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Mourinho: "We've done very well so far this season"

2011-12-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

Jose Mourinho talked to the press the day before facing Ponferradina at the Bernabeu in the return leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 32.

"The result we earned in the first leg is good, but not definitive. The tie will be left wide open if Ponferradina score first tomorrow and, if their motivation was high at their stadium, I presume it will be even higher at the Bernabeu. They are a quality side that can complicate things for us. I have faith in those of my men who have played less because they've given me reasons to so far. It's not that the others need to rest; these men deserve to play too."

"It's difficult to evaluate at the end of the actual year in football because the new year comes half-way through the season. We've done a good job so far. We top the league table, we've won our six games in the Champions League and also our only match so far in the Copa. We've had six very good months. In another league championship this Real Madrid would easily win the title."

"The most important thing about Benzema is his collaboration and contribution to the team. We've reached an agreement by which we deem it more important for Higuian to have two extra days off because it will make it easier for him to return home. It's easier for Karim to return to France. Higuain played the first leg and the collaboration between both players is good both for the team and for them. They are both scoring goals and collaborating for the team. What matters is that they both feel useful. The competition amongst them is good for us and for them."

"There will be a break for a week, but I'd rather we played because I like giving people what they want. People who love football would like to see the sport being played in the holiday season. The players are artists that give people the show they want. But we adapt to the situation with ease and the players' families also deserve to spend a special week with them. We will train again on 29 December."

"We have 21 outfield players on the squad and I decide who plays depending on the moment, the shape each player is in, the injuries, etc. All my men are healthy and my option is currently to use Xabi Alonso and Lass in midfield because they are doing a very good job. Granero has to keep working. He will play tomorrow; he'll get his chance. He always gives a serious performance, showcasing drive and personality. He is also a Madridista and I expect him to play a serious game."

"It's sometimes important to surprise your opponents. Sevilla expected a different game and another positional number '10' like Kaka and Ozil. They are my number '10s' unless I decide to use someone else due to the nature of the game. Playing Di Maria paid off and both Kaka and Ozil are as happy as those who played the game."

"We must play our matches and only focus on Barcelona when we must face them. We've taken more points in La Liga in all of 2011 than any other side and we've had the best run in the history of the Champions League group stage. We also won the Copa del Rey. Barcelona are a very good team and a direct opponent in every championship we play. I wish to congratulate them for the title they recently won, although I believe winning the Champions League is more impoprtant."

Batman scoops Empire Awards

2009-04-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Batman was the big winner at the 2009 Jameson Empire Awards in London as Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan were honoured for their parts in making Dark Knight, The (2008).

The late Heath Ledger also received a special commemoration award for his life works at the ceremony in London.

Voted for by readers of the monthly film magazine, the awards attracted luminaries such as Tim Burton, Danny Boyle, James McAvoy and Gemma Arterton.

Arterton won best newcomer - a prize for which she had been nominated two years running.

Transformers back again in 2011

2009-03-29T09:58:00.001-07:00

A release date has been announced for the third movie in the Transformers series, three months before the sequel even hits cinema screens.

Paramount says the film will be ready for 1 July 2011.

However, director Michael Bay said on his official website that Paramount have made a "mistake", stating that its release date will be in 2012.

A first sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, is set for a summer release on 24 June.

In a comment posted on Tuesday, Bay said: "I said I was taking off a year from Transformers."

"Paramount made a mistake in dating Transformers 3 - they asked me on the phone - I said yes to 4 July - but for 2012 - whoops! Not 2011!!!"

"That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots."

Chris Brown-Rihanna Duet a Prearrest Project

2009-03-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Chris Brown and Rihanna aren't making new beautiful music together after all.

The producer who recently collaborated with the couple on a possible duet for Brown's upcoming album said Friday that the project is actually a tune they recorded before the singer was busted for allegedly assaulting Rihanna.

Fanning to join Twilight sequel

2009-03-12T18:00:00.001-07:00

Dakota Fanning is to star in New Moon, the sequel to teen vampire film Twilight, it has been confirmed.

The 15-year-old War of the Worlds star will play Jane in the film, a member of the evil Volturi coven of vampires.

In the series of books on which the film is based, Jane is able to manipulate a person's mind to make them believe they are in excruciating pain.

Filming is due to begin at the end of March in Vancouver with the movie scheduled to be released in November.

Robert Pattinson Oscars 2009 Presentation

2009-02-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

Robert Pattinson — Oscars 2009

2009-02-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

Robert Pattinson suits up to attend the 2009 Oscars held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night (February 22).

The 22-year-old Twilight hunk presented a montage of what love looked like in 2008 with Mamma Mia! starlet Amanda Seyfreid.

Hugh Jackman is hosting the 2009 Oscars. Performers for the night also include: Anne Hathaway, Beyoncé, Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens and Amanda Seyfried & Dominic Cooper

Twilight 2

2009-02-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is the second installment of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. In this book, what happens is Bella is celebrating her birthday at edward's house. Edward and his whole family are vampires. Bella was opening her birthday prsent, when she got a paper cut. His whole family almost jumper on her. Ever since than, edward started to feel distant from bella becaus ehe felt that he was responisble for her almost getting hurt.
Soon after he breaks up with her because he feels like it's the best thing to do. He leaves her in the forest heart broken, and she runs to her best from Jacob, who helps heal her heart. She is still in love with edward thought, and she jumps off a cliff in the middle of them book.
Edward finds out what she does, and tries to kill himself because he though that she was dea.
She really wasn't. The ening of the book is just trying to find edward in time before he kills himself. This is a really awsome book, read it, you will love it, i finsihed it in like 2 days.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

2009-02-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Genre : Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Release Date : May 01, 2009

Director : Gavin Hood

Producer : Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter

Screenwriter : David Benioff

Starring :
Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine
Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed / Sabretooth
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool
Lynn Collins
Taylor Kitsch as Remy LeBeau / Gambit
will.i.am as John Wraith
Troye Mellet
Dominic Monaghan as Barnell Bohusk / Beak
Danny Huston
Daniel Henney
Scott Adkins
Kevin Durand
Troye Sivan

Synopsis : Leading up to the events of "X-Men," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Official New Trailer [HD]

2009-02-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Dragonball (2009) & NEW TRAILER HD

2009-02-02T08:24:00.001-08:00

Dragonball (2009)

2009-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Release Date: April 8, 2009
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Running Time: Not available
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: James Wong
Writer: James Wong
Cast: Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, Eriko Tamura, Joon Park, Chow Yun-Fat, Texas Battle, Randall Duk Kim, Ernie Hudson

"Dragonball" is adapted from the manga created by Akira Toriyama; the work was also turned into a Japanese anime series that played all over the world. It tells the story of an alien sent to destroy Earth, who has a change of heart and decides to join the humans in their fight against various aliens and bad guys.

synopsis :
Goku and a handful of friends battle for the Earth against the deadly forces of the Saiyans, who are sweeping across the universe, leaving a path of destruction. Goku and his friends' best chance for survival rests with the Namekian DragonBalls, which provide them the power to summon a mighty dragon.

Knowing

2009-01-23T12:55:00.001-08:00

To know about Knowing is to be informed of an upcoming apocalyptic thriller from a quartet of scribes with a background in Horror (many of the writers worked on 2005’s Boogeyman). However, this is a race against time action-drama starring ubiquitous leading man Nicolas Cage. Cage is Ted Myles, a teacher at his son’s school who uncovers the cryptic messages of a 50-year old document left in a time capsule by a former student there. Myles unearths the idea that the continual existence of Earth as we know it, rests largely in the hands of he and his son. The urgency to decode said messages and possibly save the world is thus agitated to the nth degree. To reveal much more about the plot would put you in the position of, well, knowing too much.

In the capable hands of underrated Director Alex Proyas, we can expect some shocks, twists, and hairpin turns that venture beyond the standard. His comic book adapted film The Crow flew away with some serious loot in ‘94 earning $50mm in domestic receipts, more than 3.5 times its reported budget. Viewers failed to venture into darkened theaters for 1998’s Dark City though, as it earned only about half that total worldwide. Proyas’ biggest earner to date was his most recent effort, 2004’s I, Robot which fought its way to $145mm domestically. Aided by box office royalty in the form of the Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, it was the poorest received by critics (58% Tomatometer) of the films mentioned but it computed a futuristic $347mm worldwide.

The myopic Cage is never one averse to the big screen, feeling you might forget him if he is gone for more than a few months at a time. Despite some airballs he’d like to forget, like last year’s Next ($17mm gross vs. $70mm budget), he still has the backing of studios to get big projects. But he has averaged nearly 3 movies a year in the last decade(!), begging the question whether or not audiences will be tired of him. However, as indicated by his recent National Treasure: Book of Secrets, currently at $220mm domestic and $457mm worldwide, we know he can still draw a crowd.

It’s hard to know whether or not Knowing will triumph at the box office. That is largely dependent on who show’s up in what form. Proyas can potentially graduate to the official big time with a hit here. Stylistically, he has proven he can create fantastical worlds we want to inhabit but he hasn’t done a film set in modern day in a while. Let’s hope Cage’s performance is more along the lines of 2005’s nuanced Weather Man (7.0 IMDB rating) than ‘06’s Wicker Man (3.2(!) IMDB). If we as an audience don’t want to rip the Face Off of Nickel Gauge Cage in this one, the odds of a successful movie-going experience increase exponentially. You can now consider yourself in the know about Knowing.

Knowing - Movie Trailer HD

2009-01-23T12:54:00.001-08:00

Tom Cruise 'Always Wanted to Kill Hitler'

2009-01-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

SEOUL, South Korea (Jan. 19) - Tom Cruise fulfilled a boyhood dream with his role in his latest movie 'Valkyrie' - trying to kill Hitler. Cruise says he identifies with his German character, who led a failed plot to assassinate the Nazi leader.
"I've always wanted to kill Hitler. As a child, I used to wonder why someone didn't stand up and kill him," Cruise told reporters Sunday.

Cruise said he "came to greatly admire" the real person he portrayed in the film, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg. "Although the story takes place during the World War II, I found the story ageless," he said. Making the movie "was a powerful experience that I will never forget."
Despite mixed reviews, 'Valkyrie' had a solid $21.5 million opening weekend in North America in December and has made a total $77.6 domestically since then, according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo.
Cruise's visit to Seoul, where "Valkyrie" opens Thursday, marks a rare promotional stop by Hollywood to South Korea, which traditionally focuses on neighboring Japan as the industry's main Asian market. 'Valkyrie' director Bryan Singer said South Korea was picked as the first Asian country for the movie's release because it's "an extraordinary rising market" for both local and international films.

I Love You, Man

2009-01-20T04:22:00.000-08:00

It's about something real. It can be hard to make guy friends with work and relationships and other commitments. It does have value, so it's worth pursuing. Presenting it as a romantic comedy structure is just the brilliant artistic point of view.

The random moments are brilliant. Their social observations are quite accurate and the nervous awkwardness or background characters chiming in provide sharp comic rhythms. The bits and banter feature references just random enough to be off the mainstream, but still known enough that no one should be alienated. They are delivered perfectly, and really, it's the banter that makes these movies engaging.

It's as R-rated as all the recent Apatow-influenced productions, but the sexual revelations are actually honest. It's not just outrageous. It is outrageous too but it's there because real people think that way.

Even when you can see a gag coming, they play it so straight that vomit is funny again. It's sincere. When they do some of the typical rom-com structure, it has enough irreverence that it still fits their perspective on the genre.

Though the film is about guy love, it has the most nurturing engagement between the lead and his fiancé. She actually wants to support him and improve his life, not just demand things from him.

It's also the first time I've ever seen an attractive wedding dress, and that includes my own ex-wife. Maybe it's just that Rashida Jones looks adorable in anything, but I really hate the way wedding dresses look. That's right, ladies. $1000s to look like a douche on your one special day. Unless I end up with Rashida Jones, that's what I think of it.

I Love You Man - Trailer HD

2009-01-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

The Unborn

2009-01-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Directed by: David Goyer
Written by: David Goyer

Starring:
Odette Yustman - Casey Beldon
Gary Oldman - Sendak
Ethan Cutkosky - Barto
Cam Gigandet - Mark
Meagan Good - Romy
Jane Alexander - Sofi Kozma
James Remar - Gordon Belman
Idris Elba - Arthur Wyndham
C.S. Lee - Dr. Lester Caldwell
Rhys Coiro - Mr. Shields
Carla Gugino - Janet Beldon

David Goyer is a mind-boggling filmmaker at times in terms of the wide spectrum of his films; not in style, but in quality. The man behind the stories of such well-received films as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Dark City is also responsible for serious critical and commercial flops, such as Blade Trinity, The Crow: City of Angels and the made-for-TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of Shield starring none other than David Hasselhoff. It often seems as if Goyer has one good movie in him for every four or five bad ones, or perhaps that every time he puts together the story for a great one he must then, by some karmic decree, balance it out by just as much on the other side of the spectrum. With the 2008 Batman sequel pulling in accolade after accolade, including a Writer’s Guild of America nomination for Goyer and his co-writers, one wondered what his next project would be. The answer is The Unborn, a PG-13 horror film starring Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman that he both wrote and got behind the lens to direct, something he hasn’t done since Blade Trinity.

The Unborn - Movie Trailer

2009-01-16T13:03:00.001-08:00

Gran Torino

2009-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Clint Eastwood has hinted that his role as bigoted Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski — a gun-toting widower living in Detroit near the struggling Ford auto plant and even nearer to the Asian immigrants crowding him out of his run-down, racially mixed hood — may be his last role as an actor. Eastwood, 78, has two Oscars for directing Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, and two nominations for starring in them. But an Oscar for acting? Not yet. Get busy, Academy.

I don't think Eastwood will ever turn down a juicy role. But Gran Torino, named after the 1972 car that Walt garages and polishes like a symbol of his idealized past, is a humdinger of a valedictory. Directed by Eastwood from a script by newcomer Nick Schenk, Gran Torino is Eastwood's hell-raising salute to every hardass he's ever played. Cranky Walt often communicates in a growl that sounds like a demon in need of an exorcist (wait till you hear Eastwood rasp a few bars of the film's memorable title song). Walt squints at the Hmong family next door, especially Thao (Bee Vang), a teen with a rustler's eye on the Torino. Thao's smart-mouth sister, Sue (the wonderful Ahney Her), can defrost Walt with a beer and food that isn't his usual beef jerky, but only Walt's dog, Daisy, dares to get too close. Cocking his rifle when gangbangers intrude on his territory, Walt snarls, "Get. Off. My. Lawn." Terrific stuff. And it gets better when Walt confronts some hoods playing grabass with Sue: "Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while that you shouldn't have messed with? That's me."

And that "me" isn't just Walt. It's the Man With No Name taking aim in those spaghetti Westerns. It's Dirty Harry Callahan asking, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" It's William Munny, from Unforgiven, digging deep to note, "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." It's even Frankie Dunn, the fight manager from Million Dollar Baby, who knows "tough ain't enough."

Gran Torino - Movie Trailer HD

2009-01-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

2009-01-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

starring:
Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Klein, Rick Yune, Moon Bloodgood, Taboo, Edmund Chen, Cheng Pei Pei, Josie Ho, Neal McDonough
director:
Andrzej Bartkowiak

synopsis :
Based on the popular video game, this adaptation focuses on female fighter Chun Li and her quest for justice.

The second live-action Street Fighter adaptation is headed to theaters next year, and while Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was shot in English, this Japanese trailer represents the first glimpse of near-finished footage.

Doom director Andrzej Bartkowiak is helming the project, with Smallville veteran Kristin Kreuk filling in the titular role. The film also stars Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Chris Klein as Charlie, Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, and Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo as Vega.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li hits theaters on February 27, 2009.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) & Movie Trailer HD

2009-01-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Two Lovers

2009-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

A 2929 Prods. and Wild Bunch presentation of a Tempesta Films production. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Donna Gigliotti, James Gray, Anthony Katagas. Executive producers, Agnes Mentre, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan. Co-producers, Mike Upton, Couper Samuelson. Directed by James Gray. Screenplay, Gray, Richard Menello.

Leonard Kraditor - Joaquin Phoenix
Michelle Rausch - Gwyneth Paltrow
Sandra Cohen - Vinessa Shaw
Ruth Kraditor - Isabella Rossellini
Ronald Blatt - Elias Koteas
Reuben Kraditor - Moni Monoshov

An involving, ultimately touching romantic drama about a young man's struggle deciding between the two women in his life, "Two Lovers" reps a welcome change of pace for director James Gray from his run of crime mellers. Well acted by Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw, this very New York tale is old-fashioned in good ways that have to do with solid storytelling, craftsmanship and emotional acuity. Developing an audience will be another matter altogether; its central romantic dynamic would be entirely accessible to a mass audience, but pic's smallish nature and lack of real B.O. names suggest that interest will need to be built among discerning viewers via fest exposure and critical support, leading into gradual platform release by a dedicated distrib.

Two Lovers & Movie Trailer

2009-01-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

Eleven Minutes

2009-01-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

A Zero Point Zero production, in association with Maximum Vacuum. Produced by Michael Selditch, Rob Tate. Executive producers, Lydia Tenaglia, Christopher Collins. Directed by Michael Selditch, Rob Tate.

With: Jay McCarroll, Nancy Kane, Kelly Cutrone, Lee Deekle, Jason Lowe, Lola Brooks, Anthony Cady, Omahrya Mota, Eve Salvail.

A skillfully crafted, highly entertaining docu about process, personality and perception, "Eleven Minutes" revolves around the charismatic Jay McCarroll, the first "Project Runway" winner, in his real-world bid for fashion fame and fortune. McCarroll's media renown has put enormous pressure on him to prove himself more than a boob-tube phenom, particularly in an industry known for its whimsical cruelty. With little money, endless expenditures, no business experience and a lot of talented best buds, McCarroll manages to cobble together a collection for his moment in the spotlight. A working man's "Unzipped," this hugely diverting docu struts strong niche appeal.

Shambling, teddy-bearish McCarroll, like some gay Michael Moore, invites the documentary crew -- and, by extension, the viewer -- to bear witness to his production process and all the contradictions implicit in turning out high fashion on a low budget. McCarroll and his minions scour Canal Street and the Lower East Side for cheap materials, meeting with grommet makers and silkscreen artists to turn his drawings into garments.

Eleven Minutes & Movie Trailer

2009-01-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Assassination of a High School President - Review

2009-01-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

One could be forgiven for mistaking Assassination of a High School President's Bobby Funke (Reece Danial Thompson) with a young, Catholic school version of Humphrey Bogart. Brett Simon's feature-length directorial debut finds the budding reporter unraveling a vast conspiracy at St. Donovan's High School, one involving stolen tests, point shaving, illegal drugs and attempted murder. Whether he's cornering the class president Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor) or taking his road test, the patter of Funke's near-constant inner monologue is pure Bogie.

Thompson brings the character to life in a way that few his age could handle. He does however get a fair bit of help from writers (and former South Park production assistants) Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski. The script in Assassination is nothing short of brilliant, a hilarious noir-comedy mixture in which each character is more colorful than the last.

Take Mr. Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis), a no-nonsense, emotionally scarred Iraq war veteran with a strong hatred for troublemakers and gum chewing. Or the spaced-out school nurse (Kathryn Morris), who isn't really sure of where she is let alone what's ailing the students who come to see her. There's also the class hottie Francesca (Mischa Barton), a sort of "femme fatale next door," and her slimy brother (STEP brother, that is) and recently promoted class VP Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes).

Twilight - Review

2008-12-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Twilight opens with the introduction of our heroine, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). She is in sunny Arizona with her mom and new stepfather, and as they prepare for a long road trip she decides that she’d rather go up to Washington state to stay with her estranged father, Charlie (Billy Burke). He lives in the small town of Forks (population 3,000) and is the local sheriff.

She arrives in the middle of the school year so although it should be hard to make friends (and it’s implied), she manages to connect with a group of kids who are far more welcoming than she is ready to be welcomed. They give her the scoop on who’s who and they soon point out the Cullens, an odd assortment of very pale-skinned guys and gals. To make things weirder, they are apparently foster brothers/sisters yet they are “couples.” They’ve been taken in by the local Dr. Cullen and his wife.

One of the group is of course, Edward (Robert Pattinson). His story is that “no girl is good enough for him.” Of course Bella is immediately fixated on him, although the feeling is apparently very much not mutual. As a matter of fact when she is assigned to be his lab partner, he seems to be repulsed by her.

Edward leaves for a few days, and when he returns his mood towards Bella has changed considerably. He’s now polite and at least feigns interest. She (mostly) gets over being offended and tries to get to know him although he still doesn’t want to get close to her. Almost immediately he saves her from being killed in a car accident in a scene that’s been shown in the trailer. She’s no dummy and doesn’t miss the fact that he was across the parking lot, got over to her in a flash and was able to keep a van from smashing into her (to the point that he left a dent in the door with his hand). [Note slight sarcasm there, folks]

Anyway, we soon meet Dr. Cullen (Peter Facinelli) at the hospital, whose makeup job is so incredibly white that he looks like the Cesar Romero version of the Joker. He is none to pleased about Edward (I guess I can’t call him “Ed,” huh?) possibly exposing who he really is to save Bella’s life.

One thing leads to another and the burgeoning romance is on its way, with a side trip to a confrontation with the “bad” vampires who actually kill humans to feed (go figure). You see the Cullens only drink the blood of animals. The bad guys have been responsible for a number of gruesome murders in town recently. One of them decides to target Bella and thus we get the final confrontation which finally brings us some decent action.

So what’s good?

I thought that the stars and supporting cast actually did a really great job. Bella’s friends were engaging, funny and they played their roles very naturally. Billy Burke was low key and very good as Bella’s father, Kristen Stewart did a decent job, and I have to say that despite his severely sculpted eyebrows and uber-funky hair that I liked Rob Pattinson’s portrayal of Edward Cullen. I don’t know how closely the way he played the character matched the version in the book, but I thought that his uncertainty and awkwardness in light of how powerful he really was made him quite charming.

Four Christmases - Review

2008-12-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Family plus Christmas equals nightmare. That seems to be the calculation guiding this festive frolic, in which Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon tell their respective folks they’re doing charity work so that they can avoid the usual get-together. Alas, their ruse is uncovered, so they end up visiting all four post-divorce enclaves in one fateful Christmas Day.

Playing out a seasonal riff on the same comedy of embarrassment as ‘Meet the Parents’, Vaughn’s mean old coot of a pater Robert Duvall and wrestling-freak sibling Jon Favreau, along with Mary Steenburgen as Witherspoon’s lubricious yet church-happy mom, supply plentiful warning of the dangers of procreation. As we grind through the gears of consecutive drop-ins, however, behind the strained knockabout lurks a none-too-subtle conformist agenda, assuring the unmarried, childless couple that their only chance for genuine happiness is to get with the family programme.

‘Humbug!’, we say. Dismaying, indeed, that a movie purportedly selling itself on refreshing nay-saying scepticism should so cravenly succumb to the same old schmaltz, without the craft even to make the process seem anything other than a series of empty would-be ‘feelgood’ platitudes. Still, there are occasional felicities en route, with some ably delivered ‘trailer moment’ slapstick – watch out for that baby vomit! – and the cast do their best with the uneven material, even if Vaughn in particular makes the patter a tad too effortful. Nostalgic for some to have him and Favreau reunited here, yet seeing the ‘Swingers’ duo desperately mugging away in such mainstream mulch, their catchphrase ‘You’re so money’ takes on an awful new resonance.

Cadillac Records

2008-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Etta James blasts her way through a sad song, but it's not good enough. Leonard Chess taunts her and claims she's not "woman enough" for such a song. Didn't anyone ever walk out on her and leave her heartbroken? Take that and put it in the song, he suggests. She steps up for another take, and -- although she has tears in her eyes now -- it sounds pretty much the same. The main trouble with Cadillac Records is that no one took aside writer/director Darnell Martin with the same advice. Scene after scene, Cadillac Records is thin, flat and rote. Like all biopics, the new film skims over years and years of history in a brief fling. All the moments are historical; they describe what happened, but not who they happened to. Sometime in the 1940s -- the movie is rarely very clear as to what year it is -- Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) runs a junkyard and decides to get into "race music." He moves from a club to a record label and signs Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), a blues guitarist straight off the plantation.
There are a few nice, early scenes showing these two men touring together, sharing meals and getting the stink-eye from local rednecks, but the movie shies away from developing this friendship. Muddy brings aboard the volatile harmonica player Little Walter (Columbus Short) and eventually gives him his first taste of liquor, which leads to a full-blown bout of alcoholism (this rock biopic cliché was ridiculed and should have been buried forever in last year's spoof Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). Chess then signs the giant, monster-like Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), and Muddy takes an instant dislike to him. Once again, this rivalry is never fleshed out.
(I would like to have seen an entire movie about this Wolf; he's mesmerizing and positively terrifying!) Then comes Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles), and though Chess has apparently remained faithful to his wife, he clearly nurses something more than a crush on Etta. Etta remains hard and standoffish, most of the time, though Chess claims he can "see her." Good thing he can, because we can't.
Moreover, the poor wife (Emmanuelle Chriqui) barely registers a blip; in one scene she looks worriedly at a magazine with Etta on the cover; what's she thinking? Does she know what's going on? Poor Gabrielle Union fares only slightly better as Muddy's long-suffering significant other. She at least has an interesting scene in which she explains how she doesn't have any dreams because "someone has to keep their feet planted on the ground."

The Spirit

2008-12-03T14:45:00.001-08:00

Written and directed by Frank Miller, adapted from the famous comic strip by Will Eisner (who’s been labeled the “Orson Welles of comics”). Miller, in his first solo outing as writer/director, brings The Spirit to the screen in the same manner as his Sin City and 300 adaptations – using digital background technology to meld live action performances with graphical elements. This is in post-production and not due til 2009.

Packing drama, thrills and romance, this is the story of a former rookie cop who returns from the dead as The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of the gothic Central City. His arch-enemy is the Octopus (Samuel L Jackson)who pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love, or kill our masked crusader. Scarlett Johansson’s the girl next door, Paz Vega’s the secretary vixen, Eva Mendes is Sand Saref – jewel thief and the love of Spirit’s life turned bad.

Miller describes the tale; “The character has a terrifying side to him. This is a man who’s died and came back to life. So it twists into fantasy. And of course there are tons of women in it. There have to be — it’s The Spirit. They’re all in love with him, and he’s in love with all of them. You might say he’s a bit of a slut.”

The Spirit >>>> Movie Trailer

2008-12-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

Transporter 3 >>>> Review

2008-12-02T15:25:00.001-08:00

The third installment in the Transporter series returns Jason Statham to his best screen role to date, driver extraordinaire Frank Martin. A sort of downscale James Bond, Martin specializes in missions involving car chases, martial-arts fights, sadistic villains and leggy models, plots that inevitably reveal the romantic core to his gruff exterior. Transporter 3 goes even further, giving Martin a love interest among all the mayhem. Unfortunately, love scenes—especially those filtered through producer and co-screenwriter Luc Besson's sensibilities—are the last thing you want in a Transporter film.

After some excruciating comic relief involving hangdog sidekick Tarconi (François Berléand), Martin finds himself in a jam. Kidnapped by thugs, he is ordered by assassin Johnson (Robert Knepper) to drive Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), a Ukrainian party girl, from Marseille to Budapest. Johnson's equipped both of them with explosive bracelets that will detonate if they stray too far from their car. What's worse, Russian agents have been sent to intercept and kill Martin before he can make his delivery.

Tracked by GPS, Martin finds himself surrounded by Johnson's underlings whenever he veers off course. (Frankly, the film could have used a few more of these diversions, as the fistfights are easily the most entertaining of the action elements.) Valentina may pose a greater threat than bodybuilding goons. Convinced that she will be killed anyway, during one lull she orders Martin to perform an erotic striptease so she can enjoy "the sex" one more time.

Transporter 3 >>>>> Movie Trailer

2008-12-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Will Smith - Seven Pounds Movie Synopsis, Review, Critic

2008-12-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Seven Pounds Movie Synopsis : Will Smith will play the role of a suicidal, guilt-ridden man who attempts to make amends for his past. This gesture, which should be his end, marks his future. He crosses the tunnel of desperation but instead he finds the light thanks to a meeting with a woman who pulls him away from his agony. Will Smith eventually falls in love with this woman, played by the actress Rosario Dawson, who has become famous for her role in the Spike Lees movie He Got Game featuring Denzel Washington.
Shes also a well-known actress for her performances in Grindhouse by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Sin City, Rent, and Alexander. Texan actor Woody Harrelson (North Country, The Walker, Natural Born Killers, Indecent Proposal) a blind pianist who befriends Will Smith.

The movie will also feature the Canadian actor Barry Pepper, famous for his role as a crack shot in Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg, and for his memorables performance in The Green Mile and in Enemy of the State. Seven Pounds Movie Review and Critic “Seven Pounds” reunites Will Smith with the filmmaking team behind the pic that earned him his last Oscar nomination, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Returning to the helm is Italian director Gabriele Muccino. Oscar winner Steve Tisch (”Forrest Gump”), Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal are part of the producer lineup again. And, among others, Oscar-winning editor Hughes Winborne (”Crash”) is also back. Smith plays an IRS agent “with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers,” according to Sony. Pic hasn’t been screened yet, and its plot is deliberately being kept under wraps (because it could be seen as a bit of a downer).
Suffice it to say, though, the story promises those important kudo-baiting hallmarks: life-changing love and, of course, redemption. A movie review and critic By SHARON SWART The first trailer for the Columbia Pictures drama Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith, has been leaked onto the web. In the film, Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. It is a project that has reunited Smith with the director and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness. It also stars Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper and Woody Harrelson. I know it’s early in the morning and my eyes are prone to playing tricks on me, but this looks interesting — like the sort of interesting that ends in Oscar Buzz. A movie review and critic By Neil Miller

Bride Wars

2008-12-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

Genre : Romance, Comedy Release

Date : January 09, 2009

Director : Gary Winick

Producer : Kate Hudson, Alan Riche, Julie Yorn, Peter Riche

Screenwriter : Greg DePaul, Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael

Starring
* Kate Hudson as Liv
* Anne Hathaway as Emma
* Candice Bergen as Marion St. Claire
* Kristen Johnston as Deb
* Bryan Greenberg
* Steve Howey
* Chris Pratt
* Michael Arden
* John Pankow
* Paul Scheer

Movie Story

Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson go head-to-head in the hilarious new comedy "Bride Wars". Liv (Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway), best friends since childhood, are always there for each other, through good times and bad. They even become engaged to be married within a few hours of one another. Together they plan their respective weddings, each to take place at New York's ultimate bridal destination and their lifelong dream location, the Plaza Hotel. But a clerical error and subsequent clash in wedding dates pits the two brides - neither of whom will step aside - against each other, in a competition that quickly escalates into all-out war.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button >>> Review

2008-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

Wistful, melancholic, steeped in a sense of impermanence and looming mortality, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is not a movie one could have predicted from the maker of "Se7en," "Fight Club" and "Zodiac." David Fincher's haunting and uneven picaresque fable is a radical reimagining of a fanciful, minor F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. It tells the tall tale of an infant who is born as an old man—tiny but suffering all the infirmities of an 80-year-old—who lives his life in reverse, becoming younger with each passing year until he achieves real infancy at the end of his life. Benjamin (Brad Pitt) gets his last name from his button-manufacturing father (Jason Flemyng) who, horrified by the sight of his bizarre baby, abandons him on the steps of a New Orleans old-age home, where he is raised by the loving black employee Queenie (Taraji P. Henson).
He may only be a toddler, but he feels right at home among the old folks, being a balding child who wears glasses and is confined to a wheelchair. At this stage of the story it's only Pitt's heavily made-up head we're seeing (digitally imposed on other bodies); it will be a while before he begins to resemble the matinee idol we know. Pitt's Benjamin, with a lazy Southern accent, narrates this two-hour-and-40-minute tale. If his ruminations evoke distant echoes of "Forrest Gump" it's because Eric Roth wrote both screenplays.
"Button" is, among other things, a love story, but it's in no hurry to let you know it. Indeed, for more than an hour—from the end of World War I to the outbreak of World War II—Fincher meanders without ever achieving total traction. He keeps returning to the present-day, less-than-inspired framing device in which an old woman, dying in a New Orleans hospital as Hurricane Katrina approaches, listens to her daughter (Julia Ormond) read Benjamin's journals.

Bolt Film Review

2008-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Bolt (John Travolta) is a normal dog who mistakenly thinks that he actually possesses the superpowers he displays as the hero of a TV action series. The white German shepherd is clueless about the truth because, since he was a puppy, he's been raised on a set specially-rigged to trick him into believing that he really has the ability to perform amazing feats like subduing bad guys with his devastating bark and melting steel with his penetrating heat vision.

These delusions of grandeur have never been a problem for the pampered pooch, given that he's had no contact with the outside world. Consequently, the only reality he's ever known is the insulated studio environment in which he's the pet of Penny (Miley Cyrus), the actress who pretends to be his crime-fighting partner. She resents the show's director (James Lipton) who goes to such great lengths to keep up the charade that he even denies her request to take her canine co-star home with her over the weekend.

Everything changes the day Bolt slips out of his cage and, after a comedy of errors, accidentally ends up in a box being shipped to New York City where a rude awakening lays in wait. For not only are the streets of Manhattan mean enough to begin with, but they prove to be tougher still for a dog who expects to have an array of extraordinary powers at his paw tips.

Australia >>>> Trailer

2008-12-02T14:45:00.001-08:00

"Australia" Film >>>>> Review

2008-12-02T14:37:00.001-08:00

When one waits as long as Baz Luhrmann has to make a film, you tend to think that he's creating a masterpiece. After all, it's been seven long years since he directed his last film, 'Moulin Rouge!'. With his current muse (Nicole Kidman) back in his latest film, 'Australia', he was hoping to regain the same respect and applause he had received before, but unfortunately, his time away from the game hasn't sharpened his skills.

'Australia' is a big, overlong drama that needed more substance than glossy makeup and hokey acting. Fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are certainly attractive and appealing enough to bring in an audience to this nearly three hour film, but too many cartoonish scenes saddles what could have a great epic and romantic film. The one saving grace in the film is newcomer Brandon Walters. The kid innocently shines throughout the film.

Starting out from England, aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) sets out to Australia to find her husband, whom she assumes is having an affair, but then finds out he was murdered. With a huge family ranch named Faraway Downs untended, she looks to hire the best man to tend to the cattle to keep business afloat. When local businessman King Carney (Bryan Brown), who practices run the entire area, threatens to tear down her business with the help of his future son-in-law Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), who was fired by Ashley for running unfair 'labor' practices, ranch hand Drover (Jackman) comes to the rescue.

Tom Cruise - Valkyrie: Official Trailer

2008-12-02T14:35:00.001-08:00

Valkyrie >>> Synopsis

2008-12-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was codenamed "Valkyrie", for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government.
This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince >>> Trailer

2008-12-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2008-12-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts turns out to be quite the exciting year. First off is the arrival of a new teacher at Hogwarts, Horace Slughorn, who is a bit more useful to Harry than he realizes. Next, Harry obtains a Potions book which used to be belong to the very mysterious Half-Blood Prince. Harry finds that the Half-Blood Prince's ancient scribbles are written along the margins of almost every page, giving Harry advice on how to improve greatly on his Potions work, and also teaching him a few helpful (and dangerous) spells along the way.
Amidst this, Harry is starting private lessons with Professor Dumbledore, during which Harry learns the dark secrets of Voldemort's past, hoping that they could use these secrets to find a way to defeat him.
Harry's year gets even more stressful with the suspicious actions of Draco Malfoy, who has been sneaking around the school doing, so Harry assumes, Voldemort's bidding. Harry quickly becomes determined, and slightly obsessed, to find out exactly what Malfoy has been up to and putting an end to it.
Yet, during this time, Harry and his friends go through daily life, busy with school work, Quidditch, (in which Harry has been made captain of the team) and of course, romance. Ron has found a new girlfriend, Lavender Brown, a perky (if not obnoxious) Gryffindor student, and Hermione is not happy about it. Ron and Hermione's friendship takes a toll throughout the school year and Harry, as usual, is stuck in the middle. Harry, meanwhile, is facing a romantic dilemma of his own: he realizes he is falling for his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley, who is unfortunately dating Harry's classmate, Dean Thomas. Harry's pining for Ginny and Ron's hilarious relationship with Lavender gives this story a large dose of reality.
Throughout all the school drama, however, the obvious darkness of Voldemort's impending rise to power is always apparent. The incredible action-packed climax is sure to leave the audience stunned and, inevitably, prove that you shouldn't trust everybody who you think is good, and also prove that not everyone can manage to survive.