. Los rebeldes habían derrocado a Batista.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Pues Oscar, evidentemente. Tan sólo tenéis que echarle un vistazo al tráiler para ver que lo han montado (musiquita emotiva incluida) para que el regreso de Soderbergh vaya de cabeza a la próxima ceremonia de los premios. Desde luego, la caracterización de Benicio del Toro y las masas que mueve un personaje como el Che hacen de esta peli el estreno de la semana.

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Título: 'LA CONJURA DEL ESCORIAL'
Dirección: Antonio del Real.
País: España e Italia.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 130 min.
Género: Drama.
Interpretación: Jason Isaacs (Antonio Pérez), Julia Ormond (princesa de Éboli), Jürgen Prochnow (Espinosa), Jordi Mollà (Mateo Vázquez), Joaquim de Almeida (Juan Escobedo), Juanjo Puigcorbé (Felipe II), Blanca Jara (Damiana), Fabio Testi (duque de Alba), Rosana Pastor (doña Juana de Coello), Pablo Puyol (Insausti), Concha Cuetos (doña Bernardina), Anthony Peck (Tiépolo).
Guión: Manuel Mir, Antonio del Real, Juan Antonio Porto y Marta Rivera de la Cruz.
Producción ejecutiva: María José Muñoz.
Música: Alejandro Vivas Puig.
Fotografía: Carlos Suárez.
Sinopsis: "La conjura de El Escorial" es un thriller histórico con intrigas políticas y policíacas, encuadrado en las luchas y disputas entre la Casa de Alba y sus fieles por un lado, y la Casa de los Mendoza con Antonio Pérez (Jason Isaacs) y la princesa de Éboli (Julia Ormond) por otro. La noche del lunes de Pascua de 1578, unos asesinos a sueldo emboscan a Juan de Escobedo, dándole muerte. "La conjura de El Escorial" es una película histórica basada en hechos reales, donde el poder y la muerte conspiran en la Corte de Felipe II.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Goya, cómo no, porque estoy seguro que más de uno le caerá en la próxima ceremonia de los premios del cine español. Personalmente no espero nada de esta producción y la temática no es de mis preferidas. Me la reservo para cuando salga en dvd, que la vida está muy cara.

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Título:'LA ISLA DE NIM'
Dirección: Jennifer Flackett y Mark Levin.
País: USA.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 96 min.
Género: Aventuras, comedia.
Interpretación: Abigail Breslin (Nim), Jodie Foster (Alexandra Rover), Gerard Butler (Alex Rover/Jack).
Guión: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin, Paula Mazur y Joseph Kwong; basado en la novela de Wendy Orr.
Música: Patrick Doyle.
Fotografía: Stuart Dryburgh.
Sinopsis: Cualquier cosa puede pasar en la isla de Nim, un lugar donde todo crece a lo loco, sobre todo la imaginación. Aquí, una niña con mucho carácter llamada Nim (Abigail Breslin), rodeada de sus exóticos amigos animales, de libros y de leyendas, lleva una increíble vida tropical que refleja la de su personaje literario favorito: Alex Rover, el primer aventurero del planeta. La niña idolatra a Rover. Cuando un peligro inesperado se cierne sobre su padre, que es científico, y la isla secreta en la que viven, Nim pide ayuda al creador de su admirado héroe. Pero Nim no sabe que el aclamado autor de la serie de aventuras es Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), una mujer tímida y nada valiente que vive recluida en un piso de una gran ciudad. Alexandra se atreve a aventurarse en el mundo real y Nim se enfrenta al mayor reto de su corta edad, para lo que ambas deberán imitar al modélico y ficticio Alex Rover, además de apoyarse mutuamente, para conquistar la isla de Nim.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Dolores, porque tiene que ser doloroso ver a Leónidas vestido como un Indiana Jones del todo a cien y a Jodie Foster participando en semejante ñoñada. Hasta el talento de Abigail Breslin está por encima de este tipo de productos. En fin, todos tendrán letras de yate que pagar...

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Título: 'PALABRAS QUE VIENEN DEL MAR'
Dirección y guión: Ángel Amigo.
País: España.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 70 min.
Género: Documental.
Música: Álvaro Fernández Gaviria.
Fotografía: Klara Intxausti.
Sinopsis: Verano de 2007, el velero "Urdaneta" navega por aguas del Golfo de Bizkaia. A bordo de la embarcación se ha puesto en marcha una experiencia de reinserción de jóvenes problemáticos en cuyo tratamiento se incluye el mar como terapia. A lo largo del documental, los propios jóvenes, la tripulación y el equipo directivo y de terapeutas desgranan los sentimientos y experiencias surgidas de una convivencia forzada tan gratificante como, a veces, insoportable.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Mira, entre tú y yo, a este lo doy en adopción y que le ponga nombre otro.

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Título: 'VIAJE AL CENTRO DE LA TIERRA'
Dirección: Eric Brevig.
País: USA.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 92 min.
Género: Aventuras, fantástico.
Interpretación: Brendan Fraser (Trevor Anderson), Josh Hutcherson (Sean Anderson), Anita Briem (Hannah), Seth Meyers (profesor Alan Kitzens), Jean-Michell Paré (Max Anderson), Jane Wheeler (Elizabeth), Frank Fontaine (hombre mayor), Giancarlo Caltabiano (Leonard), Kaniehtiio Horn (chica Gum-Chewing).
Guión: Michael Weiss, Jennifer Flackett y Mark Levin; basado en la novela "Viaje al centro de la Tierra" de Julio Verne.
Música: Andrew Lockington.
Fotografía: Chuck Schuman
Sinopsis: Durante una expedición científica en Islandia, el visionario científico Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), su sobrino Sean (Josh Hutcherson) y su hermosa guía regional, Hannah (Anita Briem), quedan atrapados en una cueva. La única posibilidad de escapar de allí es adentrándose en las entrañas de la Tierra. Recorriendo mundos jamás vistos, el trío se encuentra cara a cara con criaturas increíbles. Pero la actividad volcánica del lugar es cada vez más intensa, por lo que deberán encontrar urgentemente una manera de poder volver a la superficie antes de que sea demasiado tarde.

¿Cómo le ponemos al niño?: Julio, aunque apuesto a que Verne volvería a meterse en la tumba si viera esta adaptación de su obra. Brendan Fraser vuelve con otro producto familiar mientras 'La Momia 3' aún colea en nuestras carteleras, lo que no sirve de mucho aval para pagar la entrada de esta nueva aventura "con niño", por mucho que también la exhiban en 3D.

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*Puedes consultar la cartelera de tu localidad pinchando aquí.

Fuente: LaButaca

Fdo: Stan

I watched this movie some time ago, & sorta liked it, in its quirky ways, it's about this little girl & the unfolding day-to-day events as she & her family travel to have her in a beauty pageant which she is really excited about participating in

it deals with homosexuality, death, our culture's treatment of a girl's image, & even some philosophy, but all lightly & cleverly balanced & with tact, a fluid acceptance of these issues as they are, or as they are presented rather, a dysfunctional family a person such as myself could love

Originally Aired: 5/12/2008

Oprah introduces some of the most talented kids in the world! Meet a piano prodigy, geography whiz and international singing sensation.

Guests: Abigail Breslin

There are many things I like about this film. First of all, Ryan Reynolds, who is known for screwball comedies like the Van Wilder series, pulls off the dramatic role of Will Hayes very well.  He us able to tone down the comedy just enough to pull out some real nuanced dramatic moments.  

 There are good actresses in this film like Elizabeth Banks and Rachel Weisz.  However, the standout performance goes to Isla Fisher who plays the spirited April Hoffman. The chemistry between her and Reynolds is great.  She steals the scenes she is in with her presence and great acting ability.

 All in all, “Definitely, Maybe” is still a definite must see! So rent it and enjoy!

I liked the hyper-stylized, soul-searching, romantic tone of this movie. It was interesting for me to watch Norah Jones' character change over the course of the film from the things she learned on the road. I agree with most people when they said that Jones' acting is a bit amateurish but as the movie goes on, I got used to it so it's more than forgiven. The weakness of the film lies in the second act when Jones meets Rachel Weisz's husband. The film got really slow and that particular storyline was somewhat unnecessary. Things quickly picked up when Natalie Portman appeared on screen. She was quirky and unpredictable, which served to be the foil of Norah Jones' character. I feel like Jones learned a lot from Portman when it comes to trusting people. Strangely enough, I thought Jones and Law had great chemistry and I completely bought the spark between them. I wanted to know more about them as they interacted and wished that the film focused on them a little bit more. Regardless, this film is not for everyone because it requires one's full attention if one was to fully appreciate the way Norah Jones' character evolved in a span of less than a year.

My Best Friend's Wedding
[ 4 stars out of 4 ]

I love this movie so much because the four leading actors--Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett--clearly had fun with their roles, while at the same time putting something extra special in their characters. Since all four of them got a solid amount of screen time, I felt like I got to know the characters well. I saw myself in each of them even though I'm not at that age where I'm ready to get married or see my friends get married. I guess it's their immaturities and child-like qualities that I could really relate to, which made the picture that much more enjoyable. I liked that this film had some sort of edge, which means it's not purely your typical romantic comedy. I'm glad it managed to avoid some of the biggest cliches, which created a much more interesting movie. One of them includes a not completely likeable main character. Even though she's a good person, some of her decisions seem mean-spirited because she's driven by jealousy and her territorial instinct. Roberts is perfect for this role because that edge is evened out by her charisma. (I think it's one of her best roles to date.) I also enjoyed Everett as the gay friend who is beyond funny, Mulroney as the dreamy leading man, and Diaz as the 24/7 sunshine. Everything about this movie worked for me (even the well-placed musical numbers!) because it made me laugh, tear up and everything in between.

Definitely, Maybe
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

This is one of the better atypical romantic comedies out there that is truly for everyone. All the leading actors--Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks, and Rachel Weisz--did a really good job embracing their characters. It's enjoyable watching this picture because it's like playing detective: figuring out the identity of Breslin's mom from Reynold's story. I was engaged because I gathered clues from the things that the characters said to their actions. Granted, I still got the answer wrong but that's the fun of it; it's actually challenging. Breslin did a really good job playing a precocious kid, but not too much to the point where it's creepy or annoying. Even though she acts older than her age, she still has that childish immaturity that reminds us that she's still very young. Reynolds is extremely likeable here because he's a really good guy but the things in his life didn't go according to plan. We want him to succeed so we wish for that happy ending for him. Although the ending is bittersweet more than anything, it's just right because that's how life is sometimes. Another reason why I'm fond of the movie is because that idea of my life turning out differently than what I had planned scared me. Watching Reynold's character being so unhappy with his love life and his job really struck a chord with me because I don't want to end up like that. But somehow, the silver lining is that maybe things are supposed to happen the way we don't expect them to. And maybe, just maybe, through a different and more complex route, we'll end up with what we've been wishing for.

Pick of the Week

Stuart: A Life Backwards - It's taken a while to make it to DVD but this excellent drama deserves some attention. Tom Hardy is outstanding at the eponymous homeless man befriended by a posh lad trying to write a book about his life. It's a beautiful relationship that blossoms, even as Stuart's life spirals out of control. Also read the book.

Also out

Nim's Island - Not seen but a pretty unappealing looking Robinsons style desert island family comedy thing. Not interested I'm afraid.
Joy Division - A documentary companion piece to Control, Anton Corbjin's account last year of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. A really decent piece of work that explores the origins of one of the most influential bands of all time.
Deception - Tawdry-looking slice of silliness which seems to have managed to drag in an array of talent (including Ewan MacGregor, Hugh Jackman and the wonderful Michelle Williams) for what looks to amount to a Channel Five late-night 'adult-thriller'. No thanks.
The Last Mistress - If ever a meeting of minds was needed, it was Asia Argento and Catherine Breillat. Both agent provocateurs of the highest mind, this is the role where Argento is able to harness her feral sexuality and provide a performance to match her history. Breillat, often somewhat erratic in her explorations of the darker side of human personal life, finally also streamlines herself to provide a film to match her earlier, brilliant, piece, A Ma Soeur.
The Band's Visit - Not seen but apparently a heart-warming and joyful piece of work. Will be seeing very soon I hope.
My Sassy Girl - Remake of the deeply strange Stephen Chow film from a few years ago, transplanted to America with Elisha Cuthbert. Deeply unappealing to me.

Today I watched Beowulf and Definitely, Maybe.  Beowulf was interesting to say the least.  Half the movie was spent getting used to the animation style while the other half was spent trying to figure out what parts actually follow the beowulf story.  I had a hard time separating what was part of the original legend because I haven't read the book in years.  The movie took a good hour to start showing any action.  I would have to say it isn't a great movie but it wasn't horrible either.  Worth it to rent the movie or go to a discount movie theatre.  I wouldn't buy it though.

Definitely, Maybe was another romantic comedy.  Starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, and Elizabeth Banks.  I've come to the realization that I use Robyn as an excuse to watch romantic comedies because, yet again, I loved it.  It had its embarrassing moments, the ones where you want to turn away and feel like you are about to turn it off because its unbearable.  But, luckily most of the movie was funny and packed with all of Ryan Reynolds usual sarcasm.  It was a bit cliche and followed the same usual formula, but there were a few surprises in it that were pulled of relatively well.

And Finally, my daily game update.  Lost Odyssey did actually begin to take a turn for the better when I got out of the first city.  Jansen Friedh is the comic relief character so far and has even made Robyn laugh from the sidelines.  The voice-acting remains consistently decent.  Usually I want to shoot myself when listening to voiceovers for games.  Example:  Final Fantasy X, Tidus.  So far I have actually been enjoying this game.  The battle system is pretty good as well.  While it holds to the same type of system as Final Fantasy it did throw in a new ring system that makes you actually have to pay attention while playing the game.  You have to press and hold the R2 button and release it with the proper timing when a bigger ring gets into the right position.  More on Lost Odyssey tomorrow. ]]> http://nonhosonno.wordpress.com/?p=535 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:39:48 +0000 nonhosonno http://nonhosonno.de.wordpress.com/2006/10/20/little-miss-sunshine-di-jonathan-dayton-e-valerie-faris/ Anche se in estremo ritardo – il film è uscito quasi un mese fa, accumulandosi ad altre uscite importanti – merita comunque un commento il vincitore del Sydney Film Festival e uno dei film più acclamati del Sundance, Little Miss Sunshine. Il film, un prodotto indipendente e low budget, è l’opera prima di due coniugi (Jonathan Dayton e Valerie Faris) allenati alla regia con la realizzazione di videoclip e spot. Del tutto inaspettatamente, però, Little Miss Sunshine ha scalato le vette dei botteghini di tutto il mondo, diventando uno dei casi cinematografici dell’anno. Vedendo il film, la cosa non stupisce poi granché, perché la storia bizzarra e scalcagnata della famiglia Hoover è di quelle che non possono non piacere al grande pubblico. Questa immaginaria famiglia di Albuquerque in New Mexico ha infatti tutte le carte in regola per risultare simpatica e accattivante.

Sheryl è una moglie che a fatica tenta di rigovernare il caos che la circonda; suo marito Richard ha il mito del successo ma in realtà è il più classico dei falliti; i loro due figli – Olive e Dwayne – sono monomaniacali e apparentemente disadattati. Olive, che ha otto anni, vuole a tutti i costi partecipare al concorso di bellezza per bambine, "Little Miss Sunshine”, anche se non è esattamente una reginetta. Dwayne ha 15 anni e adora Nietzche. Odia però tutto il resto del mondo e ha fatto il voto del silenzio, così, semplicemente, non parla più. Per finire il quadretto, si aggiungono: il nonno, che vive con loro dopo essere stato cacciato da una casa di riposo perché si faceva di eroina e collezionava riviste pornografiche; e lo zio gay, docente universitario (è il massimo studioso americano di Proust) che ha appena tentato il suicidio. Insomma, nella famiglia Hoover tutto scorre tra follia e disagio a stento trattenuto, finchè Olive viene chiamata per la finale del concorso “Little Miss Sunshine”, in California. Ricevuta la notizia, la famiglia si mette in marcia, su uno scassatissimo furgone Wolkswagen giallo ed è facile immaginare, vista la combriccola, che ne capiteranno di tutti i colori.

Alcuni personaggi del film – primo tra tutti il nonno, ma anche Dwayne e lo zio gay – potrebbero essere usciti da uno dei primi lavori di Almodovar, mentre le situazioni che si snodano nel corso dell’opera seguono il più tipico copione del road movie tra amici, e il pensiero non può non andare anche a Sideways, che lo scorso anno ebbe lo stesso destino di questo Little Miss Sunshine. Il film tiene bene, manovrando con sapienza – ma anche senza stupire più di tanto – le varie suggestioni e i due temi principali. Ovvero: il mito del successo che ci vuole tutti perfetti, mentre siamo tutti molto più goffi, fragili e inadeguati delle false immagini che ci provengono dalla tv; l’importanza dei legami umani e famigliari, unica protezione possibile all’interno dell’insensata agonia del mondo. La famiglia Hoover, infatti, sembra fuori di mente, ma è molto più “famiglia” di tante altre falsamente normali. Tutti, in fondo si vogliono bene e tutti – a partire dai più piccoli – mantengono salda la propria spontaneità. Insomma, gli Hoover sono tutte belle persone. Little Miss Sunshine, fino ad un certo punto, sembra però soltanto un compito fatto bene, un film destinato a spettatori intelligenti ma che non osa più di tanto. Però, poi, alla fine c’è una scena che vale da sola il prezzo del biglietto e la visione del film. Quella del concorso di bellezza con le bambine-mostri, cloni delle modelle. E con la magnifica, incredibile e strepitosa esibizione di Olive. Una scena semplicemente da antologia, che non vi scorderete più e vi farà ridere per giorni.

Little Miss Sunshine, di Jonathan Dayton e Valerie Faris, USA, 2006, 101 minuti

Cast: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Uscita: 22 settembre 2006