the workings of a tv/movie nerd.

hi, sorry that i have been away from my blog for so long, it is just that it has been hard to maintain it as i have had so much schoolwork.so i have decided to do a blog post on the three films that i am anxiously awaiting this year:

1. My Sister’s Keeper:

I read this book a few months ago and really enjoyed it, since then i have been following the news about the film, I’m quite happy with the cast, I think the choice of Sofia Vassilieva was great casting for Kate fitzgerald, i have seen her in the show Medium and she shows great promuise. Obviously Abigail Breslin was a great choice for Anna, as she has already proved in various films that she has great strength in her performances. I think the casting of Cameron Diaz was quite wierd and i wouldnt have put her in the role but I wont judge until I have seen it. I also have to mention Evan Ellingson as the older brother of both sisters, Jesse. I have only seen him in a few films but he has always been great so I’m sure he will do a great job of the role. I look forward to the film. The film releases in Australia on July 30th.

2. The Lovely Bones:

This film is the one that is annoying me the most in relation to the release date, which is on boxing day, 26th december. I am really looking forward to this movie, again because I have read the book and was both happy and sad reading it. It had same great moments, but is also quite a dark novel. The film is directed by the one and only Peter Jackson of King Kong, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The main character Susie Salmon, will be played by Saoirse Ronan, most people will remember her from Atonement as the younger sister. I thought the casting of the parents was intereting, the role of Jack Salmon, the father, was originally slated to be played by Ryan Gosling, I thought this was quite odd because 1 he is too young to play the father and 2 he was not who I expected to play him. At the last minute Gosling dropped out of the film, due to differences in opinion. The role was later filled by Mark Whalberg, who i am extremely in love with and love him as an actor, so naturally I was happy about this change of casting, I also thought he better suited the role. The character of the mother, Abigail Salmon is played by Rachel Weisz, who i dont exactly love, as i find her characters really boring in films, anyway i wont judge yet. Overall I think the casting looks great and am anxiously awaiting the release.

3. The Road:

This is my 3rd film that I have been following for a longggg time, I read the book about a year ago, but recently read it again, I have seen many promotional pictures for the film and just yesterday watched the trailer for it. I thought the trailer was very intriguing and cant wait too see what they have done to the destroyed world in the film. The book was very emotional for me, extremely sad and a great father/son relationship. The Father will be played by Viggo Mortenson, who I think is a great choice as he is actually someone that i could picture as him. The son is an important character throughout the duration of the novel, and they really needed to pick a boy who could in some respects carry the film, and they have succeeded in doing this, they cast Kodi Smit-Mcphee, from the film Romulus my Father, and he is a young australian actor. He had a great performance in Romulus, and is really a unique talent, cant wait to see him in The Road.  I’m not sure of the release date but it will be some time between october and november of this year.

Race to Witch Mountain:

Race to Witch Mountain is a re-imagining of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain.  It tells the story of a Las Vegas cabbie who enlists the help of a UFO expert to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.

Former Vegas crime boss wheelman and current down-on-his-luck cab driver Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) winds up on the adventure of a lifetime when he unwittingly agrees to transport two young kids, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig), to a remote location in the Nevada desert. Upon discovering the children’s true identity, and their monumental mission to save Earth, Jack enlists the aid of UFO specialist Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino) to help the kids reach their final destination of Witch Mountain, a top secret government testing facility. Promising to help Sara and Seth accomplish their quest, Jack and Alex must fend off the forces of evil, including a ruthless government agent (Ciaran Hinds) and a murderous juggernaut cyborg intent on eliminating anyone who stands in its way.

I actually saw this film about a week ago now with a few of my friends and although I had higher expectations of it, it delievered a somewhat entertaining atmosphere, with decent characters, fun action seqences and not suprisingly and suprisingly good acting. I have to admit before seeing this film there had been a few decent reviews so I had sort of built up a good profile of it in my mind. All I can say is that it didnt quite get there but I gained a better understanding of the talent in the film.

Ever since watching Bridge to Terabithia I have been quite amazed at the talent that is ever so present in AnnaSophia Robb and although the film wasnt the best, she makes it worthwhile, she is beleivable in her character Sara and strives to make her character likable, which she does well, (aside from the phrase JACK BRUNO every two seconds), In my eyes she defienelty has a future in the film industry and every step she takes, she is opening up more oppurtunites, loved her in it. Ever since the the dreaded “The Seeker” Im sure almost everyone has given Alexander Ludwig a hard time, Im here to tell you its not his fault, bad script, not sticking to the book, NOT HIS FAULT, in this film he proved to me that he was an actor that is continuing to grow, just needs to choose better films. Lastly I wanted to talk about ‘Not the rock’ Dwayne Johnson, I thought that he did really well in this role, and although many people give him a hard time about the roles he chooses, he is becoming a much more confident actor.

Overall I thought this film was a fun, entertaining, action driven, likable film, and I know people are going to compare it to the original, Ive decided against doing this. 3.5 out of 5, suitable for all ages.

Knowing:

Knowing tells the story of a teacher who opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions — some that have already occurred and others that are about to — that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

From the trailers of Knowing you’d be convinced that you’re going to watch a cheesy, try to save the world picture with a wound tight Nicolas Cage at the center gritting his teeth and ducking his way to the perfect ending. Well, you’d be partially correct. Cage is definitely giving his wound tight hero routine that he’s worked so hard to develop over the last half dozen films. As for the cheese factor, that’s where you’ll be surprised. Director Alex Proyas manages to deliver a rather decent sci-fi flick that has plenty of suspense and intelligence.

I saw this with a couple of my guy best friends, and was actually quite impressed, although it confused me at times, I found it quite a compelling story, one that is worth watching. I admit that although this seemed missable to me when seeing the trailer advertised I changed my view of it after seeing it. I know that there are a lot of either Cage haters or Cage lovers, well for me I would have to say that I have a love/hate relationship, on the one hand I love him because he comes from a long line of family members who are beyond awesome, and on the other hand I dont particularly like him because he’s always doing films that I hate, this wasnt one of them.

“Knowing” is different from your mindless popcorn thrillers because it isn’t mindless. It’s sometimes thought provoking and triggers a variety of emotions from the viewer. The film is funny when it needs to be, after having watch a very disturbing scene. The action scenes are amazing, some cringe-worthy, in a good way, actually, because it’s not just “Wow. Cool special effects,” although there really are some top notch effects, but because they are very hard to watch.

The Film has some very decent performances, Nicholas Cage (hate saying this) wasnt that bad, he has a few moments that just had me rolling my eyes, but thats just me, go and make your own opinion of him, a person who I was very Impressed with was young actor Chandler Cantebury who portrayed Cage’s son Caleb, he brought a lot of strength and depth to his role and so really levelled with his a lot of the time, and for such a young actor, he did a great job.

I just HAVE to say it because I’m an aussie and most of this was filmed in melbourne, (im from melbourne). I really enjoyed being able to say to my friends in the film , hey look its flinders st, I have to admit that was preety cool. It was quite funny actually because one of my friends didnt even notice and when I told him he was all like, ‘I wouldnt of even noticed if you hadnt of told me’. If your australian go see it purely for this, its quite cool.

I though the film was a cool sci fi/action that anyone would enjoy (even if your not too fond of Cage), give it a try, never hurt anyone, 3 out of 5.

Hi fellow film and tv lovers, very very very sorry that i havnt uploaded in a while but i have been very busy, i will now be uploading a post every two weeks, thanks for all the support.

Hey fellow film buffs,

so its getting close to christmas and im sure
everyone has there favourite holiday films
that they like to sit down and watch, well
basically last year i shared with you some of
my favourite christmas movies, but for
people that are trying to find something good
to watch this christmas, look no further.

I have put together a list of some films that
i think people would enjoy watching this
christmas, check them out:

Its a Wonderful Life (classic)
A Christmas Story
Silver Bells
White Christmas
Meet Me in St Louis
Home Alone Series (you may have seen
them already, but come on you know
you want to)

Heres a few silly but good ones:
The Grinch
Christmas With the Kranks
Elf
Fred Clause
The Santa Clause.

Enjoy your holiday season everyone!

P.S Dont forget to comment and let me
know your christmas favourites.

YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

well thats just about enough excitement for me I think, any how as you might have noticed, I am quite excited that Supernatural is returning in less than a day, it comes back thursday 18th on the CW. This will kick start the premiere of season 4!, wow Its been going on for 3 years.

Lets just get people up to speed onto where Supernatural is up to. So season 3 was all about getting Dean out of his deal with the devil as he only had a year to live. Dean sold his soul to the devil for Sam’s life. And basically season 3 had the same ideas in it, all about saving people from all sorts of different sons of bitches. Ok and in the last episode of season 3 after battling alongside Ruby to some how get Dean out of his deal, they were just a little to late as the last scene is Dean chained up yelling Sam’s name from what looks like hell. SOOOOOOO to sum it all up I really really really cant wait for season 4 and i know there are plenty of people who agree with me.

here are some sneak peek pictures of season 4! Enjoy and Tune In, Thursday 18th on the CW!

Beverly Hills 90210:

Beverly Hills, 90210 was a long-running prime time television drama series popular with young viewers that aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on FOX in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California and attending the fictitious West Beverly Hills High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University. The show was created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling and Spelling Television. The “90210″ in the title refers to one of the city’s postal ZIP codes.

The original premise of the show was based on the adjustment and culture shock that twins Brandon (played by Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty) experienced when they and their parents, Jim and Cindy moved from Wayzata, Minnesota to Beverly Hills. In addition to chronicling the friendships and romantic relationships of a group of close-knit teenagers, the show also addressed topical issues including date rape, alcoholism, domestic violence, gay rights, drug abuse, teenage suicide, AIDS, and teenage pregnancy.

I actually found out about Beverly Hills 90210 when I was looking at Shannen Doherty’s IMDB profile, I was on this because I was interested in what she had worked on besides Charmed and then i found 90210. It seemed interesting and then I read a few reviews that read it as if it was the starting point for teen drama. I decided to ask my parents about it and i found that they knew it well and they thought I would like it. I bought the first season, and preety much after the first episode was hooked. I really enjoyed the relationship between the twins Brandon and Brenda, and as each character made their first appearance I started to really like all the characters for different reasons. I know people tend to really enjoy one character or a few characters out of the series and not like the rest, but I think all of them have their moments. I really enjoyed the parents as well, Jim and Cindy Walsh. Im now up to season 4 of the series and have bought all the season up to four. I think it really was a starting point for teenage drama and is a really good show to get hooked on.

90210:

90210 looks at life through the eyes of Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her brother Dixon Wilson (Tristan Wilds), whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they’re not in Kansas anymore. The Wilson family, including dad Harry Wilson (Rob Estes) and mom Debbie (Lori Loughlin), has relocated to Beverly Hills to keep an eye on Harry’s mother Tabitha (Jessica Walter), a feisty-but-faded former television star and a charter member of the Betty Ford Clinic. For Annie and Dixon, the awkwardness of being the new kids is made worse by the fact that their dad has taken a job as the high school principal. The school is one big culture shock for Annie, a sweet and friendly girl with a passion for the theater, and Dixon, a star athlete and scholar who was adopted by the Wilson family after they took him in as a foster child. Annie and Dixon have a close sibling relationship, which they’ll need to help them cope with all the new cliques and classmates, including Naomi Clark (AnnaLynne McCord), a hot, spoiled, rich girl; Ethan (Dustin Milligan), a popular jock whose abilities rival Dixon’s; Navid (Michael Steger), an aspiring reporter who heads up the school’s daily newscast; and Erin “Silver” Silver (Jessica Stroup), a rebel who produces and stars in a YouTube-type video series. Even the faculty seems hip and sophisticated at WBHHS, such as smart and funny teacher Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold), beautiful guidance counselor Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), and successful theater actress turned high school musical director Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty). The Wilson family has just begun to realize how much their lives are about to change.

Theres not much I can say about this show because it has just been on for a few weeks, but for me so far so good. I thought the Pilot was ok, but it has gotten better in episode 3. I’m very happy that Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty and Joe E. Tata have reprised their roles as Kelly Taylor, Brenda Walsh and Nat from the beloved peach pit. I think the new characters have good potential and the sibling relationship between Annie and Dixon is once again very nice and I really really like the character of Erin ‘Silver’ Silver, she was introduced when she was born in season 3 of Beverly Hills 90210 to Jackie Taylor mother of Kelly Taylor and Mel Silver father of David Silver. I think this show has potential to keep getting better and better, my next wish, I WANT MORE ORIGINAL CAST MEMBERS! Especially Brandon, David and Dylan, oh and Steve.

Gotta love it!

Speed Racer:

Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer – whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X – to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.

I saw Speed Racer on Saturday with 3 of my friends and i have to say that it was’nt completely what i expected but it lived up to what i thought it would be like. The Wachowski brothers have brought us The Matrix films and although Speed Racer is very different from these films i think that it delivers a fun and entertaining 2 hours. The world shown on screen by the Wachowski brothers is marvelous. The animation is perfect for the atmosphere they’re trying to create. Don’t go in expecting Matrix-esquire effects, because there aren’t any bullet time scenes. The effects used are so fitting for this movie because they’re almost cartoonish and the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The film, an adaptation of the long running Japanese anime, revolves around natural racing phenomenon Speed (the wonderful Emile Hirsch) and his family, which somehow includes John Goodman and Susan Sarandon (whoever pulled off this casting deserves some kind of award). Oh yeah, and the casting directors managed to get Matthew Fox and Christina Ricci as well. What really stood out in this area is that everyone involved really understood the characters and the world that Speed Racer is supposed to display. It’s not supposed to be overly serious, nor is it supposed to be that realistic either. With the warm performances of Hirsch, Goodman, and Ricci, you get transported into another world (isn’t that the point of movies anyway?). Matthew Fox is also great as the mysterious Racer X, whose role is sort of misconstrued by the previews. He showed a different side that I didn’t think he could on ‘Lost’.

The visual effects, as I’ve said before, aren’t going to be Matrix-esquire, but there are a few “whoa” factor sequences that had my jaw dropping. I also need to warn you that, if you can’t take fast camera movements or rapid shots, be careful. It’s not as bad as Cloverfield or Blair Witch (because the quickness only occurs in the race sequences), but I’d still try to grab a seat in the middle or back of the theater. The film is visually stunning outside of the races themselves as well. The buildings, the cities, the homes, the cars themselves…all beautiful.

My advice: don’t listen to the critics, see this movie for the fact that it’s pure entertainment for the audience, and it will take you away to a visually stunning world for a couple hours. Definitely an enjoyable movie for the entire family.

Gerry:

A friendship between two twenty-something men is tested to its very limits when they go on a hike in a desert and forget to bring any water or food with them.

There are mixed feelings about this film, especially as to what it is trying to get across. Personally i think that it has no meaning beyond what the viewer ascribes to it, and may range from nothing to cosmic significance. For me what made up Gerry was through visuals, music, sounds and pacing.

The visuals of the vast expanses of desert are entrancing. If you have ever been in an isolated area of a desert, you will understand that this movie captures the sense of mystery, aloneness, and spiritual awareness that so many people experience in that environment. The time-lapse shots of sun, desert, and clouds are highly reminiscent, and equally as effective, as those in “Koyaanisqatsi.”

The music offers perfect augmentation for the meditative frame of mind induced by the desert landscapes. Then we come to the pacing, which is the single issue that divides opinion on this film. You get introduced to this pacing issue in the first five minutes with uninterrupted shots of a car driving along an isolated desert road accompanied by Pärt’s “Spiegel Im Spiegel” (mirror in the mirror). If there is nothing in the opening sequence that appeals to you, then you should bail out and save yourself some time; on the other hand, if you find the opening sequence the least bit appealing, then you might want to stick around.

Whatever you can say about the film, you have to admit that it is unique. Scenes that seem like they should go on for thirty seconds can go on for minutes. At one time I was thinking that, with proper editing, this could make a good thirty minute movie, then I realized that that movie would offer an entirely different experience. For better or worse, the slow pacing is what makes this movie what it is. There is much walking in silence. If you have ever taken long hikes, you will understand the meditative state one can easily slip into by rhythmic tedious walking. I think that capturing that is what is being attempted here – notice how accentuated the sounds of the footsteps are.

Although both Matt Damon and Casey Afflect dont really talk that much throughout the film, i think they used their presence and situation to really do all they could with their characters. To me the characters are very diverse and interesting, and i have to say that i think that Casey Affleck has very much been underrated, but hopefully will get more attention, although after the release of Gone Baby Gone and The Assanation of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford people have recognised him more and more. He is an amazing actor in my opinion.

anyways i like this film but at times it is hard to keep concentrating, but give it a go.