Beowulf, the movie

Shout out to High School AP English IV. Man, I miss that class. Those were the times. Makes me nostalgia since I've been watching season one of Laguna Beach (which has nothing to do with each other much except LB is high schoolish).

All I've heard about this movie is that Angelina Jolie is supposed to be in it. I think she's a mother of someone. Am I right? Have to check that. [I just read that Neil Gaiman was one of the screenwriters, and that makes me want to see it even more as I just read Stardust and loved it.]

Anyways, I definitely have to check it out. Having read it in High school English compels me to.

You know, this got me thinking that maybe a whole generation of kids who have to read it will just watch this movie instead. Hey, it is has Angelina Jolie in it, then why not, right?

I hope the movie lives up to the book. I loved studying ancient and world literature . That part of the curriculum instilled a life long fascination. It is by far more enriching than American Literature, which I studied as a junior. I don't know if it's the themes or the material chosen, but American lit, which made up a majority of AP English III, was a bore compared to the richness I found in the works I studied a year later.

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10 Questions for Rowan Atkinson

10 Questions for Rowan Atkinson. Yay! Mr Bean is back. I remember watching the old Mr Bean on the BBC late at night. Those were fun times.

Guns & Talks

Just watched this cute Korean movie, Guns & Talks. It's a mix between drama and comedy with a slant towards comedy. It's about a group of assassins and their misadventures. I initially watched this because I found out Won Bin would be in it, and as you know I've developed a crush on him since his role in Autumn in my Heart.

Overall, it's a cute and enjoyable movie. There were moments of laugh out loud hilarity, and some of those were provided by Won Bin (squeee!). He looks a lot younger in this role. There is enough guns and killing to move the plot along.

Shaolin Soccer & Kung Fu Hustle

Two Loves.

The problem I have is the dubbing. Why must the characters speak broken English? I understand that they are Asians, so supposedly they might not speak perfect, accent free American English, but is it necessary to project that into the voice work? I wonder if Americans films shown in China are dubbed with the characters speaking in broken Chinese? I doubt it. It's the only thing that stopped me from totally getting into the films. It's also so unnecessary.

Annoying movie reviews

I love watching previews, and I may be one of the few who loves previews in movie theatres. To me, there's great excitement and wish fulfillment when a new movie comes out. I so excited to see it, and then when I checking the news, a move review always comes up and spoils the excitement of me going to see the movie.

Like I was excited to see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and then I couldn't avoid movie reviews for it. Same with Kingdom of Heaven. When it gets closer to opening day, a foot load of reviews comes out for it, and the title usually gives away how the reviewer feels/rates the film.

I have nothing against the reviews, but I hate that they ruin and take the enjoyment out of me making my own mind about the quality of the movie. I don't want to be told before hand why it sucks, why it doesn't, which are the good parts, the tolerable, and the truly heinous ones because then all I’m going to do during the movies is check whether or not I agree with the reviewer. I'm already biased against the film depending on which reviews I read. I want a blank slate when I go into the films so I can make up my own mind, THANK YOU.

I love going to see movies that I haven't read the reviews for, and then going back to look up the reviews for the movie to see if critics loved or hated it, what ratings they gave it, and why. I believe that's the way it should be.

I can't really avoid the reviews. No I can't. I don't mind they show up as news link on Yahoo or MSNBC or CNN. But I'd rather they not include in the headline their opinions of the movies, but I don't want to be influenced by their reviews. Why not go, click here to see the movie reviews, instead of saying, HOUSE OF WAX SUCKS. And usually there's a clever pun included in the headline that tells you if the movie is a nay or yay.

[/End rant]

Movie: Le Divorce

Ohh la la...it's a french movie. Well sort of, anyway. This is the closest French movie I'll watch and understand.

ANother book I have to go out and read to see whether the moive does it justice.

man, does paris seem so romantic.

is the red crocodile hermes still a sign of a mistress. take note ignoratn american girls. you know what that means. a bag in the beginning and a scarf at the end.

It's been a couple of hours, and I really do like this movie. everyone's great in it. I really like Bebe Newworth, Glen CLose, and Stockyard Channing. All great actresses.

charming movie. I only have a problem with the crazy husband of that russian lady that was haing an affair with Roxy's husband. That seem like a weird serious storyline mixed with the light, airy, romanitc feel of Paris and the rest of the movie was trying for.

Movie: Big Fish

I've been in love with the Big Fish font for a while now, so I thought it was time to see the movie, and lucky me, it was one of the selection of movies.

I loved the surreal nature of the movie. That's Tim Burton's thing. And you should expect Helena Bonham Cater to do her thing and play off the wall characters as she does with the Witch and Jen hill.

That's my favorite part. The surrealism. I love the story telling. And I loved Ewan McGregor too. And all the characters that inhabit Henry Bloom’s world. Hear this movie was based on a book too. Wow. So many books to read.

Girl With a Pearl Earring

4th movie of the night.

I wanted to see this. I know it's base on a book. I wanted to read it, but I’m going to have to watch this first.

Another art movie. I have high hopes for this. I know the book got rave reviews.

From this movie, it looks like Griet is the artist. She seems so more knowledgeable about art and is more visually aware than the master himself.

What's surprising to me was that Griet also speaks so very little.

That was enjoyable. I loved Colin Firth playing longing and desire.

Now I want to read the book to see what parts got cut; how true to the book they were. The description should be awesome. Hey, if the movie was great, then the book should be x10 better. I should hope that's what conventional wisdom says.

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

3rd Movie in one night.

I thought a light comedy would be appropriate after Identity.

Josh Duhmel is so cute.

"Your carnal treasure?"

Cute movie. Predictible, but still a nice get a way from Idenity.

How cool was it that Topher Grace got the girl?

Identity

Synopsis: On a night torrential rainstorms, a group of strangers gather at a motel to wait out the storm. This includes a limo driver and his boss, a former actress; a family whose mother has been slashed in the neck, her husband, and her son; a hooker; a cop transporting a prisoner; a guy who is pretending to be the manager; and a young couple.

Someone is terrorizing the place and killing of those stranded one by one. The first murder happens. The body is found in the laundry mat. With the discovery of the body, it throws the whole group into panic. Also each body is found with a room key. With each successive murder, the number decreases. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…
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I didn't really understand John Crusack's character and his connection to Malcolm in the real world. Why was he chosen? What did he know what no one else can understand?

You just know something bad is going down. How can it not be? With the heavy rainfall. That just screams murderous rampage.

1st half was intriguing, captivating. Then the whole inside the guy's head came up, and it got weird. Instead of being a pure thriller, it turned into a psychological WTF. And never underestimate kids. It reminds me of the Damien movies or Children of the Corn.

Head of State

I'm home, and it's spring break. I'm on a movie-watching spree. This is the first little write up. Just a little documentation of the movies I watch since I usually watch so very little, and I always get to watch them years after they come out.
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Synopsis: The Democrats recruits Mays Gilliam to be the next presidential nominee after his predecessor dies in a plane crash. Crazy, right? His campaign managers recruit him as a temporary fix; they don't expect him to win nor do they want him to.

My favorite line: God Bless America and no other country. How true this is.

I did not expect the ending. Mays actually won the Presidency. It’s a nice change. And the vision Mays has about why they are asking him to be their nominee is really funny.

This is a Chris Rock movie. He’s Loud and Proud.

Robin Hood: Errol Flynn or that cartoon lion

I'm watching The Adventures of Robin Hood now on TCM. How fitting it is that I'm taking Medieval English history now. I've studied King John's reign, but it wasn't all nearly as interesting as watching Errol Flynn in tights.

Now, perhaps, is the part where I tell you what I've learnt in class about King John and compare or contrast with what is shown in the movie, but I have to tell you that I don't remember. Well, I do remember that John lost Normandy to Philip Augustus of France, and that was a terrible thing to do. England was also under an interdict from Pope Innocent III, and John was excommunicated. His actions also lead to a baronial rebellion that resulted in Magna Carta. Ok. So I do remember some stuff, but not enough to blow you away. All of these counted against John of course, and you can see why his reign isn't regarded as successful by the chroniclers or writers of his age.

To me, King John is that bumbling lion in Disney's Robin Hood. And so shall he remain. Studying Medieval English history isn't going to convince me otherwise.

Closer trailer

I'm excited, intrigued, and mesmerized by Closer's trailer. The music, The Blowers Daughter, by Damien Rice, is a big part of that. My sudden crush on Clive Owen helps. I can't stop watching it. The statements in the trailer and the dialogue are also captivating. Examples:

*Love is an accident...waiting to happen.
*Desire is a stranger...you think you know.
*Truth is a game...you play to win.
*Intimacy is a lie...we tell ourselves.
*If you believe in love at first sight. You never stop looking.
*Julia: Love bores you.
Jude: No. It disappoints me.

I have also been watching SpongeBob SquarePants's new trailer as well as Madagascar's. They are both hilarious.

EDIT: This French film also looks great: Love me if you dare.

American Film Renaissance

I had no idea "the first and only pro-American film festival in the country" took place in Dallas over the weekend (September 10 to 12).

According to their website, 21 films were going to be shown during the 3 day festival. The list is here.

I'd like to know what conservatives thought about the film festival and how it went. Addtionally, here is commentary from Slate on the festival: Sundance for Republicans.

I just found out that there was a liberal festival held in Fair Park from September 10 to 11. The Dallas Morning News has a list of films shown at the Take Back Democracy Film Festival. Included in the same article is a short summary of the films shown at the American Film Renaissance.

I wish I knew earlier. (You can see how in touch with the rest of the world I am.) I might have considered going to both festivals. Maybe next year, eh?

EDIT: I found another article on the AFR at Salon: Flicks for the far right

Wimbledon, the movie

Now that the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year is over, the only major tennis event going on right now is the Wimbledon movie coming to theatres soon. I believe they filmed it at last year's Wimbledon, the real tennis tournament.

On one hand, I want this movie to do well because I want the masses to get into tennis.

On the other hand, I think they should have picked an actress who didn't have to act like a tennis player. I wish they chose someone more athletic (i.e. tennis player's physique) or maybe someone who has played tennis before.

I remember Matthew Perry’s interview at last year's Wimbledon where he talked about being interested in starting in the movie. He would have made a great leading man, plus he played junior tennis in Canada. And they turned him down. However, several prominent tennis greats do have cameos in the movie like John McEnroe and Chris Evert, and I think Pat Cash was technical director or something.

I'd like to the movie, but I don't know if I'll get a chance. However, do stroll over to the movie's website and play the tennis game. It’s fun.

Extra note: Maria Sharapova at the LA premiere of the movie.
More pics of the premiere from Yahoo!

results are in from cannes

Anti-Bush film tops Cannes awards

Director Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 has won the prestigious Palme d'Or best film award at the Cannes festival.

I don't think a 15 minute standing ovation would occur if Cannes had been held in the US or (gasp!) Texas.

Jury Prizes went to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's film Tropical Malady and to actress Irma P. Hall for her part in The Ladykillers

Cool. A Thai director receiving international acclaim. I don't know any that are well know outside of Thailand. Well, I don't really know any Thai directors really, so this was a surprise. I'm really interested in seeing the film, but I've also read that it's pretty boring.

"Stupid is as stupid does"

FORREST GUMP. I love this movie! Tears, laughs, tears, and more laughs. The movie, like life, is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're gonna get. One of the few movies that makes me giddy when I learn that it's on. Always makes me cry at the end.

"That's all I have to say about that"

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clipboard

• Clear Channel boss is shocked -- shocked -- to find indecency!
  
• Blogging toward freedom "The more Iranian hard-liners crack down, the more blogs dedicated to changing the system spring up."
  
• Who's afraid of Teresa Heinz? "The wife of presidential hopeful John Kerry is a rare political figure -- refreshingly honest and undeniably smart. So why are her own handlers hell-bent on shutting her up?"
  
  

memento

If anyone saw this movie and knows what's going on, please let me in on the secret formula to understanding this movie. I saw it about a year after it came out, which is 2000, so I saw it in 2001. I've seen it a couple of times since then, but I'm still not sure whether the fake cop guy ( I think Joe Pantoliano plays him) is his wife's killer or not. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I don't understand how/why he killed her, and why he would get involved with Guy Pearce's character? Anyhow, I didn't get the end (or actually the beginning).

It's kind of random, but I've always wondered about the ending. Maybe I need to refresh my memory, and watch the movie again. By the way, awesome concept for a movie.

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clipboard

• 'Doonesbury' offers $10,000 for proof Bush served--'nough said.
  
• Attack of the Gay Agenda--Revealed before your very eyes: The awful, terrifying gay agenda!
  
• Preppy Punks--Oxymoron?
  
• Wed the People? (In Order to Form a More Perfect Gay Union)--All about semantics.
  
• A Job for Rewrite: Stalin's War--Because I studied Russian history.
  
• In Jesus movie, some see hope for a dying tongue--We are losing our culture.

My precious

CNN.com - Entertainment (CNN) -- "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" already has earned gold -- the Golden Globe for best drama. Now the film reaches for the ultimate Hollywood accolade: Oscar.

The fantasy film, the final chapter of director Peter Jackson's version of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic, led all nominees Tuesday with 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.

The buzz is that LOTR is swept. I hope so. They haven't won a major Oscar, and I think they are due for one.

a few good movies

I love A Few Good Men. Every time I see this movie listed, I'm happy excited. This is one of the few movies that I can watch over and over again. Jack Nicholson is awesome.

Tom Cruise: I want the truth!
Jack Nicholson: You can't handle the truth!

Also, there are a lot of actors, famous, successful actors now, that appeared in AFGM. They were so young in that movie, and it's nice to see how far they have come in their careers since then.

There's another movie that I remember watching again and again. It was an 80s movie, I think [I just googled, and the movie came out in '92]. Oh, the name just now slipped out of my mind. Toepick, maybe? Well, it starred D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly. He was an injured hockey player and she was a figure skating. They teamed up and fell in love. I remember having my dad check the movie. Great stuff. Oh, now I remember: (The) Cutting Edge, I believe. It was a romantic comedy, and because I was a teen, I totally feel in love with the movie. I think it was a tear-jerker also. Gosh, does that bring back memories.

These two became instant classics for me. Although I don't watch The Cutting Edge anymore, it became another sight, another sound of my past.