Inglourious Basterds

We had Valkyrie, Black Book, and the movie with James Bond as a Jew fighting against the Nazis?!? Defiance.
I guess the word got out in Hollywood that World War 2 movies were in Vogue. I hope not to see too many more. I.B. is just ok. The story takes place in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis.
I expected new creative visions from the man who gave us Pulp Fiction but like Orson Welles Quentin Tarantino may have peaked too soon. I. B. is in chapters similar to Kill Bill and has very long dialogue, as always in Tarantino movies, which leads to a climatic scene ending.
Nothing fresh and nothing new except for actor Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa who is amazing to watch and keeps you interested in the movie. Brad Pitt, as always, gives a great performance. Also Mélanie Laurent is striking as Shosanna Dreyfus. Some critics will love this movie because films are finally being shown with Jewish people fighting back. I expect more of these movies to come.

Verdict: Quentin Tarantino has lost his cool.

Michael Jackson's Final Days - Sunset Blvd.

Almost 60 years ago a great movie was released that was disturbing for it’s time.
It’s amazing how many parallels there are in the classic movie Sunset Boulevard and the last days of Michael Jackson.
Norma Desmond played by silent film star Gloria Swanson had a chimp, MJ had Bubbles
Norma Desmond was 50 yrs. old , so was MJ.
Norma Desmond mimics Charlie Chaplin in the film with full costume, MJ was an Icon like Charlie Chaplin.
Norma Desmond was past her prime and trying to make a comeback, so was MJ.
Norma Desmond tried to make her face look young in the movie, MJ always tried.
Norma Desmond was a white woman, MJ ended up looking like a white woman.
And finally Norma Desmond lived in a large home isolated from the world at large and had purchased expense, gaudy, weird crap to fill her home, so did MJ.

Great line from the flick :You’re Norma Desmond, you used to make silent films, you used to be big. I am big, it’s the pictures that got small”.

Verdict: Watch late at night with all the lights off to get the full creepy effect of this black and white classic. Some may find this film campy but it is one of Billy Wilder’s best movie. William Holden is also great, and this was a comeback movie for him. For film buffs this is a movie that should be studied scene by scene. It was groundbreaking for it’s time and has been copied over and over again in films and television. M.J. may have been a fan.

District 9

I am one of the few people who could not get into watching Lord of the Rings. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to watch it 2 times however I couldn’t get past the little people running in the forest in and out of trees. I think they were the Hobbits. After Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson was herald as a great director. I gave him another chance with the 2005 remake of King Kong. It was a bloated mess and it only made me want to see the original black and white masterpiece with Fay Wray.
Which brings me to Peter Jackson’s new movie District 9.
It was everything you want a summer movie to be. New ideas, great special effects (way better than P.J.s King Kong) and fresh talent. The theater I attended on Day 1 of it’s opening was packed so the word was already out that this was something worth seeing. The story is about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.
Peter Jackson is the producer of this movie and director Neill Blomkamp does a great job of pacing and character development. There was not a slow period in the movie.
Newcomer Sharlto Copley, as the lead actor, does a great job of nailing his character and I hope to see him again. I may be stretching it here but he reminded me of a method actor in the same vein as Pacino & DeNiro. Only time will tell.
Verdict: Must See! I HIGHLY recommend this movie.

GI Joe

It’s been a horrible summer for movies however GI Joe may be a sleeper hit.
Summer movie hits are all about seeing things on screen that you have never seen before. This is where GI Joe scores. There are action scenes and special effects that are presented that you have not seen in any other movie. Also the action is non stop so there is no time to think about the story because your eyes are being entertained with action, hotties, the big dude from OZ, and that evil dude from the Mummy movies.
The story is about an elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit (their headquarters), takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer. In other words take The Fantastic Four and mix it with Star Wars and you have GI Joe. I didn’t expect much from this movie because a Waynans brother was in it. That usually spells doom, however Marlon does a decent job without becoming Jamie Foxx’s character in that poor movie Stealth.
I never knew what the big deal was about Sienna Miller. I didn’t think much of her as an actress however she is great as badass Ana in this movie. Rachel Nichols also has a breakthrough role as Shanna.

Verdict: This ain't the GI Joe puppet we grew up with. Movie is worth the wait, on a cool scale of 1-10 this movie is a 9.

Have they started on a Sapronos movie?

Cast members have stated that a screenplay is in the works.
According to Cinemablend, Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco stated, “We’ve all talked to [series creator] David [Chase] to give him a kick in the booty to get [the screenplay] right.”
In regards to rumours of Jimmy G. holding up the works, Bracco stated: “I don’t think it’s that at all…I think it’s really trying to get the right script. Without the right script, it’s really not worth doing.”
I guess Tony didn't die at the end. My guess is that the movie will be out Summer of 2011, what do you think?

Morgan Freeman to marry step-granddaughter. Story from MSN.com

Rumors are swirling that actor Morgan Freeman is romantically involved with his step-granddaughter. He's 72. She's 27. We search for more on the pair and takes a look at other infamous May-December relationships.
The background: Freeman and his second wife, Myrna Colley-Lee, are said to have raised E'Dena Hines, the biological granddaughter of Freeman's first wife. (When did the affair supposedly begin?)
The divorce: Four days after a car accident in Mississippi last year with a "female friend," Freeman and Colley-Lee confirmed they were getting a divorce. (Find out more about the split.) The woman in the car with Freeman later sued him. (Why?)
Another other woman? Freeman reportedly ended a longtime affair with a schoolteacher earlier this year. (Who was she?)
The happy couple? Freeman took Hines to the 2005 Golden Globes and to the premiere of "The Dark Knight" last year. (Bing has pictures of them.)

More infamous twosomes
The director and the daughter: Woody Allen was 62 and Soon-Yi Previn was 27 when they married in 1997. The two got together when Allen was still with Previn's mom, actress Mia Farrow. (See pictures of the couple.)

"Goodness gracious!" Jerry Lee Lewis caused an uproar when he married his much younger cousin in 1957. (How old was she?)

Great review on Comic Con

By Scott Bowles and Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
Comic-Con 2009, which ended Sunday in San Diego, drew 125,000 fans, who traveled many miles and waited in line for hours just for glimpses of favorite stars and sneak peeks at movies, TV series and, of course, comics. USA TODAY hits a few highlights:
All the faces of 'Iron Man 2'
A raucous crowd of 6,500 filled Hall H of the Convention Center for Iron Man 2, which unofficially closed the movie portion of Comic-Con on Saturday. The trailer for the original film two years ago helped make Iron Man a blockbuster and put Comic-Con on the map.
The new four-minute preview showed Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark refusing to turn over his suit to the government, Scarlett Johansson making mincemeat of a foe as Black Widow, Sam Rockwell dealing weapons as Justin Hammer, and Don Cheadle suiting up as War Machine. "This is the most important time for me," director Jon Favreau said of Comic-Con, "more important than the premiere, the screenings. This is when we show them the gist of the movie, what we've got. If we don't get them now, I'm not sure how you get them back."
Then there's Gary Oldman. The British actor, making his first visit to Comic-Con, is a beloved presence for his work in The Dark Knight, BatmanBegins, The Fifth Element and two Harry Potters. Here to promote his apocalyptic thriller The Book of Eli, Oldman understands the popularity of the films.

But he can't quite get his head around the adulation he receives for his roles. "People especially remember you as a villain," says Oldman, who has played some larger-than-life bad guys in movies including Element, Eli and The Professional. "I'm not sure how I ever got those parts," he says. "I'm a pretty small guy. Naked, I look like a bald chicken."

For Jackson, a chance to be 'daring'

Peter Jackson, architect of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, isn't known for going small. But the Oscar-winning director is looking pretty comfortable hawking District 9, which he produced.

Making the low-budget sci-fi thriller "reminded me how much I enjoyed doing small films," says Jackson, who started out directing cheap horror flicks. "You can be so much more daring. It feels good to be involved in guerrilla filmmaking."

Guerrilla is right. District 9, which became a talker after its debut here Friday, is not your typical alien movie. Directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp, the film is shot documentary-style, and the aliens aren't the blow-up-the-White-House type. Instead, they're forced into South African ghettos. "I told Neill to enjoy this," Jackson says. "It doesn't get more fun than this. When you do bigger movies, you can't take as many chances."

Cameron climbs back into driver's seat

Making a movie, James Cameron says, is a lot like riding a bike. "You never really forget," says Cameron, whose 3-D extravaganza Avatar is the director's first feature in 12 years. "It felt very natural, even though the technology has changed. I couldn't wait to get started shooting."

Cameron has spent four years creating the technology behind his film, about a war between mankind and the indigenous population of the planet Pandora. The Comic-Con crowd rose to its feet after the 25-minute reel and was buzzing about the improved 3-D effects. But Cameron hopes the film isn't buzzed about more for its toys than its script. "If I'm doing my job right, all of that technology will slowly disappear, and people will forget everything but the story."

New level of fame with 'New Moon'

Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson ought to be used to fame by now. But there's a big difference between Hollywood fame and Comic-Con fame. He and co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner found that out as they took the stage in front of 6,500 screaming fans to show footage from The Twilight Saga: New Moon, out Nov. 20.

"This year, I have something to say," he cracked, joking about last year's Comic-Con, which left him nearly speechless. "It's much more terrifying."

The crowd, made up largely of young girls (some camped out for two days), lost it when Lautner removed his shirt in one scene to tend to Stewart's blood-dappled forehead. "The energy in there is almost physical," Stewart says. "You can literally feel it. It was amazing to see that many fans in one place."

Director Chris Weitz says it drove home just how much is at stake. "I've inherited some very big, ladylike shoes," says Weitz, who is taking over the franchise after Catherine Hardwicke directed the 2008 original. "But I've inherited a great story, great fans."

'True' love heats up

As HBO's True Blood enters the second half of Season 2, expect the romantic triangle between mind reader Sookie (Anna Paquin) and vampires Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) to heat up.

Skarsgard says Sookie "comes along, and there's something different about her. For the first time in a really long time, (Eric is) curious." He told the Comic-Con crowd he'd personally like to see the relationship intensify: "Just look at her," he said, referring to Paquin on the panel. But he quickly followed with an apology: "I'm sorry, Stephen." (Moyer and Paquin are an item in real life.)

Series creator Alan Ball said that viewers can expect a third season: "It's not officially announced, but I think it will be pretty soon."

Deeper stories for 'Heroes'

The new fall volume for NBC's Heroes, "Redemption," places the super-folk back in their ordinary lives after a season as fugitives. "But what does ordinary life look like when you have powers? Do you hide? Do you try to fit in?" creator Tim Kring asked.

Though the low-rated third season was panned by critics, there was no evidence of lost enthusiasm in the packed audience, and neither cast nor fans raised any concerns about Season 3. The new volume includes new people with abilities, hiding in plain sight by working at a carnival. New cast members include Prison Break's Robert Knepper, whose character is an earthmover, and Ray Park, whose character has super speed.

Kring said there will be fewer stories per episode this season, with the goal of "going deeper, not wider." And Claire (Hayden Panettiere) will be headed to college, where she makes friends with another student (Madeline Zima). "I think you guys are going to like us together," Panettiere said, before cooling down the crowd. "Not in that way."

Learn a little about 'Lost' happenings

Did Jack's plan to detonate an atomic bomb succeed in undoing Lost's plane crash? A couple of fake commercials during Lost's session hinted the explosion that closed Season 5 may have averted the crash that started the ABC series. One featured an Oceanic Airlines ad promoting 30 years of "perfect safety" since 1979, which would seem to preclude the crash in 2004. Other tidbits dropped by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse:

•A back story will explain the non-aging Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell).

•Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), who was next to the bomb when it detonated, will return, as will Faraday (Jeremy Davies), who appeared to have been shot and killed earlier last season.

•Characters whom viewers haven't seen since Season 1 will return for the sixth and final season.

Ex-Lostie Dominic Monaghan (who'll star in ABC's FlashForward) made a surprise appearance.

Happier times at '24,' but not for long

Season 8 of 24 opens to a glitzier, shinier CTU — and a brighter life for hero Jack Bauer. Fortunately for fans, the clouds roll in quickly.

A clip showed the headquarters of the Counter Terrorist Unit, back after being disbanded at the end of Season 6, all chrome and glass and cool lights. And Jack's not only still alive, but in a happy place, spending time with his daughter and granddaughter, executive producer Manny Coto said.

Trouble appears at a U.N. peace conference with President Taylor (Cherry Jones) and the president of Iran (Anil Kapoor). A possible assassination attempt draws Jack out of "retirement," said star Kiefer Sutherland. "This season is more grounded in what possibly could happen. There's a sense of reality that almost brings it back to Season 1," he said.

Freddie Prinze Jr. joins the cast as CTU agent Cole Ortiz, and Katee Sackhoff plays his fiancée, Dana Walsh, a CTU data analyst.