Movies: July/August Edition!

JULY

Despicable Me (7/9)

The Plot:  The usually deplorable Gru is forced to rethink his plan to steal the moon when a trio of orphaned girls enter his life (animated).

The Players:  (voices) Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Ken Jeong, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews

The Prospective:  It had me at, "IT'S SO FUZZY!!!" :) 

Predators (7/9)

The Plot:  Another addition to the Predators series, this time around a group of elite warriors are hunted by the merciless alien race.

The Players:  Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace

The Prospective: The Predator series is one of that I have yet to view, but with Messrs Brody and Fishburne in tow and the likelihood of seeing Topher Grace bite it, I'm in for the ride.

Inception (7/16)

The Plot: All I can tell from the trailer is it's another Nolan mind trip dealing with manipulating other peoples' dreams. 

The Players:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Lukas Haas

The Prospective: This. Looks. AWESOME.  Now that I've seen it, I can say for sure that it absolutely freakin is!  5 STARS! I would gladly pay $10 to see it again!

Get Low (7/30)

The Plot: In 1930s Tennessee, backwoods hermit Felix Bush (Duvall) enlists the aid of Frank Quinn (Murray) in his decision to throw a party for his own funeral --while he's still alive.

The Players:  Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lukas Black

The Prospective: It's an interesting idea and there's no question on the talent involved.

Dinner For Schmucks (7/30)

The Plot: A rising executive (Rudd) gets in over his head when he must find a guest for his boss's monthly event, a "dinner for idiots" which offers major advantages to the exec who shows with the biggest moron. 

The Players:  Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Jermaine Clement, Bruce Greenwood

The Prospective:  I find it very hard to resist Paul Rudd, Ron Linvingston, Steve Carrell and Zach Galifianakis individually, put them together and I'm a goner. 

The Extra Man (7/30 [limited])
The Plot: A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing.
The Players: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Kaitie Holmes
The Prospective: Kevin Kline is amazing.

AUGUST 
Eat Pray Love (8/13) 
The Plot: Based on the biography by Elizabeth Gilbert about her trips to Italy, India and Bali to rediscover herself after a painful divorce.
The Players: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins
The Prospective:  Might as well check it out. I always kinda meant to read the book.  I do like me some James Franco. I also really love the song in the trailer :) (Lame as that is for a reason to see a movie.)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (8/13)
The Plot: Scott, an average dude in a band, falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, but in order to win her heart, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.  Based on the manga series.
The Players: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick
The Prospective: I may not be a fan of Cera, but this looks so fantastic!  Video game meets comic books meets awesome.  Plus, I can't explain it, but Jason Schwartzman is bizarrely appealing.

The Expendables (8/13)
The Plot: A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator... cuz that's new.
The Players: Sylvester Stallone (who also directs and co-wrote the screenplay), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austen, Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
The Prospective: I'm sorry, I'm laughing too hard at the cheesefest this is bound to be!

Tales From Earthsea (8/13)
The Plot: Based on the fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Players: The voice talents of Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay and Timothy Dalton.
The Prospective: Goro Miyazaki brings the Le Guin novels to stunning anime.

Vampires Suck (8/18)
The Plot: A spoof on Twilight and other such recent teen dribble.
The Players: Ken Jeong and Diedrich Bader were the only two I recognized.
The Prospective: I don't typically enjoy recent spoofs, but this one I will make an acception for >:)

The Switch (8/20)
The Plot: An unmarried 40-year-old woman (Aniston) turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant.  Her best friend (Bateman) gets drunk at the impregnation party and accidentally spills her donated seed down the drain and replaces it with his own...and then blacks out.  Seven years later she returns with her little boy who seems to share many personality traits with her dear old friend.
The Players: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Wilson
The Prospective: I love me some Jason Bateman, and hopefully enough that I might be able to ignore Aniston's involvement. Plus, Jeff Goldblum! :D

Going The Distance (8/27)
The Plot: A rom-com about the trials of long distance relationships.
The Players: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan.
The Prospective: Looks pretty damn funny, but could be another sucky rom-com.  I do enjoy Barrymore and Long respectively.

Centurion (8/27)
The Plot: Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) directs this period film.  After the Roman Ninth Legion is attacked by the Picts -Celtic tribesmen who serve as some of the Roman Empire's toughest opposition- a band of soldiers who survived the brutal massacre try to make their way back across enemy lines.
The Players: Dominic West, Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds), Olga Kurylenko, Dave Legeno (HP and the Half-Blood Prince), 
The Prospective: First of all, I'm a fan of Marshall.  He's become something of a master of genre filmmaking and is notorious for being about to squeeze riches out of lo budgets. Second, it's Dominic West and the Brit from Inglourious Basterds! HOT!

Other Comments:

Twilight Saga: Eclipse (7/2)- Let the horrid, masochistic hilarity continue!

Ramona And Beezus (7/23)-  Nostalgia calls me to this one based on the Beverly Cleary books of my youth.
Salt (7/23) -Really Liev Schreiber? This?  Really brotha, c'mon, you're better than this.
Step Up 3D (8/6) - Why?! I'm blaming Kent for this one.

The Panty Puzzle

Today I decided it was time to do some laundry. Woot. After sorting through the pile on my bedroom floor (yes, floor, there's not a lot of room for one of those handy bin organizer thingys OK) I realized I had enough to do an entire load of just underwear and put them on the "Delicate" cycle. YAY! Usually, I just have to suck it up and put my bloomers in a garment bag and toss them in with other clothing items on a regular cycle, so yes, I was excited that I would got to treat my delicates more, well, delicately.

After they were done washing, I pulled out the ol' drying rack and started laying my lady garments out. This is when I began to notice just how many bum huggers I have. Of that laundry load alone I had 34 pairs of undies! And while it is looking more sparse than usual, my delicates drawer is by no means empty. After all was laid out, my curiosity took over and I had to go count the rest...


74 total!!! I own 74 bikini, hipster, thong, and boyshort styles of knickers! Plus 10 bras and 3 sports-bras*!

So now I wonder if this is average? I mean, how many happy pants does the typical lady own? This isn't exactly standard conversation material, you know, they're "unmentionables"**. 74 seems like a lot, yes, but then what would a standard number be? I mean, they all fit nicely in one dresser drawer, so it's not an obscene number of beaver covers... right?

What if I have a pretty panty purchasing problem?! I almost always peruse the Intimates section of any clothing store I go to, looking for something fun or sexy...

Well, on the bright side, I could go two months without wearing the same nether garments twice :)


*I count sports bras separately because they are not real bras; they don't lift and separate, they don't make me feel pretty and they sure as hell aren't pretty themselves not matter what color you make 'em in. Besides, as I've often said, I do not possess the running/jumping/climbing trees variety of breasts, so in my mind "sports" and "bra" just don't mesh.

**Yes, I do love the palpable irony of referring to them as "unmentionables" whilst writing an entire blog entry about them. HA!

Movies: The May Edition! (and with a bit of April thrown in too)

The movies that have caught my attention and interest for the coming month. Also, I'm trying a new writing layout here, so let me know what you think.

APRIL

Clash Of The Titans (4/2)

The Plot: We all know the story here right? Well, just to cover my bases; this remake of a 1981 cult fantasy flick tells the story of Perseus, a demi god raised raised as a man, who sets off on an epic mission to get stop Hades from overthrowing Zeus and unleashing hell on earth. Fun.

The Players: Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar) is our young hero; Liam Neeson as Zeus; Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) portrays Io, + Jason Flemyng (Snatch, The Red Violin), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), Hans Matheson (Sherlock Holmes), and Nicholas Hoult (Skins).

The Prospective: I've already seen this one. It was OK, hot guys fighting mythical beasts and what not, but nothing to write home about. I mean, the actors did alright, but didn't even seem to drop their natural accents; some of the effects and dialogue were a bit weak and there was a throw-back to the original so obvious I even got it (I have not seen the 1981 flick). Ralph Fiennes portrayal of Hades likened to Voldemort in a couple ways -more than just the obvious they're-both-bad-guys that is. I think the best part of this movie for me, besides the hotties, was looking at all the actors and trying to figure where I've seen them before (like the irony of Polly walker portraying a Greek after starring in the series Rome). Oh, quick back to the hotties, Sam is fabulous and I've always loved Liam, but Gemma is definitely a chic to watch, talent and grrrowl factor with that sultry but wise sounding voice.

The Losers (4/23)

The Plot: Based on the re-imagined comic series put out by Vertigo in 2004 (the original was released by DC in 1970). The story centers on the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team -Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar- find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as "Max". Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded "Max", a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

The Players: Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen) as Clay, Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar) as Aisha, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four)as Jensen, + Idris Elba , Columbus Short , Oscar Jaenada.

The Prospective: Look at that frickin' trailer and tell me it doesn't look bad ass! Plus, Zoe Saldana is very likely my newest chic-crush, grrrowl!


MAY

Iron Man 2 (5/7)

The Plot: Jon Favreau returns to the directors chair to helm to sequel to his 2008 comic-to-the-screen awesome-fest, Iron Man. Having shown the world his dual identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark comes under the fire of the press, the public and the government to share his technology with the U.S. military. But there is an even greater foe lurking: Ivan Vanko creates an equally powerful alternate persona known as Whiplash to exact his revenge on the Stark family.

The Players: Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return; Don Cheadle takes over the role of Jim 'Rhodey' Rhodes, + Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell.

The Prospective: Say it with me now: FUCK YEAH!!! I ♥ RDJ! I don't want to jinx it, but this one may, MAY, be one of the rare exceptions to the rule that the sequel sucks ass.

Babies (5/7)

The Plot: A documentary capturing a year in the lives of four babies from around the world; from Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco to Tokyo.

The Players: Babies portraying themselves, namely Bayar, Hattie, Mari, and Ponijao

The Prospective: Despite myself I totally want to see this! Sure, this looks like it could be an interesting look at the similarities and differences in child development across cultural lines. At least that's how I'll validate it. Honestly though, when I saw the first teaser for this, there was a part of me that just squeed, "OMG! They look so adorable!" Friggin' biological clock.

Robin Hood (5/14)

The Plot: Ridley Scott directs this adaptation of the mythos of the legendary English archer of justice.

The Players: Russell Crowe as our title dude (he's hit up just about every era now hasn't he?), Cate Blanchett as Marion, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice, Death At A Funeral - the original!), plus Max von Sydow, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Danny Huston (John Adams), Kevin Durand (LOST), and Scott Grimes (Band of Brothers, Mystery, Alaska).

The Prospective: Ridley Scott is undeniably awesome. Top that with some Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett and I'm all over it like ice cream on pie.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (5/28)

The Plot: Based on a video game, the story follows adventurous Prince Dastan who teams up with a mysterious princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing the Sands of Time, which could destroy the world.

The Players: Jake Gyllenhaal is our prince, Gemma Arterton (Clash Of The Titans) is the princess with the sultry voice, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.

The Prospective: Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directs this game brought to the screen, with Jerry Bruckheimer teaming again with Disney to produce. So it will be like Pirates of the Caribbean, but in the dessert...and with some magic...and a hotter heroine.

Micmacs (5/28)

The Plot: A man and his eccentric friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.

The Players: Dany Boon (Joyeux Noel) and a slew of other French actors neither you nor I know.

The Prospective: Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the writer and director of Amelie, it looks hilarious and quirky.


Other Comments

The Human Centipede - That. Is so fucking jacked up. A whole new meaning to the phrase "ass to mouth".
Letters to Juliet - Vanessa Redgrave is great, but this kinda makes me want to vomit.
Shrek Forever After - They're still milkin' that green cow?
Sex in the City 2 - Didn't watch the show. Didn't see the first one. Why should I see this one? Honestly, I'll take arguments if you got 'em.

Fogo de WOW

The other night (March 12 to be specific) I had my first experience dining at Fogo de Chão, an "authentic Brazilian steak house." I'd heard about this place from a few friends, including the three that invited me, and let me tell you, I was more excited than a virgin on her wedding night. Vegetarians beware: this joint is meat paradise...NOM! Honestly, I have never been so happy to be part carnivore.

Do I smell Fogo in there?

The drinks were very well mixed and did not go light on the liquor, always a plus; I had a whiskey sour (my usual) and their feature drink, the Caipirinha (tasty!). To start the meal, we headed to the nice salad bar they have that features imported cheeses, cured meats, artisan breads and other tasty things like artichoke bottoms and jumbo asparagus - I didn't know it came in "jumbo" size - delicious! And the 24 month aged Parmesan was a-mmm-azing. Then came the main event; they offer 15 different cuts of meat. FIFTEEN! I don't think I got to try all of them, but what I did try was exquisite. And they are all served fresh off the spit, by trained gauchos dressed in a gaucho inspired uniform (boots and puffy pants!). At one point I thought, "Guys in uniform with hot accents eagerly hurrying to your table to serve you drinks, food and hot meat off a spit? A lady could very easily get spoiled here." I ended my mouth-gasm of a meal with their key lime pie. Now, I dig lime and you all know my love of pie, so key lime pie is in pretty good with me. This key lime pie though... I think that must be what Adonis' cum tastes like. That pie would be on my last meal menu, no question.

I definitely want to go back within the year. I also suggest that if you get the opportunity to go, take it! I warn you though, it's pricey - including tip I laid down $100 - but sooo worth it. I understand that they do the same thing for lunch, which is not doubt cheaper than the dinner price I paid, so that may be a better option for me (or you) next time around.

A Reflection on a Film (and maybe myself a bit as well)

I had not seen a movie yet this year until tonight.

I have this cheap little, light-weight, brushed silver "business card holder" that I picked up at Target on clearance for a dollar or two. I use it to keep all of my movie stubs in for a year. Yes, a full year. Once a year is over I don't empty the contents until after the first film I see in the new year. Today is March 10, 2010 (or 11th if you want to get technical about the time)and I finally opened the tin and emptied my 2009 movie stubs.

I like to keep my movie ticket stubs, well all ticket stubs really. Part of it is because it's a way of holding onto that memory -sometimes I think I have a shite sense of memory -a way rekindling the sparks to that time and place and event. Also, as a self-proclaimed movie geek, I feel as though they are badges of honor and accomplishment on my geek sash. You don't just trash your badges.

I had heard of The Hurt Locker, but had not seen any great deal of promotion about it; had heard there were some good reviews and, of course the Oscar buzz and then nominations and still new little on what the film itself was about other than it was a military/ war film. Then I actually watched the Oscars. After seeing the few clips played for it's nominated categories and after it took the two biggies (Director and Film) I knew I wanted to see this movie. For the record, I have not yet seen Slumdog Millionaire, No Country For Old Men, The Departed, nor Crash and I refuse to see Million Dollar Baby on my staunch ground that Hilary Swank is a horse-faced hack of an actress. This means that the last Best Picture winning film I saw was 2003's Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King. I have the feeling that even if I do see the aforelisted films, I will still believe that none of them deserved that award as much as the one I saw tonight did.

The story revolves around the three members of an elite Army bomb squad and their remaining 38 days of duty operating in Iraq. Heavy shit. The camera shots were sometimes shaky, quick moving or shifted focus to give that point-of-view, right-in-the-mix-of-it feeling, at other times direct and poignant and over all very well executed and edited. The plot was well timed and had an definite flow but safely avoided the pitfall of being too predictable as some war films can. Powerfully intense and raw in a way I have not seen before. Just the right amount of light moments so as not to inundate the audience too. I do wholly appreciate the historical weight if Bigelow's directorial win - one more for the ladies - but seriously, if you see this film you will know that it is so beyond that. The entire cast and crew deserved every statue they got the night of March 7, 2010. I have not seen Crazy Heart and thus cannot completely judge; I do enjoy Jeff Bridges and can agree with the popular critical/politic thought that "this was his time"; but Jeremy Renner deserved that fucking nom, if not the statue. Phenomenal, solid performance. I hope to see more from him.

I have experienced cathartic moments before from many films, be those feelings giddiness, sadness, anger or passion. I cannot recall walking out of a theater feeling quite the way I imagine the actors [and the real persons their characters were based on] felt in the situations in the film. A bomb detonates and sends its surroundings into temporary chaos; even after the rubble and dust settle, the core of you is still shaken, permanently changed, by what you've witnessed.

The Hurt Locker is already available of DVD and Blu-ray. It was playing at the cheap theater in Hopkins ($3) and seeing it tonight weighed on my night class letting out early. Class let out early. I went alone. Being a cheap theater, my first ticket stub of the year is nothing but receipt paper. If that is the only stub to be in that case for the rest of the year, I would be perfectly alright with that. Netflix it, buy it, borrow it, whatever, I highly suggest you see this film.

Movies (February & March '10 edition!)

OK, there weren't many movies that came out last month or this month that perked my interest, so I combined February and March into one movie blog. I've also been busy with school, work and life so I got started a little late, but ssshhhh on that ;) ON with the movies...that I find interesting, that is.

FEBRUARY

2/12

The Wolfman
Benicio Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot, who returns to his homeland where his brother has gone missing and villagers are being ravaged by an unknown beast. The iconic movie monster finally gets an update! Also starring Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria) and Hugo Weaving (LOTR, V for Vendetta, The Matrix). Looks pretty rad to me.

Valentine's Day
Starring Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Hector Elizondo, Kathy Bates, Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner...and a slew of others. This essentially looks like the U.S. answer to Love Actually; sooo even if it turns out to be good, it won't be as good as the Brits did it.

2/19

Shutter Island
When a convicted psychotic killer seemingly disappears from a secure mental institution on Shutter Island, two U.S. Marshals (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) are sent to investigate. However, there's more to the island and the facility than the pair think. Also starring Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow. Director/actor team Martin Scorses and DiCaprio team up again in this thriller based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. I think it looks pretty freaky and interesting.

MARCH

3/5

Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton directs Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Crispin Glover, Alan Rickman and others in this live action take on the classic novels Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Say it with me now; FUCK YES! SQUEEEE! I am more than happy to shell out to see this puppy in IMAX.

I saw this one already, in IMAX 3D no less, it was pretty rad.

3/12

Green Zone
Discovering covert and faulty intelligence about the missions he's been running, U.S. Army officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) goes rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region. Also starring Jason Isaacs, Brendan Gleeson, and Greg Kinnear. I've never seen a Jason Bourne movie or The Hurt Locker (I mean to though) but it kinda looks like a smashing together of the two. Plus Isaacs and Gleeson are great!

3/19

Bounty Hunter
Gerard Butler is my only draw to this movie, but he is one hot hunk of Scottish draw. The plot looks kinda meh, and I don't like Jennifer Aniston much, so to go to this you'll probably have to ply me with booze.

Repo Men
Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star in this sci-fi flick based in a near future where high-tech artificial organs exist and can be put on credit. The down side to this life sustaining technology is that if you can't make a payment, the company sends out their highly trained repo men to get back their property, with no care for a person's comfort or survival. One of the top repo men, Remy (Law), experiences cardiac failure on the job, he wakes up to find he's fitted with the company's latest model heart, and a hefty debt. When he loses his love of the job and can't pay his debt, his friend and former partner Jake (Whitaker) is sent after him. Yeah, I always have a soft-spot for sci-fi/fantasy flicks, that's about the extent of my interest in this one. Oh, and Jude Law's sexy accent.

IMAX: Hubble 3D
An IMAX 3D camera was sent along with the 7 astronauts on the Space Shuttle Atlantis to chronicle the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. Space! In 3D! Hecks yeah I want to see it!

3/26

How To Train your Dragon
Hiccup is a wimpy looking Viking who aspires to be a dragon hunter, much like his father Stoick who is the clan's leader. In his attempts to use brain instead of brawn, Hiccup becomes the unwitting owner to a young dragon and learns that there is more to these creatures than he and his people previously thought. Featuring the voice talents of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera and David Tennant. Dude, it's a cartoon about Vikings and dragons and it features Craig Ferguson, Gerard Butler and David Tennant...why for Jeezy Chreezy's-sake would I not want to see this movie?! And the dragon is sooo adorable!


So yeah, out of all those, only about 3 I'm really stoked to see (well 4 technically, but I already saw Alice In Wonderland). OH! And let's not forget that New Moon comes out on DVD this month - which of course calls for a drunken, movie mockfest, am I right?! :D

Movies; December '09 & January '10 edition!

OK, so a belated December post; school and work had me all busy and stressed and I tried to keep a semblance of a social life happening. But it's also an early January one! HA! New Year! Cinematically speaking, I'm pretty excited for 2010; Tim Burton's putting his spin on Alice in Wonderland, with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, naturally, as well as Anne Hathaway, Christopher Lee, Alan Rickman and slew of other top-notch talent. Ridley Scott is bustin' out his telling of Robin Hood with Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew MacFadyen, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) and Kevin Durand (who will also feature in Legion with Paul Bettany). Iron Man 2 - between the looks and the talent, Robert Downey Jr. is most definitely my latest celebrity crush, grrrowl. Plus, a new flick from Christopher Nolan featuring a stel-lar cast, yet another Harry Potter coming (the first of the last!), a Tron sequel over a decade after the first, a Clash of the Titans remake and an A-Team movie (the latter two both featuring Liam Neeson). Yes, it looks to be a fun and entertaining year ahead. But, back to the present and what's coming out, or already out, that looks good.

December 2009
12/11

Invictus

Morgan Freeman portrays Nelson Mandela. In an attempt to unite his countrymen after the fall of apartheid in South Africa, during his first term as president, Mandela campaigned to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup event. Also stars Matt Damon. C'mon, who doesn't love Morgan Freeman? And this one is screaming for an Oscar, so we might as well see if the fuss will be worth it.

The Lovely Bones

Based on the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, Susie Salmon ("like the fish") watches over her family and friends from "the in-between" as they deal with the aftermath of her brutal rape and murder. Starring Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon. Directed by the amazing Peter Jackson - yes, the same that brought us the phenomenal The Lord of the Rings trilogy! Good cast and excellent, visionary director; can't wait to see it!

12/18

Avatar

Director James Cameron's first film since Titanic, he ventures into space to bring us a band of humans exploring and then pitted in battle against a distant planet's indigenous people. Starring Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation), Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Zoe Saldana. Looks pretty cool and I'm terribly curious about all the hype...and Sam is smoking.

The Young Victoria

Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) portrays Queen Victoria in this dramatization of the turbulent first years of her reign. Along with Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice) as Prince Albert, this film also hits on the couple's enduring love. Written by Julian Fellowes, the writer behind the excellent film Gosford Park. Also starring Paul Bettany (Master & Commander), Jim Broadbent (HP and the Half-Blood Prince) and Miranda Richardson. From the trailer, this flick looks to be a cross between Elizabeth and Becoming Jane, both movies I enjoyed. Between that and the romance thread of the story, the hopeless romantic chick in me naturally wants to see this. Also, I loved Blunt in Prada and Paul Bettany is a favorite of mine.

12/25

Sherlock Holmes

Based on the classic mystery characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I was stoked to see this from the first teasers! Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes! With Jude Law as Dr. Watson, featuring Rachel McAdams and directed Guy Ritchie. Since this is a belated post in respects to December, I've already seen this one and would happily smack down another $10 to see it again. Rocked my socks off! Sherlock Holmes was already a pretty kick ass character, Downey Jr. (whom I love!), Ritchie and the writers have bad-assified him and I LOVE it! I especially dug the attention paid to Holmes's deductive skills. Law was a perfect counter to the quirky Holmes. And, as always, plot bricks were layed for a possible sequel (please, sweet jesus, yes!). Go. See it. NOW!

Nine

Based on Arhtur Kopit's book for the 1982 Tony-winning musical of the same name, which was derived from a play that was inspired by Frederico Fellini's 1963 film 8 1/2 - you still with me? Good. This emotional musical is about a famous Italian film director, Guido Contini (played by uber talented Daniel Day-Lewis), who struggles to find balance in his professional and personal lives. This is in special regards to the many women in his life; his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent and his mother. Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) and starring, as the females to Day-Lewis's character, Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson and Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas), this promises to be a visually brilliant film, which is what should be expected for a film adaptation of a musical, but also holds the possibility of some top-notch acting, which is just a nice plus.

January 2010

1/8

Daybreakers

The year is 2017 and a plague has transformed most of the population in to vampires. With the human blood supply dwindling, the plotting for survival has fractured the now dominant race. Meanwhile, a researcher teams up with a covert band of vampires to try to save and restore the human race. Starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Defoe and Sam Neill. Interesting sci-fi plot + Willem Defoe...yeah, I'll watch it.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Heath Ledger. Johnny Depp. Jude Law. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Just watch the trailer and tell me when you want to go see it because you know you want to!

1/15

The Book of Eli

Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis and Ray Stevenson star in this post-apocalyptic flick in which a lone man (Washington) protects a sacred book which holds to secrets to saving humanity. Wowzers, this one is not based on a book, comic book, previously made movie or "actual events". It's actually an original screenplay. Holy creativity Batman! Or is it going to be Holy scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel Batman? Well either way, it'll be holy what with the apocalypse and a "sacred book". And don't I always want to see the post-/apocalyptic movies? And this does seem to be the time for them, what with 2010 and The Road out already and Legion coming out the week after this one. Besides I always like Gary Oldman. It will also be interesting to see Kunis try to pull a dramatic/ass-kicker role, I mean, she's mostly known for her comedy and while she's done some drama and action...well, can you name any of them that you've actually seen?


1/22

Legion

God has gotten "tired of all the bullshit" and lost faith in humanity. He sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. The Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) comes down and, with a group of strangers in a remote diner, protects a young preggo waitress whose unborn child is the only hope at survival humanity has left. Oh how I love apocalypse movies; they are just so fun! Also I love Paul Bettany. He and Ian McKellan are the only reason I even saw The DaVinci Code, and he was a crazy, albino zealot in that one. I know it's not going to be that great of a movie, but God will it be entertaining. :)

Tooth Fairy

This one from Disney, features Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal, Ashley Judd and stars Dwayne Johnson (you know, "The Rock") Johnson plays a mean hockey player (OK, I can buy that) who, being charged guilty of "killing dreams", must serve time as a tooth fairy...*snort* BA HA HA HAAAA!

1/29

When in Rome

OK, so I got tired and am admittedly copy-and-pasting this synopsis from imdb.com; "Beth is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, when she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love during a whirlwind trip to Rome, she finds herself aggressively pursued by a band of suitors." It stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. I have to say, I have not always liked Kristen Bell. I found that tele show she did (Veronica Mars) annoying and was perplexed as to her popularity. Plus, she spells her name wrong. However, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was hilarious and a few stints on Craig Ferguson's show has eased my dislike enough that I'm intrigued as to whether I could watch a movie with her as the protagonist. We will shall have to see.


There you have it friends! My end of '09 into '10 movie list. Which one do you want to venture to see with me? :)