Movie of the Week: 'Wanted'

First Released: June 27, 2008
DVD Release: October 20, 2008

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Main Characters: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy)

Fox (Angelina Jolie)

Sloan (Morgan Freeman)

Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Rated: R for graphic violence and language; some sexuality

I will admit that I’m not the biggest fan of graphic novels-turned movies, which is what “Wanted” is, so maybe this was going to be a bad review before I even watched the film. I wanted to give it a chance, really, especially since one of its stars is the gorgeous James McAvoy, the man with the equally gorgeous Scottish accent. In this movie, McAvoy lost the Scottish accent in favor of an American one, and that was not even the most ridiculous part of the film.

“Wanted” opens with a frustrated office worker named Wesley Gibson. He has an annoying boss, a girlfriend who is cheating on him with his best friend, no funds in the bank, and constant suffering from panic attacks.

When Wesley is at the grocery store re-filling his anti-anxiety medication one day, a beautiful woman named Fox sidles up to him, claiming to have known his late father. At once, shots are fired, and being aimed at Wesley. In the chaos, Wesley is soon scooped up into a slick red sports car by Fox. Fox goes into action mode and fires back at the man, and a car chase and more shooting ensues.

Fox takes Wesley to an abandoned warehouse where he meets a man named Sloan. Sloan tells Wesley that his father was a member of his organization; a fraternity of assassins called…The Fraternity (how original) and wants him to become a member. Wesley learns that he can channel his rapid heartbeats from panic attacks into precision gunfire. The idea of becoming an assassin makes him panic at first, but when he has the ability to shoot the wings off of a fly, he revels in his newfound power. He is able to stand up to his boss, punch out his “friend” and has $300 million in the bank from his father’s funds.

As an official member of The Fraternity, Wesley must go through a brutal initiation ceremony in which he repeatedly receives blows to the head and gashes from a knife; basically, the most brutal few minutes of a film I have ever witnessed. He recovers in a soothing bath that heals his wounds in mere hours. When he is finally able to defend himself and fight back, he is given his assassination assignments.

The Fraternity was founded by a group of weavers, and its headquarters are in a textile mill. The threads being spun in the loom are laid out in a binary code system, which is used to decode the names of those assigned to be killed. Fate has chosen them.

Wesley is soon assigned to kill a man named Cross, who has left The Fraternity and betrayed them by assassinating many of The Fraternity’s members. Wesley encounters Cross and he escapes onto a train. Wesley follows him and their shootout becomes so dangerous that the train lingers on a cliff. Wesley is dangerously close to falling out of the teetering train. Surprisingly, Cross holds onto Wesley, and in a scenario that completely rips off the famous Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader scene in “Star Wars: Episode IV,” Cross tells Wesley that he is Wesley’s father. Not believing him, Wesley shoots him dead.

Back on ground, Wesley discovers that Sloan had been manipulating the thread that comes out of the loom and creating his own assassination assignments. The Fraternity must be shut down, and Wesley takes the advice of a friend that the most destruction will be caused by strapping explosives to 1000 rats (I’m NOT kidding). In the aftermath, he confronts Sloan who said his manipulation was because every single one of The Fraternity’s members’ names had come out in the thread. Each member would have been assigned to kill each other.

This movie was incredibly gory, but no more than you would expect from a movie about assassins. The camera angles were interesting, but not when they followed the path of a bullet into someone’s forehead. (They were also heavily influenced by “The Matrix” series.)
For its sheer ridiculousness (it wasn’t supposed to be a comedy, but sure seemed to be making fun of itself) and irritating use of the F-word prolifically in the dialogue, I give “Wanted” *1/2 out of ****.

(picture: impawards.com)

A Family of Broadway Lovers

On Wednesday, I wrote about my first Broadway experience and how much I liked the show "Wicked." I went on that trip to New York with my mom, aunt and grandmother. I had known that my mom had also gone to New York a few times when she was also in college. Here is what she had to say about her experiences with theater. (I wrote this as an article for my newsgathering and reporting class.)

NEW YORK CITY--The tall buildings and flashy advertisements of Times Square were the first time Jean Smithson had seen New York City in almost 25 years, but upon settling into her seat in Gershwin Theatre for a matinee performance of “Wicked,” she knew the quality of Broadway performances had not changed a bit.

A lifelong theater lover, Smithson, 49, of New Cumberland, Pa., has also been on stage as well as being a spectator. A native of Windber, Pa., she won Best Actress for her senior class play, “Flowers for Algernon” at Windber Area High School.

Smithson says that she joined high school theater because it was a fun extracurricular activity to do, and many of her friends were also involved in plays. “I guess I’ve always been a bit dramatic anyway,” she says.

It was not until she was a student at Shippensburg State College in Shippensburg, Pa., that Smithson began to see the big time shows on Broadway. “I had a friend, Deb Hanak, who loved theater and road trips as much as I did and, luckily for me, she didn’t mind braving the city traffic, so we would drive up in her car. This was around 1978-1980.”

The first Broadway production she saw was “A Chorus Line,” a musical about what it is like to try out for the chorus line of a Broadway play. Next was “Evita,” the tale of Evita Peron, wife of Argentian political leader Juan Peron, and based on a biography by Mary Main. “Wicked” is a new twist on L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s tale, “The Wizard of Oz,” but this time from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Her favorite play is “A Chorus Line” because it was the first Broadway play she had seen and, “I was so excited to be in New York.” She also enjoyed “Wicked” because it was totally different from “A Chorus Line” and a brand new take on an old classic. “The two lead female singers (Kendra Kassebaum, who played Glinda, and Kerry Ellis, who played Elphaba) had outstanding voices, which made the show. The design of the set and costumes was fabulous. I enjoyed sharing the experience with my family members.” Smithson attended the play with her mother, sister, and daughter, and was excited for her daughter to experience her first time in New York City. “Evita” would be her third favorite play.

Smithson says that “Wicked” was much more technologically advanced than the other two plays she had seen two decades ago. There were more special effects and props, and “I think the (other plays) dwelled more on character development rather than the set design. The sets were simple in order to blend into the background.”

No matter how high-tech the plays have become, Smithson enjoys every one she gets the opportunity to see.

“I love the stories and hearing the music in the musicals. The professionals sing so well and the sets and costumes are always great.”

(Pictures: showclix.com {A Chorus Line}; brooklyncenter.com {Evita})

'Wicked' Awesome

Theatre: Gershwin Theatre, New York City
Main Characters: Glinda (Kendra Kassebaum)
Elphaba (Kerry Ellis)
Wizard of Oz (Michael DeVries)
Doctor Dillamond (Timothy Britten Parker)
Fiyero (Aaron Tveit)
Madame Morrible (Jayne Houdy Shell)
Director: Joe Mantello

“Wicked” is a relatively new play to New York City’s Broadway (it first opened in 2003), and it is an innovative play with a new perspective. It is a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s tale “The Wizard of Oz.” This time, it is from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. The tagline to the production is “So much happened before Dorothy dropped in.”

The play opens to the scene in the “Wizard of Oz” where the Wicked Witch has melted and the citizens of Oz, with Glinda the Good Witch are rejoicing her death. Then the play flashes back to the Wicked Witch’s attendance at sorcery school. We learn that her real name is Elphaba and that she went to school with Glinda.

Since the plot of “Wicked” can be a bit confusing, I found an online synopsis that uses all of the musical’s songs in context.

By Carol de Giere of musicalschwartz.com

ACT I - Wicked Synopsis and Song Commentary
1. NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED - Glinda and Citizens of Oz
Combining celebrative feeling with the show's edgy irony, this somewhat melancholy and dramatic song introduces the frame for the storyline. Wicked begins with the celebration of the death of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, as we would have seen towards the end of The Wizard of Oz movie, just after Dorothy melted her by accidentally throwing a bucket of water in her direction. Here we first meet Glinda and learn the "official" story of the Wicked Witch's demise. At the end of the song and scene, the timeline shifts to Elphaba's birth, and then jumps to her college days.
With its tone, this song introduces the "Things are not what they seem" theme which the audience will appreciate by the finale.
2. DEAR OLD SHIZ - Galinda and Students
The jump in the story timeline from Elphaba's birth to her college days creates a need for some transitional material. This song provides stage time for the students to enter little by little, culminating in Galinda's grand arrival, dressed in a creamy white suit and riding a luggage cart pushed in by someone else. It suggests the superficial togetherness of the student body. The students are in fact quite unaccepting of a certain green-skinned freshman.
3. THE WIZARD AND I - Morrible, Elphaba
This is Elphaba's "I Want" number. It introduces what she wants on the surface. It also hints at her subconscious desire to be accepted by a fatherly figure that the Wizard represents, as made more poignant by her being snubbed by Frex, the father she grew up with who favors the other daughter, Nessarose.
4. WHAT IS THIS FEELING? - Galinda, Elphaba, and Students
There has to be a moment when we see the future friends as enemies. This is the beginning of their journey to friendship-the initial loathing that shifts to a deep bond later on.
5. SOMETHING BAD (happening in oz) - Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba
The mistreatment of talking Animals provides a storytelling vehicle for the political element of the tale. Something "Baaaaad" (as bleated by the talking Goat professor Dr. Dillamond who may be losing his voice) introduces the conflict between the Wizard, Madame Morrible, and the Animals without giving away the whole story. This song hints at the nature of the Animal oppression. It also provides a context for the interaction between the goat and Elphaba, and on stage it's clear that these two at the fringe of Oz society are beginning to care about each other's welfare.
6. DANCING THROUGH LIFE-Fiyero, Galinda, Boq, Nessarose, Elphaba, and Students
A flunk-out from various other colleges, Prince Fiyero struts his stuff when he shows up at Shiz and introduces his philosophy "Dancing Through Life." In this song sequence, we are introduced to parts of the love triangles in the story: Nessarose longs for the attention of the munchkin Boq, who himself has been stricken with the charm of the unreachable Galinda from the moment he laid eyes on her. Events that occur in the course of this sequence change Elphaba's and Galinda's relationship, beginning its ascent to friendship.
7. POPULAR-Galinda
"Popular" is a "list song" in which Galinda enumerates her suggestions for what it takes to be popular. She also demonstrates the self-absorbed, prideful side of her character. (Kristin says her models for Galinda included the pageant girls she met earlier in her life.) It sets up what Elphaba is expected to want and therefore provides a contrast for her decision to reject popularity for the sake of principles.
8. I'M NOT THAT GIRL - Elphaba
Boy meets girl Number 1 (Elphaba). Boy goes off with girl Number 2 (Galinda). Girl Number 1 is sad and needs to sing about it.
Galinda changes her name to Glinda before her Emerald City trip
9. ONE SHORT DAY - Glinda, Elphaba, and Denizens of the Emerald City
It's gonna be a short day, though joyous at first. Elphaba is surrounded by green and is on her way to meet the Wizard who she may be able to work with in order to make Oz a better place and become accepted herself. The Wizomania section of the song is actually performed as a mini-musical that Elphaba and Glinda are attending as tourist in the Emerald City.
10. A SENTIMENTAL MAN-The Wizard
The Wizard has many layers. Here we see his tender side that gains Elphaba's trust-but not for long.
11. DEFYING GRAVITY - Elphaba, Glinda, Guards and Citizens of Oz
Glinda would like to see Elphaba conform and also realize her dream as expressed in "The Wizard and I." But when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard is behind the mistreatment of animals (as in Maguire's novel), she must change her dream. She takes a stand. This is her moment when she resolves to follow her new conviction based on her inner moral sense and care for Dr. Dillamond, even though it means social rejection.
ACT II Wicked Synopsis and Song Commentary
12. THANK GOODNESS --Glinda, Morrible, and Citizens of Oz
In this song we feel Fiyero's pull towards the missing green girl and his cavalier attitude towards Glinda, who has more or less foisted herself upon him. "Thank Goodness," while offering a word play with Glinda the Good who has created a festivity for the Oz citizens, is all about the irony of the situation. It's also about those experiences in everyone's life when what was anticipated turns out not to be so desirable as we once thought.
13. WONDERFUL - The Wizard, Elphaba
Here again, we see the Wizard's softer side, and learn that he got swept up (like Glinda) in the glamour of attention. He holds out the promise to Elphaba that, with him, she can fulfill her subconscious longing to be accepted by a fatherly figure.
14. I'M NOT THAT GIRL (reprise) - Glinda
In Act I, Boy went off with Girl Number 2 (Glinda). Now Girl Number 2 gets rejected when Boy goes off with Girl Number 1 (Elphaba). Glinda needs to sing about it. It helps us appreciate Girl Number 2's hurt that will motivate some of her later actions.
15. AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE - Elphaba and Fiyero
It's been an almost impossible journey to romance. These two need to sing about it, make up for lost time, and comment on their future, which is completely insecure except for their mutual affection.
16. NO GOOD DEED - Elphaba
This song moment harkens back to the novel. When something negative happens to Fiyero, Elphaba becomes discouraged and begins in a sense to own the reputation that has been thrust upon her.
17. MARCH OF THE WITCH HUNTERS - Boq and Citizens of Oz
Affected by the smear campaign conducted by Madame Morrible and the Wizard, the Ozians set out to find the supposedly wicked Witch. They are ignorant of Elphaba's attempts to save the Animals.
18. FOR GOOD - Glinda and Elphaba
Glinda and Elphaba, whose friendship has been tested by circumstances and by the challenges of their relationship with Fiyero, find a way to see beyond their issues and feel their mutual love. They sing to each knowing "it well may be/that we will never meet again/in this lifetime..."
19. FINALE - All
We have come full circle to the melting scene and beyond, but things are not what they seemed when we started. Now we can appreciate the complete shifts that all the characters have gone through except Madame Morrible. It becomes clear why the music takes a slightly mournful tone. It's sad that no one mourns the supposedly "wicked" outcasts who may actually be the most worthy of our praise. It underscores the social message: don't jump too quickly to judge by what you see happening on the surface.

This was my first ever trip to New York City (shocking, after living nearly 20 years in Pennsylvania, a mere three hours away). I went this past Saturday, September 21, with my mom, aunt, and grandmother. We took a bus and were dropped off in Times Square. (I have to admit that I was unimpressed at how congested with people Times Square was, and how narrow the streets seemed to be compared to how it seems on television.) Nonetheless, the play was the best part and very well done. The costumes, stage props, and special effects were very high-tech and elaborate. What impressed me most were the singing voices of Kassebaum and Ellis (my favorite was Ellis in the song “Defying Gravity”). Plus: the dialogue is very comical and I loved the subtle references to Dorothy and "The Wizard of Oz." Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this play as my first Broadway experience and hope to see many more in the city.

Visit Wicked's Official Site

(Pictures-- Top: aaplausetickets.com Middle: tickettransaction.com)

Subtitles in Film: To Read or Not to Read?

I usually avoid subtitled films, mostly because I think having to read the screen takes away from the beautiful visuals of a film. However, this school year, I have watched two foreign films. The first was an Israeli/Egyptian film called “The Band’s Visit,” released in 2007, and 2002’s “L’Auberge Espagnole.” These films were fitting for my cultural diversity and French classes, respectively, and I thought both were excellent and unique pieces of cinema, but I could not help but be distracted by having to read the English subtitles in order to understand the films.

I decided to do a Google search to see if there had been any studies done about people’s feelings toward subtitles in films. I mostly found blogs and forum discussions on the subject, and the results varied based on personal preference. Nonetheless, some shared my feelings. User “Achtung” from a British Digital Spy forum said, “I sometimes come across a foreign film which looks interesting, I really can't get into it because I don't know what they're saying. The subtitles really distract from the visuals because you're reading them and you can't at the same time take note of everything that's going on. Your eye is taken away from the action. Communication is not always in what is said (or what you're having to read in the case of subtitles) but it's in facial expressions, the mood etc.” Some commenters have even gone so far to say that they have seen people demand refunds for subtitled films. Not liking subtitles can be attributed to laziness. “Somathus” from Yahoo! Answers said, “[People] are watching the movie to relax and don’t want to be ‘bothered’ by having to read.”

On the flip side, “redfoxkid2” from Yahoo! Answers says that he doesn’t mind subtitles because “after about 10 minutes you start thinking that they are speaking English (or whatever language is being subbed).” “Carolus,” also from Yahoo!, says that she “[ puts] on the foreign audio just to work [her] brain a bit.” Quite a few users mention that they like subtitles because the actors’ voices are still present.

While the consensus about subtitles is still unclear—there seems to be an equality in favoring the use of it or not—many commenters and myself agree: filmgoers would rather see subtitles in foreign films than have a movie be dubbed in English. (Think those horrible Asian kung-fu movies in which the audio and the actors’ lips move at painfully different paces.) Digital Spy user “Mark A” even likens dubbing to the “[reduction] of a work of art into an episode of ‘Scooby Doo.’”

I enjoy a diverse group of film genres, so maybe I’ll rethink subtitled foreign films.

(Pictures: www.biosstars.com (L'Auberge) and thebandsvisit.com (The Band's Visit)

Movie of the Week: 'Get Smart'

First Released: June 20, 2008
DVD Release: December 2008
Director: Peter Segal
Main Characters: Maxwell Smart/Agent 86 (Steve Carrell)
Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway)
The Chief (Alan Arkin)
Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson)
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for rude humor, action violence, and some language

“Get Smart” is a spy spoof movie based off of a 1960s television show that had Don Adams as the original Maxwell Smart, and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. The character of Maxwell Smart is a secret agent for an operative known as CONTROL. He is also a simple, bumbling man whose only job well done is making comical gaffes while on a mission. While this is the second television show-turned movie adaptation I have seen this month (see “Sex and the City,” below), I approached this movie with the same skepticism that I have with many of these types of adaptations; that even though it may try hard to keep all of the show’s original elements, the modernized approach inevitably leaves behind some of the beauty of the original. This, I feel, was the fate of “Get Smart.”

I am by no means an expert on the 1960s show, but I have seen a few episodes and know the basic gist of it (not to mention, I was a huge fan of “Inspector Gadget” as a child, a cartoon in which Don Adams voiced the title character). The premise of the film version is simple: a group of bad guys, known as KAOS, is up to no good, and it is up to the agents at CONTROL to stop them from causing destruction. A trip to an international locale (in this case, Russia) ensues to try to track down the bad guys. Because he is a newly appointed agent, Smart makes some funny rookie mistakes, much to the chagrin of his more competent and street- savvy partner, Agent 99. Max finally gets serious enough to stop the bad guys and also gets the girl in the end. The film has a pretty standard plot.

The element of this film that I did enjoy was the casting. Steve Carrell is a brilliant comedic actor and is perfect for the self-deprecating humor that is required to play Maxwell Smart (see his films “Dan in Real Life,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and his television show, “The Office.”) Also good are Anne Hathaway as the sexy, stealthy straight woman Agent 99 to Carrell’s Smart, and Alan Arkin, who is all business as The Chief. The role of macho, haughty Agent 23 was perfect for Dwayne Johnson (for those who don’t know, Johnson’s more famous persona is that of wrestler “The Rock”). CONTROL’s gadget techs Bruce (Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence) were also cute additions.

While the cast worked well together, I felt that the movie as a whole could have seen less action and been focused a little more on the characters. While all of the popular elements of the show like the cone of silence and the shoe phone were present, the film relied too much on big explosions and a nail-biting “missed it by that much” duel between Smart and Agent 23 on a train. If those elements had been toned down, and more of Smart’s attempts at suaveness had been shown, the spirit of the original could have been better captured.

I also felt that Agent 99 was almost too serious. I know she is supposed to be better put together than Smart, but she seemed almost annoyed at his blunders. To me, Max should be approached as an unintentional comedian, almost a “love me for my clumsiness” kind of guy.

“Get Smart” had many funny lines and plenty of Maxwell Smart’s signature pratfalls, but relied too much on the “forty years later, forty years greater” high tech updates.

I give “Get Smart” *** out of ****

(picture: www.cinemablend.com)

Next up: A look at subtitles in foreign films.

Movie Treasures: 'Some Like it Hot'

Release Year: 1959
Director: Billy Wilder
Main characters: Sugar Kane Kowalcyzk (Marilyn Monroe)
Joe/ Josephine (Tony Curtis)
Jerry/Daphne (Jack Lemmon)
Runtime: 2 hours
Rated: not rated

I first watched “Some Like it Hot” in a class I had last year that focused on classic films, called Hidden Treasures of a Bygone Era. I took it not only for my love of films, but because before that, I was ashamed to say that I had not seen many classic films. In the class, we watched many films by legendary actors, such as Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Even more ashamedly, I will admit that I found many of the movies to be slow moving and sleep inducing (especially “Casablanca.” I know. How bad of me.) When we got to watching “Some Like it Hot,” I was a little skeptical. I mean, how many movies had been released with men dressed in drag? I can name “White Chicks,” “Big Momma’s House,” and John Travolta in last year’s “Hairspray” just for a few. The American Film Institute had also rated the film the number one comedy in its “100 Years, 100 Laughs” listing. It was hard for me to believe that a film made nearly 50 years ago could be considered funny enough compared to some of today’s more risqué movies. When I was finished with the film, I realized how wrong I had been to pre-judge this amazing movie.

The movie opens in Chicago in 1929. Two struggling musicians, Joe and Jerry, are looking for work. One night they must go to a show in another town and need to borrow Joe’s girlfriend’s car, which is in the garage. At the garage, they mistakenly happen upon a mob group, headed by a man known as Little Bonaparte (Nehemiah Persoff). The mob shoots everyone in the garage, but Jerry and Joe, who must run away because they are now marked witnesses. (It is later revealed that the shooting was the Valentine’s Day Massacre.) The two decide to disguise themselves as women and join an all-women’s band that is traveling to Florida. They decide to call themselves Josephine and Daphne.

On the train to Florida, “Josephine” and “Daphne” meet a young woman named Sugar Kane, who has also run away from the male bands that she used to perform with. She is beautiful, and also a little ditzy, and both Joe and Jerry fall head over heels for her, but struggle with their disguises and not to reveal they are really men. Along the way, many capers ensue as the men are dressed as women, most especially entertaining is a subplot involving Jerry, dressed as Daphne, and “her” relationship with an elderly millionaire named Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown). In the meantime, the mob has managed to locate their hotel, and much of the end of the movie deals with “the girls” trying to dodge getting “rubbed out.”

Overall, this movie provides fast-paced comedy and charming dialogue and characters. I also love the infamous end line when Daphne finally reveals that she is a man to Osgood (who had proposed marriage to her), who says “Well, nobody’s perfect.” Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are an amazing comic duo and Marilyn Monroe impressively displayed her niche as the flirty seductress in her songstress character Sugar. (I rushed to put the three songs she sings in the movie “I Wanna be Loved by You,” “I’m Through with Love,” and “Runnin’ Wild” on my iPod.)

The movie may have a simple plot, but it is definitely evident of its classical notoriety. I can easily give **** out of ****

Fun Fact: Marilyn Monroe also recorded a song called “Some Like it Hot,” but it was not included in the movie. Listen to the song here, which also has some clips of the film, and stills from the set. (This video plays the song twice.)

(thanks to soundtrackcollector.com for the picutre)

Next Up: Movie of the Week: 'Get Smart.'

America, Just Who is Russell Brand?

“He came, he swore, but he failed to conquer” was how the United Kingdom’s The Times media correspondent Patrick Foster described Russell Brand’s stind as host of this past Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards.

In the UK, Russell Brand is a well-known name. According to another Times article by Michael Moran, Brand was first noticed at a British talent competition in 2000. Since then he has been featured on numerous television shows in Britain, like “Big Brother.” He also has had several presenting jobs, one for an indie rock radio station, and one for MTV Europe. He was fired from both after only a short time because of some off-color on-air stunts. Moran notes that on the day after the September 11 attacks, Brand came to work dressed as Osama Bin Laden. In his autobiography My Booky Wook (not yet released in the United States), Brand said that he regularly smoked heroin during those days.

Brand’s style of humor touched a nerve with American audiences on Sunday’s awards show. In his opening monologue, he urged Americans to vote for Barack Obama and referred to President Bush as a “retarded cowboy” who “would not be trusted with a pair of scissors” in England. He also took several jabs at the tween sensation rock group, The Jonas Brothers and their choice to wear purity rings as a symbol of not wanting to have pre-marital sex.

Brand’s humor also made other celebrities uncomfortable. Before she presented the award for Best Hip Hop Video, season six “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks shot back with this rebuttal:




Brand later apologized on air for his Jonas Brothers comments:




Though Brand’s appearance may be hard to swallow visually—Moran says his personal style “[evokes] the notion of Dickens’ Artful Dodger auditioning for The Cure,” Americans should not dismiss Brand’s awkward VMA gig (as well as his prior indiscretions) as his last hurrah in this country. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance as rocker Aldous Snow in the film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (see review below) and look forward to seeing him reprise his role in 2009 in Judd Apatow’s “Get Him to the Greek.” And, as Brand said, “my persona don’t [sic] really work without fame. Without fame, this haircut could be mistaken for mental illness.”

P.S. According to sfgate.com, the Jonas Brothers have forgiven Brand’s comments, and seeing them for what they really are—comedy. Youngest brother Nick told BBC’s Radio 1: "For us it's cool to see that he recognizes we are gentleman. ...I think he did a good job. We saw him on Conan O'Brien and thought he was hilarious."

*Thanks to mtv.com for the videos.

*To read the full featured articles:

-Americans Not Sold on Russell Brand's Brand of Humour

-Just Who is Russell Brand?

(picture: the Associtated Press, via seattlepi.com)

Next Up: Movie Treasures: "Some Like it Hot"

Movie of the Week: 'Sex and the City'

First Released: May 30, 2008
DVD Release: September 23, 2008
Director: Michael Patrick King
Main Characters: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker)
Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall)
Charlotte York (Kristin Davis)
Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon)
Runtime: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Rated: R for strong sexuality, nudity, and language

“Sex and the City” was originally a television show that ran on HBO from 1998 to 2004. Fans had been clamoring for a full-length movie of the show right after it had gone off the air. However, reports were rampant about a supposed feud between stars Parker and Cattrall over salary and billing. Alas, all of the original actresses agreed to reprise their characters and a movie was finally made. Fans rejoiced: the movie opened at number one and made over $150 million worldwide, according to rottentomatoes.com. However, Rotten Tomatoes also noted that critics were divided in their thoughts of the film, as the website’s meter rated the movie at only 51 percent positive.

I will admit that I was a little weary about seeing this film, especially since I had never seen the HBO show. (HBO was never subscribed to at home, and even though the show can now be seen on cable, I have never paid much attention to it.) Mostly, the entire premise of the show never really appealed to me. The fact that it was about four women who are only slightly younger than my mother (or, in Samantha’s case, slightly older) sitting around talking about their sex capades frankly disturbed me. Watching this film in its entirety, the elements of graphic nudity and sexuality were hard to stomach. This is not because of the women’s ages, but because this does not add anything to the film. Some fans may find this type of voyeurism a guilty pleasure, but if this is all the show (and movie) has to offer, it is not a very valid contribution to the world of media.

The other issue I took with these women is how vapid and materialistic they are. Aside from their sex talks and endless whining about the state of their love lives, all they seem to do is go shopping, and between that, name-drop designer labels and swoon over the size of their clothes closets. (The movie prominently featured a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown, a Louis Vuitton handbag and copious amounts of Christian Laboutin and Manolo Blahnik shoes, the latter of which was supposedly a show staple and catapulted the label into the public lexicon.)I mean, a 40-something woman carrying around a pink rhinestone-encrusted cell phone? I could not help but roll my eyes.

The element of the film I did enjoy was the friendship that the four women shared. For instance, they were all very supportive of Carrie when her long-anticipated marriage to “Mr. Big” (Chris Noth) fell through. Everyone should have a group of close friends that they can share everything with.

Overall, this is a good film to see with your girlfriends for a fun time without having to think too much about the plot.

I give “Sex and the City” **1/2 out of ****

(thanks to collider.com (top) and ign.com (bottom) for the pictures.)
Next Up: MTV VMA host Russell Brand

'Catch Me if You Can' and the Real Frank Abagnale

Release Year: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Main Characters: Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks)
Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Christopher Walken)
Runtime: 2 hours, 21 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for language and some sexual content

“Catch Me if You Can” (yet another DVD in my collection) has intrigued me since I first saw it in the theater nearly six years ago. The movie is based on the story of the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. and the way he conned the world from millions of dollars (by passing fraudulent checks) and by portraying a Pan-Am airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, to name some of his phony professions, all before the age of 19.
According to the portrayal in the movie (set in the 1950s and 60s), Frank was sixteen when his parents divorced, due to the tension caused by his father’s tax frauds. Frank is torn apart when he is asked to decide which parent to live with that he runs away and soon after begins his live as a con man.
Frank’s savvy comes from his ability to smooth talk the people he cons. He is helped along the way most by some well-meaning but naïve young ladies, whom he very evidently charms the socks right off of. (The real Frank must be quite the ladies man, if they got the always charming Leonardo DiCaprio to play him.)

A real cat- and- mouse game begins when the FBI agent from the check fraud department, Carl Hanratty (played entertainingly by Hanks), gets wind of the paper trail Frank leaves behind and begins his pursuit. Frank manages to elude him for several years (again, managing to con Hanratty into believing he is someone else). After many attempts to escape, Frank is caught in France in 1969.
At the end of the film, we learn that the real Frank was released from jail, has been married for over 20 years, is still friends with the FBI agent that caught him, and, get this, is now a legitimate millionaire with his own business in which he creates un-forgeable checks.

Since the movie is based on Abagnale’s autobiography of the same name, I wanted to see how much of the movie was based on the actual events. I recommend watching the movie and then checking out this Q&A.

Was the FBI Agent played by Tom Hanks a real person?
No, there is no real Carl Hanratty, Tom Hanks revealed in an interview. There was an agent who was Frank's main contact, but a lot of FBI agents helped catch Abagnale.


Did Frank really escape a VC10 jetliner by removing the toilet and climbing down beneath it, eventually escaping through a hatch onto the tarmac?

The event is in Frank's 1981 memoir, but airline experts say it is impossible. "The entire system is sealed," says Skip Jones of the Aerospace Industries Association.
"No matter what happens in there, you can't get into the rest of the airplane." Payload systems engineer Alan Anderson explains that the toilets are mounted on top of tanks that weigh over 100 pounds, and even if he manage to undo the toilet, he would have to crawl through a pipe four inches in diameter. "A person would have to be pretty small, and it would be messy," says Anderson.

Why did he do it?

Only Frank Abagnale, Jr. can answer this question, and in an interview he said the following, "It begins with my parents’ divorce and its dramatic effect on me. I ran away and suddenly found myself a teenager alone in the world. I had to grow up very quickly and become very creative in order to survive. But what started out as survival became more and more of a game. I was an opportunist, so when I saw an opening I asked myself, ‘Could I get away with that?’ Then there was the satisfaction of actually getting away with it. The more I got away with, the more of a game it became—a game I knew I would ultimately lose, but a game I was going to have fun playing until I did."

Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and Frank Abagnale, Jr.

Check out Frank Abagnale's business website

(thanks to soundtrackcollector.com (top) and catchingthefrog.com (bottom) for the pictures)

Next Up: Movie of the Week "Sex & the City"

Issues in Film: 'Juno' and teen pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy has been an issue for the ages; all generations have seen it happen. Many people probably have stories to tell about the subject, whether they themselves were teen mothers, or that someone close to them is. While the issue is nothing new, our society has seen a so-called “glamorization” recently, especially with the release of the 2007 movie Juno. In it, a sixteen year old girl named Juno gets pregnant by her friend Paulie (whom she didn’t even consider to be her boyfriend). While the character of Juno was not ecstatic at being pregnant, other elements of the film, most especially the unique lingo that Juno and her friends use, made it a trendy film. The movie was also widely praised by critics and screenwriter Diablo Cody received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Around the time of Juno’s release, TV actress Jamie Lynn Spears, then sixteen, became pregnant by her eighteen year old boyfriend. Last year, seventeen students at a Gloucester, Massachusetts, school. After suspicion arose as to why so many girls were going to the school clinic to find out they were pregnant, school officials found out that the girls had formed a “pregnancy pact” to get pregnant at the same time and raise their babies together, according to a June 18 TIME magazine article by Kathleen Kingsbury. Most recently, it was revealed that Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s seventeen year old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. Palin was just picked by Republican presidential hopeful John McCain to be his vice president.
With so much media coverage about teen pregnancies, it may be hard for parents to broach the subject with their teens in the best way. Here, in an excerpt from a September 2 article from the Houston Chronicle by Maggie Galehouse and Corilyn Shropshire, experts discuss how to have a “frank talk” about sex.

First, get over being mortified by the prospect of talking about the sex and just do it.

Parents should acknowledge that sex is a tough and embarrassing topic for everyone involved and move on, said Robert Sanborn, chief executive officer and president of Children At Risk, a nonprofit children's research and advocacy group.

Providing children with information about sex and its ramifications will help them make good decisions and go a long way toward preventing unwanted pregnancies, he said.

Frank talk about sex does not have to be political.

"What can we all agree on?" asked Rochelle Tafolla, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. "Most people can agree that 17- or 15-year-old girls getting pregnant is not what anyone wants. We all know the things that can happen. We also know the outcomes for the child aren't very good. They're not as likely to finish school or earn as much."

The sex talk many parents dread should really be an ongoing conversation that starts when children are very young, Tafolla said.

"It begins with using the right words for anatomy," she said. "You don't say, 'That's your wee-wee or pee-pee.' You use the proper words for private areas, so that from a young age children are able to say 'This is my body. I know the right words for it. And I'm in charge of it.' You want to be talking about it when kids are 5, 7, 9. You don't wait until they're 15 or 17."

Films such as Juno and high-profile teen pregnancies — Spears, a Nickelodeon star and younger sister of pop singer Britney, sparked an intense national debate on the topic earlier this year — gave parents a perfect opportunity to talk about sex with their children.

A presidential campaign now provides another one.

"This is a teachable moment — use it," said Julie Crowe, manager of intervention services for Depelchin Children's Center in Houston.

Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, wonders if Americans — parents and nonparents alike — should also use this opportunity to take a hypocrisy test.

"How do you respond to the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears and how do you respond to the pregnancy of this young woman?" asked Thompson. "One is a public figure; the other is the daughter of a politician. Did you judge those two on a different basis?"

Individually, parents should be prepared to define their own values and expectations to their kids, Tafolla said. Parents should ask themselves: What are my personal values? What is the value system of our family? Is it based on faith? Is my expectation that my child will remain abstinent until marriage or abstinent for as long as he or she can?

Bristol Palin's pregnancy also gives parents an opportunity to pose questions to their children, said Cindy Hearne, a Houston psychologist in private practice. Parents should ask their children how they think pregnancy happens and then ask what their life would be like if it were to happen to them."

It's important to emphasize that they should feel free to come back and talk about it later," said Hearne, preferably before they become sexually active or become pregnant.

(thanks to movieposterdb.com for the picture)

Next Up: Catch Me if You Can's real Frank Abagnale

Featured Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

I’ll admit that when "There Will Be Blood" was released in December of last year, I did not know much about its star, Daniel Day-Lewis. I had only previously seen him in "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," which I had only wanted to see because of Paul Dano, whom I loved in "Little Miss Sunshine." I went back and re-watched Ballad (it’s part of my DVD collection), I fell in love with Day-Lewis’s character. (He plays Jack, a sickly father who lives on an abandoned commune in an island off the coast of the United States with his sixteen year old daughter, Rose [Camilla Belle]. When Jack brings a woman and her two sons to come live with them, Rose takes it badly and he wonders why he ever chose a life of isolation for himself and his daughter.)

Nevertheless when I found out that "There Will Be Blood" was starring both Dano and Day-Lewis, I was excited to see it. Because I was in school, I didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters, but when it was released on DVD, I bought it for my collection straight away.

In "Blood," Day-Lewis plays (appropriately, for these times) a money-hungry oil tycoon named Daniel Plainview. His performance won him his second Oscar for best actor in a leading role (his first having been for 1989’s "My Left Foot") this past February.

Day-Lewis is known for his method acting, a style in which he dives deep into the character and does not leave it for the entirety of filming. I found this press release that discussed his roles and acting style.

Less is more for acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis
Feb 24, 2008
HOLLYWOOD (AFP) — Quality not quantity has been the dominant theme for Daniel Day-Lewis during a career that has seen him carve out a reputation as one of the finest actors of his generation.

Day-Lewis, who won the best actor Oscar Sunday for playing a tyrannical oil prospector in "There Will Be Blood," is renowned for the selectiveness and intense research with which approaches each of his roles.

The 50-year-old actor has made only eight films in the nearly 20 years since he gained international stardom for his astonishing Oscar-winning performance as a man born with cerebral palsy in "My Left Foot."

Without exception, however, Day-Lewis has immersed himself in each of his film roles to a degree that has become legendary.

Often during films Day-Lewis chooses to remain in character off-set, living and breathing the part of his on-screen persona 24 hours a day.

For 1989's "My Left Foot" he insisted on staying in his character's wheelchair during the shoot to the consternation of crew members forced to carry him above or around camera cables and lighting.

In 1992's historical epic "Last of the Mohicans", Day-Lewis buffed up and learnt to live off the land as his character had done.

For Martin Scorsese's period drama "The Age of Innocence," Day-Lewis reportedly donned 1870s garb and spent several weeks wandering around New York to get into character.

Also in 1993, Day-Lewis shed several pounds to play an Irishman wrongfully convicted of an IRA pub bombing in "In The Name of the Father."

Day-Lewis ordered crew members to verbally abuse him and throw cold water over him during the making of the film.

Day-Lewis, who rarely gives interviews and generally eschews the trappings of celebrity, is reluctant to talk about the madness in his method.

"Considering the way that I work very often, I do feel I've been soundly misrepresented so many times that there's almost no point in even talking about it," he said in a recent interview.

"But people tend to focus on the details of the preparation -- the practical details in this clinic or that prison and so on and so forth.

"For me, as much as that work is a vital part of it and always fuel to one's fascination, one's curiosity, the principal work is always in the imagination."

During the making of his next film, 1996's adaptation of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", Day-Lewis met his wife, Rebecca Miller, the daughter of the legendary late American playwright.
Day-Lewis was to make one more film -- 1997's "The Boxer" -- before retreating into a mysterious five-year break from acting that has been the subject of intense speculation.
The most widely reported version of events is that Day-Lewis spent part of the period living in Italy learning to become shoemaker in exchange for teaching a cobbler how to act. Whatever the truth, Day-Lewis has studiously avoided talking about the period.

Once asked what he had done during those years, Day-Lewis replied: "Different things. Some of which I've resolutely chosen not to speak about."

Day-Lewis returned with a vengeance in 2002, teaming with Scorsese once again to play the murderous Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting in "Gangs of New York," a role that earned him his third Oscar nomination.

A further appearance in the drama "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" in which he was directed by his wife, came in 2005, before Day-Lewis re-emerged to link with director Paul Thomas Anderson in "There Will Be Blood."

Day-Lewis was born in 1957 to Cecil Day-Lewis, then Britain's poet laureate, and Jill Balcon, an actress whose father Sir Michael Balcon ran London's legendary Ealing film studios.
He dropped out of school at 13 for his first film, an uncredited bit part in "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," then began to seriously hone his acting skills -- first at the Bristol Old Vic, then with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 1982 he reappeared on the silver screen in the epic "Gandhi," but he really made his name three years later in two very different films: "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "A Room with a View."

In the low-budget "Laundrette," he played a gay punk in Thatcher-era south London who goes into the coin-wash business with his Pakistani boyfriend.

In the Merchant-Ivory "A Room with a View," he portrayed a hopelessly proper fiance in early 20th century Edwardian England.

In 1987 he clinched his first starring role opposite French actress Juliette Binoche in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," director Philip Kaufman's adaptation of the Milan Kundera novel.

(Less is More for Acting Legend Daniel Day-Lewis)

Here are the theatrical trailers for There Will Be Blood and The Ballad of Jack and Rose

(thanks to afp.google.com for the picutre)

Next up: Focus on "Juno" and teen pregnancy

Movie of the Week: 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

First released: April 18, 2008
DVD release: September 30, 2008
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Main characters: Peter Bretter (Jason Segel)
Sarah Marshall (Kristin Bell)
Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis)
Aldous Snow (Russell Brand)
Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Rated: R for nudity, sexual content and language

Touted as a movie from “the guys who brought you 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up,'” "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is another production of the ubiquitous Judd Apatow, who in this film plays the role of producer. (Apatow’s other recent releases include "Pineapple Express" and "Superbad.")

Like most Apatow films, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"’s main character is a lovable loser who has some sort of trouble in his love life. In this case, it’s Peter Bretter (Segel) whose five- year relationship with Sarah Marshall (Bell) has just ended because she admitted to cheating on him. (Sarah is a TV actress who stars in a sexually charged crime show that spoofs "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and for which Peter writes the musical score.) Heartbroken and depressed, Peter mopes around the house until his brother Brian (played by "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bill Hader) suggests that Peter go to Hawaii to get away. As he is checking into his hotel, however, he finds that Sarah is staying at the same hotel with her new lover, moody British rocker Aldous Snow (played hilariously and eccentrically by British comedian Brand).
After seeing Aldous and Sarah together everywhere, Peter tries desperately to get over Sarah and falls under the spell of Rachel (Kunis) who runs the front desk at the hotel. But when Adlous proves to be more of a stud than a long- lasting love to Sarah, she starts realizing what she may have left behind in Peter.

What is most unique about many of the films that Apatow is associated with is the representation of the male lead. In short: men can be hurt by relationship woes, too. In many other movies, female leads are torn apart and miserable by the callous men that leave them and then flaunt their affairs. Some even go to their exes and beg to be ttaken back. "Sarah Marshall" is a total role reversal. According to the imdb.com trivia section for the movie, Jason Segel, who also wrote the screenplay, said many of the scenarios in the movie were based off of a real break-up that he had. It is in this experience that we can really feel for Peter’s plight. We can be glad when he finally begins to forget Sarah Marshall.

Overall, this is a witty film accented by the hilarious supporting cast, which also includes Apatow staple actors Jonah Hill, who plays a waiter named Matthew that is a super fan of Aldous’s, and Paul Rudd, who plays a loopy surf instructor named Chuck . Also funny are some of the islanders that Peter meets.

Though there are some gratuitous elements of crude humor and full-frontal nudity of the male variety (although the breakup that Segel based the film on apparently involved him being nude when it happened), the movie recovers with the hilarious cast of characters.

I give Forgetting Sarah Marshall ***1/2 of ****

IMDb’s page for the movie

(thanks to reelmovienews.com for the picture)

Next up: The featured actor, Daniel Day-Lewis