Movie Meat

USA'

2010-07-24T15:36:00.001-07:00

The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.

clipped from finance.yahoo.com

The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America.

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace.

61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck,
which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007

83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people

66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans

36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings

A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement

24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year

Cinema profits at record high

2010-07-21T13:09:00.001-07:00

Stats show that comedy accounted for 24% of releases and 20% of box office, while drama was 21% of releases but just 7% of box office. Avatar made science fiction the box office king.

SHOOT: And as reality becomes harder to bear, cinema ought to become part of the staple for people seeking to esape it.

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk

One was the year of A Clockwork Orange and decimalisation. The other was that of Avatar and the shattered economy. But while 1971 and 2009 were wildly different in terms of the technological limits of the films on offer, new figures published today show that they shared similarly buoyant levels of cinema-going.

In terms of box office, it was a record year with takings topping £944m. Cinema admissions also shot up from last year's healthy 164 million to 174 million, not quite beating 2002 (176 million), but still up 6% and the second highest number since 1971.

Much of the problem stems from the global economic downturn and also the failure so far of the movie industry to work out how best to make money from the internet.

"The evidence is that the transition into the digital world is going to be quite bumpy," said Woodward.

The big inward investment movies – or Hollywood funded – of 2010 include the final Harry Potter, John Carter of Mars and the next Pirates of the Caribbean.

Inception Ranked as 3rd Best Film of all Time on IMDb

2010-07-21T09:28:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Nolan rocks!

clipped from insidemovies.moviefone.com

It's been a good week for Christopher Nolan's inception after it shot onto screens with glowing reviews and huge box office takings. And it's about to get better with news that film website IMDb (the internet movie database for those not in the know) has it at number three in its top 250 films of all time list. Not bad for a film that's a week old.

The list is calculated based on user's votes giving a 1–10 star rating. And although Inception has fewer votes than most films on the list due to its relative infancy, the ranking is decided by averaging the votes for any one film meaning that the sheer level of early goodwill towards the flick has rocketed it up the list. It sits just behind first place film The Shawshank Redemption (16 years old and with over 500,700 votes) and The Godfather Part One (38 years old, over 398,000 votes). Fellow newbie Toy Story 3 is at number 8.

Film Review - Predators

2010-07-08T14:13:00.001-07:00

“Predators” is a wildly entertaining picture that bends the franchise back to more captivating quandaries, erasing much of the bad taste left behind by previous installments. It took a few too many years to reach this point, but thanks to Robert Rodriguez, the Predators have finally been restored to their original tribal roar.

SHOOT: Can't wait to watch this.

clipped from www.brianorndorf.com

Enter Robert Rodriguez, who assumes a shepherding role for “Predators,” questing to get beastly matters back on track, working from a script that understands the need for graphic violence, salty language, and burly men brandishing city block-sized guns. “Predators” returns the franchise to the basics, once again observing an anxious group in a jungle setting, slowly coming to grips with the monster hunters stalking the area.

Cleverly, Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal (“Vacancy,” “Armored”) rework the premise to shake Earth out of the equation, moving the action to a neutral planet the Predators use as a testing ground, sending packs of three at a time to hunt and kill whatever they’ve decided to parachute in. Outside of the fact that the new environment provides exotic, gorgeous locations (a mix of Hawaii and Texas) to survey, the fresh surroundings provide diverse elements of menace, as it’s not only Predators after the team, but the flora and fauna as well.

Toy Story 3 (3D) - reviewed by a 10 year-old

2010-06-18T09:16:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: I'll be verifying the accuracy of this review momentarily.

clipped from www.channel24.co.za

Back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters!

Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner, Andy, would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In this third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future.

What 10-year-old Joey thought:

Filming of the Harry Potter Series Ends Today

2010-06-12T14:49:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Can't wait to see it...

clipped from www.slashfilm.com

According to the Twitter account of Warwick Davis (who played both Flitwick in Griphook), the final day of principle photography for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows takes place today - Saturday, June 12th, 2010. Davis tweeted the following:

The end of an Era - today is officially the last day of principal photography on ‘Harry Potter’ - ever. I feel honoured to be here as the director shouts cut for the very last time. Farewell Harry & Hogwarts, it’s been magic! …and goodbye Griphook!

So there you have it — filming is now complete! The first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will hit theaters on November 19th 2010, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 will be released on July 15th, 2011.

Toy Story 3 comes together in one brilliant, trilogy-capping masterpiece that will leave a lump in your throat and a smile on your face

2010-06-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

What's amazing is that "Toy Story 3" doesn't just match its brilliant predecessor in terms of depth, excitement and humor; it exceeds it in just about every way. The eleven-year gap between installments works in the film's favor, since that passage of time provides the strong emotional undercurrent that drives the story.

SHOOT: Can't wait.

clipped from movies.yahoo.com

Now comes their 11th animated feature, "Toy Story 3," which is not only the best "Toy Story" of them all (and that's saying a lot), but it also continues Pixar's extraordinary capacity for telling strong, clever and exciting stories that are filled with humor, heart and, most of all, imagination. To that extent, it's safe to say that on a scale of one to ten, "Toy Story 3" goes to infinity -- and beyond.

Then again, the fact that it succeeds as well as it does is a miracle in itself, since trilogies have an unfortunate tendency to go out with more of a whimper than a bang. Witness superior sequels like "The Godfather Part II," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Spider-Man 2," which were followed by inferior threequels like "The Godfather Part III," "Return of the Jedi" and "Spider-Man 3."

Up to this point, the exception to the rule was the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but now, thankfully, you can add "Toy Story" to the list.

Empty heads are very fond of long titles

2010-05-22T16:23:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: How do you have your book or movie stand out from the crowd? Simple, if the competition is using long titles, you use short ones, and vice versa.

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Coming in the next few months are “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Art houses will receive the comedy “Happy Thank You More Please.” The colon-crazy executives over at Warner Brothers have a movie coming out based on the book “Guardians of Ga’Hoole.” But some recent title surgery has made it “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.”

It’s enough to make “Nanny McPhee Returns,” a sequel coming in August from Universal Pictures, seem downright spare.

Title elongation has been building for years. “Star Wars” is now “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.” The summer of 2003 brought “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde” and “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.” Last year there was “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

“Inception,” the latest from the director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”), will stick out like a sore thumb on July 16

Gareth Cliff: Julius Malema is the Sarah Palin of the Black African youth

2010-03-17T03:53:00.001-07:00

Lately he displayed the most incredibly insensitive behaviour by visiting the reprehensible Jub Jub in jail and taking him a helping of Nando's. Can anyone think of something more offensive for the victim's families?

SHOOT: So why don't the leaders of the ANC reign him in? For the same reason Mugabe isn't reigned in. If you spoil the party for Mugabe, he'll spoil it for you. In exchange for keeping his secrets, he'll keep yours - that's how corruption sustains itself. It is juxtaposed opposite the interests of the electorate, so there is no question where their interests lie.

clipped from www.garethcliff.com

Julius Malema has alienated me this week. I never found him particularly offensive or annoying before. I sought to understand him. I had met a few times and thought that perhaps I needed to make an effort to find what it was about him that made him so interesting to the rest of the country. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and tried to remain open-minded to his point of view. I would defend him to friends of mine who said he was just an uneducated moron. Julius and I got on quite well - I was even about to join forces with the Youth League for a multi-racial, inclusive and meaningful Youth Day celebration on June 16th. I was very optimistic - and I was wrong.

This man is brimming with an indefatigable and dangerous bravado. He is of the opinion that he owes nobody an explanation for anything. His defence is always that his accuser is racist, since he defines himself almost completely as black (and nothing else).

SHUTTER ISLAND: Scorsese has created a superior psychological thriller

2010-03-12T12:51:00.001-08:00

The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, especially Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach in The Watchmen) as a disturbed fellow patient and Max Von Sydow as a sinister psychiatrist. Ben Kingsley does especially well as an ambiguous character, the apparently well-meaning head of the mental institution.

SHOOT: You had me at 'Scorcese' and again at 'Leonardo diCaprio'. Looking forward to seeing this.

clipped from www.techcentral.co.za

Shutter Island demands that you concentrate. Though some reviewers found the film a hard slog, I found it engrossing every step of the way. Its major virtues lie in excellent performances from every member of the cast, a script that bristles with tension, and of course, Scorsese’s skilful direction.

Scorsese was never as over-indebted to Hitchcock as his contemporary, Brian de Palma, but in Shutter Island he makes Hitchcock’s language his own. Many shots in the film directly reference Hitchcock in ways that lesser directors simply wouldn’t get away with.

Scorsese occasionally lays the ominous music on a little too thickly. The island and its Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane take a starring role in the film. The hurricane-lashed, mist-shrouded Shutter Island, the dimly lit interiors of Ashecliffe, and the dramatic cliffs of the island are all conjured up with evocative cinematography.

James Cameron's AVATAR = Disney's POCAHONTAS

2010-03-12T12:43:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: Intwisting...

clipped from complicationsensue.blogspot.com

Peter Traver reviews - The Hurt Locker

2010-03-04T10:25:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: We're soon to find out whether the Academy consider this [or AVATAR] to be the best movie of 2009. I haven't seen The Hurt Locker, but I hope AVATAR wins for the sentiments it espouses, primary 'caring and being connected to the environment'.

clipped from www.rollingstone.com

Here's the Iraq War movie for those who don't like Iraq War movies. The Hurt Locker doesn't preach. Director Kathryn Bigelow, working from a strong script by embedded journalist Mark Boal, gets right down to business (watch Peter Travers' video review of The Hurt Locker). She takes us deep into an elite U.S. bomb-disposal squad in Baghdad. The dazzling virtuosity of her ticking-bomb thriller includes staying alert to what's ticking inside the men. At the start, soldiers J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) watch in horror as their sarge (Guy Pearce) suits up to defuse a bomb that goes off in his face. Enter Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) as the new head of the unit. Sanborn thinks James is all kinds of reckless, and Renner and Mackie are outstanding at detailing the conflict. Bigelow builds a combustible drama that shakes you in ways you don't see coming.

Burton sees ‘Alice’ through dreary looking glass

2010-03-04T09:09:00.001-08:00

Though Burton's film boasts some excellent performances, as the caterpillar says to our heroine, it's merely "almost Alice."

SHOOT: Peter Jackson should have made this...or Sam Raimi.

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com

In Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," Alice has grown — not by "drink me" potion or "eat me" cake — into a 19-year-old girl.

Working from Linda Woolverton's very Hollywood screenplay adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale, Burton shifts the story from a child Alice to a near-adult Alice, viewing her journey through a drearier, more dangerous looking-glass.

We glimpse the prim, Victorian child of Carroll's tale in the film's opening as she awakens from what sounds like her trip to Wonderland. Her father tells her that her deranged dreams do indeed mean she's bonkers, but he assures, "All the best people are."

Alice doesn't remember her last trip to Wonderland. This time, the plot is similar, but slightly different. It's Underland, not Wonderland. The tea party is more faded and ramshackle. Alice is beset by questions that she's "the wrong Alice."

"This is my dream. I make the path," she says.

Seven films on Oscar’s visual effects shortlist

2010-01-07T06:52:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: But the Oscar must go to AVATAR.

clipped from www.eyewitnessnews.co.za

The race for the visual effects Oscar just got a little tighter.

The Academy’s visual effects branch announced on Wednesday that the shortlist of 15 movies, released in mid-December, has been whittled down to seven films.

"Avatar" heads the alphabetic list, followed by "District 9," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "2012."

The branch’s members will further narrow the list to three films, which will be announced along with all the other Oscar nominees on February 2. The awards ceremony will be held March 7.

AVATAR has made $1 billion

2010-01-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: Cameron is the only filmmaker to have made two movies earning more than $1 billion.

"Here's what's happening: I think everybody has to see `Avatar' once. Even people who don't normally go to the movies, they've heard about it and are saying, `I have to see it.' Then there's those people seeing it multiple times."

clipped from movies.yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES - James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" had another stellar weekend with $68.3 million domestically, shooting past $1 billion worldwide, only the fifth movie ever to hit that mark.

No. 1 for the third-straight weekend, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" raised its domestic total to $352.1 million after just 17 days. The film added $133 million overseas to lift its international haul to $670 million, for a worldwide gross of $1.02 billion.

"Avatar" opened two weekends earlier with $77 million, a strong start but far below dozens of other blockbusters that debuted as high as $158 million. But business for other blockbusters usually tumbles in following weekends, while "Avatar" revenues barely dropped over the busy Christmas and New Year's weekends.

"It's like a runaway freight train. It just keeps doing business," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston.

Cameron talks about AVATAR: says two sequels are possible, it's not anti-human, it's about aspiring to be better than we are

2009-12-21T10:40:00.001-08:00

CAMERONThe film is definitely not anti-American. It’s not anti-human either. My perception of the film is that the N’avi represent that sort of aspirational part of ourselves that wants to be better, that wants to respect nature. And the humans in the movie represent the more venal versions of ourselves, the banality of evil that comes with corporate decisions that are made out of remove of the consequences.

SHOOT: Looking forward to more.

clipped from carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com

In the New York Times article that John Anderson wrote on “Avatar,” you joked about doing a sequel based on the positive feelings you had about an early December screening. If you did make a sequel, where would you want to take this story?

I’m not going to give out any story scoops now. I have a story mapped out that actually spans two films. Not in the sense that you’d do a film that ends in the middle, like the typical second-act trilogy problem, but I have enough story arc to cover two more films. And if we do make some money and I talk to Fox and they want to move ahead with a sequel, then I’ll sit down and write something. And you and I can talk again!

When you wrote the film in 1995 and decided that technology wasn’t at a place where you could make it, what specifically did you feel like you couldn’t do at that time?

The big issue was the scale of it.

Barry Ronge's Review of AVATAR: It is one of the most beautifully imagined and created movies we have seen in years.

2009-12-20T14:59:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: Funny when we emerged out of the press screening I said to Barry, 'Do you think the release of this movie was timed to coincide with the climate conference in Copenhagen?' He seemed doubtful, since, he said, they started the movie 3-4 years prior. But he made the same comment in his review.

clipped from www.ratherronge.co.za

“Avatar” is a thundering, adjective-defying, marvel of a film, so visually rich and acutely topical that you really have to see it twice. The 3D imagery is so natural and so seamlessly woven into the story, that you hardly notice it, which shows you just how well this special effect has been integrated into the narrative. The story is based on a shrewd and provocative inversion of a traditional science-fiction template - the “alien invasion”. It has been a staple of science-fiction movies for the last sixty years but in “Avatar”, Cameron turns that idea on its head.

That is not only an interesting inversion of a classic sci-fi format, it is also highly topical. It’s no accident that this film was released at the same time as the 2008 Copenhagen Climate Change conference was still in session. The themes of “Avatar” resonate powerfully and specifically with the goals and aspirations of those environmentalists, who are trying to set a new ecological time-table for planet Earth.

Snow denies AVATAR record grosses, for now

2009-12-20T14:51:00.001-08:00

Although “Avatar” made its debut in 3,452 theaters in North America, movies of similar scope have historically opened in even more theaters, and that smaller number may have held back ticket sales. There is also evidence that a shortage of 3-D theaters depressed opening results. Fox had hoped to have hundreds of additional 3-D locations available, but the credit crunch and industry squabbling has delayed technology upgrades.

Audiences seem to have swallowed Fox’s message that this is a film that should be seen in 3-D. Imax theaters — 179 in North America and 58 overseas — broke sales records, with every theater selling out. One signal of how “Avatar” could perform going forward: One Imax theater in London has already sold $1 million worth of tickets, $800,000 of which is for the weeks ahead.

SHOOT: I'll be watching AVATAR for the 3rd time this week. That puts it on a par or better than Dark Knight.

clipped from www.nytimes.com

The movie will need to demonstrate supernatural hold on audiences in the coming weeks to avoid becoming a financial calamity for Fox and its financing partners, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners. “Avatar” ended up costing around $310 million to produce (although tax credits will shave about $30 million off that bill) and an estimated $150 million to market.

Overseas “Avatar” opened in 106 countries, selling an additional $159.2 million in tickets for a worldwide gross of $232.2 million, Mr. Aronson said.

Tom Rothman, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said in an interview, “We believe, especially given that women worldwide responded so strongly, that this is just the start.”

Given the cost, glowing critical reviews and Mr. Cameron’s “Titanic” résumé — not to mention that the 60 percent of the theaters playing the film were charging an additional $3 to $5 for 3-D presentation — analysts expected “Avatar” to sail past previous December behemoths.

AVATAR: Interesting 'White Guilt' Interpretation

2009-12-20T13:19:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: As I say, I find this interpretation [see below] interesting. But I think if you're seeing racist overtones in AVATAR you must be a very sad person, because the far greater message is one of resurrecting our humanity, of re-connecting with each other, and the environment.

clipped from www.wired.com

Avatar is a classic scenario you’ve seen in Hollywood epics from Dances With Wolves, Dune, District 9 and The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.

A white man who was one of the oppressors switches sides at the last minute, assimilating into the alien culture and becoming its savior.
These are movies about white guilt. Our main white characters realize that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA people of color – their cultures, their habitats, and their populations.

The whites realize this when they begin to assimilate into the “alien” cultures and see things from a new perspective. To purge their overwhelming sense of guilt, they switch sides, become “race traitors,” and fight against their old comrades. But then they go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed.

Mandela in INVICTUS provides an example of the leadership needed in Copenhagen

2009-12-15T14:28:00.001-08:00

Mandela and Pienaar could have so easily lost. However the nations who dare to transform their fossil fuel based economies into sustainable renewable energy economies first will almost certainly gain a lot.

Mandela would have known the right answer. We should hope that the world leaders that will be coming together in Copenhagen later this week will find some of his inspiration for their talks and meetings.

Fear of revolutionary change is the motivating factor behind widespread resistance to renewable energy.

SHOOT: Great article, very true.

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

It is a beautiful film with Morgan Freeman (Mandela) and Matt Damon (François Pienaar). And it's a lesson in statesmanship. As Freeman says in the film to his angry black supporters who don't understand why he wants to keep the Springboks (and Mandela might have well said the same): "You elected me to lead you. Now let me lead you". Mandela withstood vested interests and built a new nation.

That's exactly what government leaders around the world now need to do as well in response to the challenge posed by global warming: withstand vested interests and build new clean energy economies. It is hard to expect the oil industry with all its related political interests to easily and happily join in the transformation of the economy.

However politicians representing the interests of the people at large should, like Mandela, point the way and make the shift to clean energy happen. Their "gamble" is hardly as risky as Mandela's was.

'Avatar' star Sigourney Weaver as queen of sci-fi: 'Outer space has been good to me' [UPDATED]

2009-12-11T01:52:00.001-08:00

She will be sitting down in the weeks to come to watch all of “Alien” films as part of the process of recording commentary for the upcoming Blu-ray release of the four-film franchise.

“I’ve never done that, watched all of them in a row,” Weaver said. “I just recently made my [19-year-old] daughter watch them. She had never seen them before, believe it or not. I think she just prefers to think of me as good ol’ mom, you know, not some person running around a spaceship with a flamethrower.”

SHOOT: I recently watched all the 'Alien' movies in a row. Awesome franchise.

clipped from latimesblogs.latimes.com

Sigourney Weaver, with a chuckle, says she will never grow tired of space travel. “I’m always up for going to another planet,” the three-time Oscar nominee said. “Outer space has been good to me.”

This is the 30th anniversary of Weaver’s career breakthrough with her role as Ellen Ripley in the first “Alien” film. But far from resting on her laurels, the 60-year-old actress is again on extraterrestrial active duty with “Avatar,” the James Cameron sci-fi epic that opens Dec. 18.

Weaver plays botanist Grace Augustine, who is mentoring a brash young marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in the beautiful but treacherous jungles of Pandora, an inhabited moon that humans hope to conquer for its natural resources. Weaver is the biggest name in the cast and was thrilled to reunite with Cameron, who directed her in “Aliens,” her 1986 reprise of the Ripley role.

“It’s absolutely my favorite fan base,” Weaver said. “I love those guys.”

"Avatar": Like "Matrix," it opens doorways

Sigourney Weaver Interview: "Just relax and let your mind go blank," she tells him, then adds with withering nonchalance: "It shouldn't be hard for you."

2009-12-06T19:14:00.001-08:00

This is the Weaver they know and love: spikey, brittle, intelligent, the Weaver who could take on the universe's most dangerous alien and live to make the sequel.

SHOOT: She's an original with a lot of rebellious, but sensible energy. The world could do with a lot more Sigourneys.

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk

One of the first things that people think about when the name Sigourney Weaver pops into conversation, along with her braininess and patrician elegance, is her height. You only have to think of the scene in Infamous when she dances with Toby Jones playing Truman Capote, in which his head reaches somewhere around her navel.

Then there's the story about how she acquired her name. She was christened Susan, but when she was 14 she decided it didn't suit a person like her who was 6ft tall in her shoes. So she seized on the name Sigourney, having spotted it in The Great Gatsby. Sigourney seemed to her to be long and curvy: much more appropriate for someone her size.

She smiles in affirmation. "And I haven't got parts in conventional love stories because of my height."

The upside of such blatant discrimination is that the directors she has worked with, she says, have all been what she describes as "wild men. And I'm very grateful for that."

Rumpelstiltskin and the ogre return for the last: 'Shrek Forever After'

2009-11-27T12:16:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: This ought to be good.

clipped from www.usatoday.com

The premise is the Brothers Grimm meetIt's a Wonderful Life: After rescuing a princess, getting hitched and fathering triplets, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated. "He has lost his roar," says director Mike Mitchell (Sky High, Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo). "It used to send villagers running away in terror. Now they run to him and ask him to sign their pitchforks and torches."

To regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, the wee troublemaker who popped up briefly in Shrek 2 and 3.

Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed. That translates into Donkey being forced into cart-pulling duty, fat and lazy Puss in Boots trading his sword for a pink bow and the underhanded Rumpelstiltskin ruling the kingdom.

So does Shrek Forever After wrap up with everyone living happily ever after? "I hate to give away the ending," Mitchell says, "but yes."

"New Moon" opened to $274.9 million, the sixth-highest worldwide debut of all time

2009-11-23T22:13:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: I think it's opening weekend, or opening night, was the biggest in history. Sorry but I'd prefer The Dark Knight to remain #1.

clipped from www.latimes.com

Summit Entertainment underestimated the film's worldwide ticket sales by $16.1 million. The latest opening-weekend total is $274.9 million, but overseas box office figures are still trickling in.

Summit Entertainment's estimates of how many filmgoers outside North America saw "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" was low. Way low.

Its new opening weekend overseas total, $132.1 million, is $14 million, or 12%, higher than its estimate Sunday morning of $118.1 million. Combined with the newly updated domestic total of $142.8 million, which is $2.1 million higher than Summit's Sunday morning estimate, it turns out that "New Moon" opened to $274.9 million, the sixth-highest worldwide debut of all time.

Foreign countries where the movie opened big include Australia, Brazil, Britain, France, Italy, Mexico, Russia and Spain.

New Moon Review: "Jacob has secrets of his own that soon emerge, first in the form of some massive biceps. My, what big muscles you have, Bella tells him, nicely exposing her inner wolf"

2009-11-20T14:13:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: Thought you might be interested in this NYT review.

Edward saves Bella, but soon decides to split town. Dead or alive, men can be brutes (authors too): he also tells her that she’s not good for him, leaving her bereft. This act of cruelty throws her into a long depression that the director Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass,” “About a Boy”), having taken the filmmaking reins from the sloppier if more energetic Catherine Hardwicke, tries to translate into cinematic terms, mostly by circling Bella with the camera as the months melt away. Ms. Stewart’s darkly brooding looks are convincing, but her lonely-girl blues soon grow wearisome, as does the spinning camera.

clipped from movies.nytimes.com

The big tease turns into the long goodbye in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the juiceless, near bloodless sequel about a teenage girl and the sparkly vampire she, like, totally loves. When last we saw Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her pretty dead guy, Edward (Robert Pattinson), in “Twilight” — the series hadn’t been saga-fied yet — the two had pledged their troth, a chaste commitment solidified during moody walks in the woods, some exhilarating treetop scrambling and a knockdown fight with a pack of vamping vampires.

The problem, already evident in the first movie, is that a vampire who doesn’t ravish young virgins or at least scarily nuzzle their flesh isn’t much of a vampire or much of an interesting character, which initially makes Edward’s abrupt and extended disappearance from the second film seem like a good idea. “New Moon” opens with a seemingly content Bella turning 18, a happy occasion that takes a frightening turn during a party at Edward’s house.

Movie Meat Reviews: Twilight New Moon

2009-11-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

Bee stung lips, Bare chests and Broken promises – by Nick van der Leek

And blood from paper cuts of course. Brace yourself because the next installment of the 'Twilight' Saga is the same animal as the first, just deeper, darker, fiercer, and more grown-up. The attention to detail and faithfulness to the spirit of Stephenie Meyer’s stories was preserved - you'll be happy to hear - through the entire production process. And it's because you really do sense Meyer's quintessential depth-of-detail that fans will love ‘New Moon’. Compared to ‘Twilight’ there’s more action – lots more – more anguished depression and, phew, more excitement in ‘New Moon’, if that makes sense.

If it doesn’t, not to worry, there are plenty of bare naked male torsos onscreen for the girls. For the guys, well, two words: Kirsten Stewart. Sean Penn, who directed her in ‘Into The Wild’ says, “She is a real force with terrific instincts.” The kicker is we know now exactly what he means. In ‘New Moon’ she’s as soulful as ever, and that innocent but not too innocent sensuality is there for the taking, or so it seems. Bella’s booty is behind, once again, what the vampiric fussing and fighting is all about.

Females with a crush on Edward [Robert Pattinson] get teased in the beginning, but will be disappointed to hear that for vast chunks of this flick they have to go without Mr. Pale-and-Sensitive. The ladies are in for a treat though, because while Pattinson is on leave, a pack of wolves is running around. Personally I found the amount of screen time devoted to abs, biceps and bare chests quite amusing. More on that in a moment.

The Saga is a success, and so is this episode, because everyone involved understands how powerful and important subtlety is when mixed with vapid melodrama. It’s in the delicate details, the nuanced acting, the colors and hues, that ‘Twilight’ transforms into something special beyond what would otherwise be an insipid and almost nonsensical plot. Think about it: ordinary high school girl falls in love with a sensitive vegetarian vampire. In ‘New Moon’ we visit the more advanced complications in Bella’s plight with the Cullen vampires.

Director Chris Weitz [‘The Golden Compass’] delivers on every level: his color palette is immaculate, his werewolves credibly incredible [I loved the close-up fairy-tale quality of Bella shining in the wolf’s eye.] Even the music is both haunting and soothing. Rolling Stone describes the music on ‘New Moon’ as “living up to the story because it captures the day-to-day bleakness, along with the sexual obsessions seething under the surface.”

Director Weitz soars most of all by tapping into that most subtle of virtues, the essence of these sagas, which the balancing of that melodrama. There’s just enough melodrama to almost satisfy deep-seated teenage angst, just too little to keep bloodthirsty teenagers hungry for more. And if you’re older, prepare to have forgotten memories surface. If you’re one of those people who has seen the first installment over and over again, you’ll be pleased to hear that ‘New Moon’ also has those simple but exquisite touches mixed into deeply layered and darkly impenetrable plots. What are they thinking? Why do they make the decisions they make? Why must they resist? But then what could be simpler than a girl turning eighteen and saying this to her boyfriend:

Bella Swan: It's my birthday, can I ask for something? Kiss me.

‘New Moon’ is riveting because the cast are skilled and watchable. For the guys, besides Kirsten, there’s Edward’s sister Alice [the darkly delicious Ashley Greene] while ladies get to salivate over Jacob [hunky Taylor Lautner] who spends most of the film in a state of undress. Lautner has described the amount of passion surrounding Twilight as “not normal.” Of course, ‘New Moon’ offers plenty of new characters to feast hungry eyes upon.

While the vampires have gifts ranging from mind reading to reading the future, in ‘New Moon’ the focus falls on an entirely different place: a pack of hounds with a different set of gifts. They excel at brute force, at speed, and loyalty, and savagery, but they falter in that they are less sophisticated, less capable of reigning in their own passions. Love can be blind when you’re not trying to hold back on your desires. Even so, there is something puppy-like and grounded about the wolf pack – they’re warmer and easier to affiliate with than their cold and prudish, but elegant counterparts.

While vampires are chosen by design [their own one would imagine], the werewolves are chosen by fate. The werewolves are more children of nature, children of the forest than the lunar-skinned vampires, who somehow seem more terrifying, more abominable, despite their civilized exterior. So where do the werewolves come into it?

A gene is activated by the presence of vampires straying onto the ancient territories of a tribe known as the Quileute. These ancient people evolved as protection against vampires. The gene manifests in a particular group of young men [all Native Americans] when vampires begin to stray onto their lands, in violation of a treaty.

The gene has the rather nasty side-effect of creating an insatiable desire to have long locks cut off, but this is offset by being unable to resist tearing shirts off. The wolves in ‘New Moon’ are a combination of Native American peoples, including Sioux and Cree. Their presence, it must be said, adds an authentic animus quality to the series, a dimension that both deepens and broadens the mythology in a meaningful way.

The Battle on Facebook

On Facebook, two opposing groups have started, a Team Edward group, and a Team Jacob group. Author Stephenie Meyer says, “The whole Team Jacob/Team Edward thing is based on the type of boy that an individual is interested in. If I were for a team,” Meyer enthuses, “I’d probably be for Team Jacob. That’s more my style. If you believe you can develop a deep friendship and then all of a sudden fall in love later on, then you should be in Team Jacob.” What about Team Edward? “If you believe in love at first sight and seeing the mysterious man in the corner, then all right, join Team Edward.”

The overcast weather, stormy seas and dark forest settings feel consistently damp… and something else. The outdoors feels very real. The sea is a rough, heaving backdrop, so is the bruised, unsettled sky. Then there is Bella’s red truck, school, snaking wet roads, modern timber and glass houses, inner sanctums [also known as bedrooms], even the soil always feels rich and moist, like wet cake. None of that unreal, commercialized, postcard sunnyness lives here.

I believe the power in this saga is wrapped up in the many metaphors, both visual and contextual, that remain sensibly coherent, and as such, ring true. It’s compelling because it’s these symbols that stir something up inside most of us. Memories and longing, but mostly longing.

Bella Swan: The absence of him is everywhere I look. It is like a big hole has been punched through my chest.

The longing remains sharp, painful and dangerous throughout, and it is this perhaps more than anything else that resonates. Because in ‘New Moon’ the longing is haunting and especially beautiful.

Beyond the ordinary

People who only catch glimpses of this flick might wonder what all the fuss is about. After all, isn’t the ‘Twilight Saga’ interchangeable with any other series out there? Isn’t it just Smallville-goes-ghoulish or the rural teenage version of Desperate Housewives? ‘Twilight’, like many other dramas out there, accentuates the ordinary. But let’s face it, teenagers lives, even when they’re ordinary, don’t feel that way.

Think of the experience of teenage love and infatuation, the secret keeping, the awkward alliances, the unspoken loyalties, the addictions [blood in this case rather than heroin] the sometimes deadly experiments, the silliness, the shifts in status quo that are sometimes impossible to fathom even though their realness is never in dispute. We can all identify with the potency of those first feelings, which is why ‘Twilight’ is such a triumph. Teenage angst trumps what we’ll feel for the remainder of our lives.

Bella [Kristen Stewart in fine form] epitomizes in ‘New Moon’ an idealized teenage existence, even the longing is idealized. The ever-distant and inward-looking Edward appears to her in ‘New Moon’ as a protective ghost. He’s there even when he is absent. Bella’s vampire-lover admits, helplessly, that his very existence is because of her.

Edward Cullen: [to Bella] You're my only reason to stay... alive. If that's what I am.

A gay reviewer sitting a few seats from me crossed and uncrossed his legs each time male flesh appeared, so much so that eventually his seat in the cinema might have become a bicycle he was pedaling. Put it this way: I think I understand what girls must feel like watching movies filled with mostly naked women, where breasts are the fulcrum of attention. In ‘New Moon’, there are no boobs in sight, but plenty of knuckled abs shining in the rain. Do I hear cheering?

In the real world these guys would be suffering from hypothermia, and Edward would be arrested for being too cheesy, or at a minimum, labeled a laughable stalker, a lovesick loser, a pathetic poepol, because when you grow up you realize that anyone who thinks you are their entire universe really does have some growing up to do. You know this because once upon a time your entire universe laughed at you for being so naive and lost in your emotions.

But then Edward isn’t your average teenager in the ‘Twilight’ mythos. He’s allowed to be cheesy because he’s not helpless or weak, or even juvenile, but quite the opposite. He’d very old, and dangerously strong. Bella loves the combination of his incredible vulnerability towards her coupled with his strength. Bella’s great hold over him, and all the other vampires, is her mystery. They can’t read her mind, but despite the threat posed by their uncertainty of her thoughts, her mortal love for them,and Edward in particular, is obvious.

Edward Cullen: Happy birthday
Bella Swan: Don't annoy me.
Edward Cullen: Bella your birthday is definitely something to celebrate.
Bella Swan: But my age is not.

Many adult reviewers may finger ‘New Moon’s’ narcissism, but then it’s not a movie directed at adults. In the same way ‘Harry Potter’ has a specific audience in mind, and ‘Star Wars’ is meant to be a fairy tale, so too is the mythos of ‘New Moon’ meant to inspire not real love but idealized love.

Loving the Shakespeare way

Why else do we see an opening scene of Bella with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on her pillow? These idealizations remind us of the furious flame of passion and the intense icicles of hurt that are part and parcel of first experiences at intimacy. The vampire mythos does nothing to detract from the reality of those feelings. The more exotic settings, the forests, the wolves, the damsel, the castle, the kings on their thrones, the jousting; all these agents powerfully collaborate on a symbolic level to extract the very potions and poison that heat and chill our blood.

‘New Moon’ is perfectly paced, and wonderfully poised; it brushes large swathes of credible emotion interspersed with iris tickling fantasy scenes. Director Weitz’ inclusion of special effects is appropriately elegant; they seamlessly flow through the film tapestry like stars in moonbeams.

What I found strangely enjoyable was how, towards the final third of the flick, the audience, especially the ladies [who obviously appreciated the generous displays of abs] began to giggle and chortle. The sweeping promises begin to wear thin towards the end, as we must know they will. How can we promise to love someone forever when – as a teenager –tomorrow the world may be a completely different place?

I think it’s difficult not to appreciate that if you’re Bella, having entire clans warring over you, having search parties patrolling the forests at your service, well, all this has got to be quite flattering. It’s every little girls dream. And what’s wrong with retreating into your inner child once in a while? Well, mark these words, ‘New Moon’s’ ending is likely to remedy such childish notions.

Score: 8.5/10 [For teens and Twi-hards a solid 9]

Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

How to shoot nudity and keep it sexy

2009-11-17T10:01:00.001-08:00

SHOOT: Natalie Portman is a beautiful actress, and respected. How doyou shoot her in a nude scene and keep it both sexy and respectable. Watch the video [click on the link below] and you'll see how it's done. You have to have a mixture of tension and keeping your audience guessing. This technique allows your imagination to fill in the missing pieces.

clipped from www.tvshark.com

We reported earlier this month that Natalie Portman [photos] appears nude in Wes Anderson's short film 'Hotel Chevalier'.

Well, the short film has finally been released to the public. It stars Jason Schartzman and Natalie Portman and was supposed to be shown as a prologue to 'The Darjeeling Limited' but Fox Searchlight didn't go ahead with the idea and it will likely only be shown at festival screenings, and be included on the DVD.

But in any case, the scene features Natalie Portman nude, with the actress baring her bottom in the much talked about scene, while strategically covering up the rest of her. It's been described as 'the sexiest thing that Wes Anderson has ever done' by UK publication 'Timeout London'.

If (500) Days of Summer is not a date movie, then it is because of the risk of the date being dumped for the movie.

2009-11-10T13:25:00.001-08:00

AO Scott: “(500) Days” finds just the right scale and tone, neither trivializing nor melodramatically overstating the delicate feelings it explores.

SHOOT: This look like a refreshingly worthwhile movie. I get to see a preview on Friday.

clipped from movies.nytimes.com

The print advertisements qualify his words, describing this slight, charming and refreshingly candid little picture as “a story about love.” Which it is: a story about how love can be confusing, contingent and asymmetrical, and about how love can fail. Given all this, it’s somewhat remarkable that “(500) Days,” the feature directing debut of the music video auteur Marc Webb, is neither depressing nor French.

The governing commercial calculus these days seems to be that dudes want smut, ladies want weddings, and a picture (like “The Hangover,” say) that delivers both will make the audience happy and the studios rich.

So a winsome, accessible movie about more-or-less recognizable young people navigating the murky waters of post-sexual-revolutionary, midrecessionary heterosexual attraction has a novelty and a measure of bravery working in its favor, whatever its shortcomings.

Movie Meat Reviews: The Stoning of Soraya M.

2009-11-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

Need a good reason to hate Iranians? by Nick van der Leek

Feminists will love this film, so will politicians bent on invading Iran on the premise of more weapons of mass destruction. The weapons of mass destruction is an interesting metaphor, because in 'SORAYA', those with the most sin, cast the most stones.

The New York Times provides a brilliant summary of what this film is about. STEPHEN HOLDEN writes:

“The Stoning of Soraya M.,” a true story of religiously sanctioned misogyny and mob violence in an Iranian village, thoroughly blurs the line between high-minded outrage and lurid torture-porn.

On second thoughts if you've not watched a frame of this flick, that may not mean much to you. So here's a suggestion to get you into the ballpark. It's like an Iranian version of the crucifixion, and in this, Jesus is a woman, Soraya [sensitively portrayed by Mozhan Marnò]. The crucifixion - whether you think it's fiction or not - uses wood and nails. The 'SORAYA' story uses stones. For some reason the story transported me back to Gibson's PASSION OF THE CHRIST. The reason is unpleasant to dredge up, but I believe it is the troubling and absolute dehumanising of a human body by a community that these stories have in common. It's bloody and it is difficult to endure.

In a sense 'SORAYA' is an important film for South African audiences to see. One of its themes is male lust and misogyny, and while those terms may sound dull and politically loaded, the reality is that South Africa is rife with troubling levels of abuse against women, cover-ups, and stressed communities that are easily incited. Having said that, the film doesn't feel like a sermon in a church. It does that most vital public service which is that it reminds us what a community must be, and what we owe to each other to bring this about. And very simply, what we owe to one other is simply our honesty. And manners.

It's also importantto note that in Soraya almost all the men are wicked and controlling. STEPHEN HOLDEN again:

With the exception of the mayor (David Diaan), who has qualms about the execution, and Mr. Caviezel’s reporter, who appears only briefly at the beginning and end of the movie, the men are fiendishly villainous.

There are many stories out there about murder and death and dying, but few that give you a sense of the inescapable and painful inevitability of death. 'SORAYA' does that, and I noticed in the dark of the cinema, while I was watching, that other journalists and reviewers had their hands over their mouths. I did too. The actual stoning is particularly hard to watch. It is easy to like Soraya and to understand her frustration, her sense of helplessness and finally, her terrible but not self-pitying despair. It isn't sentimental, but it is realistic. It is difficult not to leave the cinema having borne witness to such an atrocity - based on true events - and have a sense of not wanting to add to the aches and pains that we have inflicted upon ourselves in this world.

'SORAYA' is a foreign film, with subtitles, and a foreign cast. There is a little English in the flick, thanks to the performance by an almost unrecognisable James Caviezel as Freidoune Sahebjam, a French-Iranian journalist. The Iranian scenes are a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood fare. Cyrus Nowrasteh the director has bases his story in the rocky, mournfully beautiful rural town setting of Kupayeh, in southwestern Iran. The actual filming is elsewhere, an unidentified location. While the actual event occurred in August 1986, stonings continue today, sanctioned by Islamic law.

The violence in 'SORAYA' is extreme, and people who generally enjoy gore are unlikely to enjoy this. The two sons of Soraya show the poignant change from theoretical violence as the reality of the process of what and who is involved in taking someones life. The corrupt relationship between the prison guard [Soraya's controlling husband] and the former prisoner, now mullah [an Iranian clergyman or priest, essentially a local leader of the community] is enlightening. It demonstrates to what extent power and religion can be used to manipulate simple people. For me, the most disturbing scene was the children collecting rocks for the stoning. Like murder, or killing, is a children's game in Iran. The town having a party after such blood-curdling activities asks us to probe our own conventions wherever we live.

It is perhaps no coincidence that Mr. Caviezel played Jesus in Passion of the Christ, since both stories evoke in such detail, the unspoken horrors of the human condition. Is it helpful to have this film come out in 2009? I wouldn't be surprised if this film stirs up powerful resentments against Islam, and Iran. Whether these resentments are deserved is a different question entirely. Because the shining star in this story, the Mary Magdalene, is the powerful performance of Zahra[Shohreh Aghdashloo]. It is in her that we see signs of hope and meaning for the human condition, and any chance of redemption.

Let us hope that people like her are the future of Iran, and that in our communities, there are enough Zahra's to maintain the white wedding gown fabric of honest cohesion, compassion and ultimately, common sense and common decency.

'The Stoning of Soraya M.' is a new release to the national cinema circuit in South Africa.

Score: 8/10
Running Time: 116 min

"NEW MOON" pre-bookings overtake "MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT"

2009-10-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, October 27th, 2009:- Nu Metro Cinemas, South Africa’s premium cinema exhibitor, has announced today that its pre-bookings for The Twilight Saga: New Moon have officially overtaken Michael Jackson’s This is It, with just over a month before the former releases on cinema screens in South Africa.

According to Mark Harris, Content and Marketing Head for Nu Metro Cinemas, “More than 8 000 people have already booked for the second instalment of The Twilight Saga, which stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. What is even more impressive is that more than 60% of the bookings have been for exclusive midnight screenings that Nu Metro Cinemas is hosting on the evening of the 20th November nationwide.”

“In addition to the midnight screenings, The Twilight Saga: New Moon will also screen from Sunday 22nd November until Thursday 26th November at select Nu Metro Cinemas at 5:30pm daily. The film then releases nationally on Friday 27th November,” adds Harris.

For the die hard ‘Twi-Fans,’ there is also the re-release of the first instalment from Friday 13th November until Thursday 19th November at select Nu Metro Cinemas. Customers who attend these screenings of Twilight will be given a collectible poster from a unique four-character poster set of The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

To get full details on all the Twilight special offers and to book, visit www.numetro.co.za / mobi.numetro.co.za or call 0861-CINEMA (0861-246362)

Movie Review: Pandorum

2009-10-19T15:16:00.001-07:00

It's a B-grade, make that a C-grade ALIEN, without the alien

Two astronauts awaken from hyper-sleep, unable to remember anything. They're disoriented in the dark. Payton [Dennis Quaid] stays behind in a functional hyper-sleep chamber. It's functional in the sense that it's outfitted with a console that can pretty much access most of the ship. Meanwhile Bower, an in-form Ben Foster [3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog] ventures into the bowels of the ship on a mission to restore power to the ship and to make sense of everything else.

The name of this flick elicits 'paranoia' and 'pandemonium', and possibly 'Pandora's Box'. It's supposed to be a horror movie, set in space. Certainly some of the themes are horrific. Earth has been destroyed, and one space ship, the Elysium, is floating towards the edge of space, to a planet called Tanis, carrying a massive inventory of life. It's a one way trip.

In theory, survival is crucial so that our species can continue to exist. Problem is, you don't know which main character to back initially, and if you did, you wouldn't be sure why.

Although Pandorum is too confusing to have the suspense of ALIEN it does irk and scare occasionally with jabs of light and loud-noise in the dark. It's disturbing because you can't figure out the puzzle of what's going on for vast fragments of this flick. So what does it deliver?

Early on Bower discovers their spaceship is overrun by, well, orcs. And I guess that is the essence of the film. It's a mixture of 'Event Horizon' and 'Resident Evil', and will probably make a great game platform. If you don't like that, you won't like this flick.

Personally, I love sci-fi, but orcs are a stretch. Give me aliens or a virus, or intergalactic war, but there is something patently inauthentic about humanoid zombie-like creatures. Perhaps we're just too familiar with the sallow-skinned, black blooded, incomprehensible savage. It's that, but the people who come out of the woodwork, one by one, are also savage and almost as unrelatable as the apparently mindless cretins. And are we to believe humans evolved in stasis into creatures unable to talk?

The half-baked screenplay by Travis Milloy is partly to blame. The filmmaker - Christian Alvart - is an amateur when it comes to fight sequences. They are so badly done that I ended up asking myself, mid-movie: "Why is it that movies tend to resolve philosophical questions [who are they? what are they doing here? what is their mission?] with blood, sweat and spears. Why is the amount of reasoning, the strategic, logical approach, such a distant second to the near constant physical brutality?" If you're asking questions like that, you know the movie doesn't hit the spot.

From the New York Times:
Without schematics to show the ship’s layout, neither we nor the characters have any idea where they are in relation to one another. (When the beastie in “Alien” was headed toward you, you knew it.) So when Bower tumbles into a vast slurry of rotting body parts — perhaps a mass grave, perhaps the mutants’ stock pot — its location is as much a mystery as its ingredients.

There are a few positives to report to the bridge. Germany's Lara Croft, Antje Traue as Nadia, is worth a second look.

Richard Bridgland’s set designs are powerfully evocative. The spaceship, from the outside, is something we haven't seen before. The innards, built in Berlin, are Nostromo-ish, but at turns it feels like someone's basement, alternating with a credibly advanced 2174 A.D. console. There's beautiful use - on this apparently high-tech vessel - of wind-up alternatives to powering up everything from weapons, to reactors, to computer consoles. The moments that are authentic are powerful, and well rendered, but too few.

The focus on 'Pandorum'[a sickness associated with being in space too long] is the weakness of the flick. Think about it. Which movie have you seen that renders insanity effectively? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? A Beautiful Mind? The problem is you have to be very smart, you have to be a gifted story-teller to show the descent into madness, and you have to care about the characters when you see this happening. In 'Pandorum' there is a twist, but it doesn't really reinforce, instead it adds to a sense of opaque overload.

This is a pity, because on paper this flick has a lot going for it. The concept of human beings losing their home planet [or even just their homes], and the importance for survival, are fairly prominent, if subliminal themes in contemporary society. The idea of people forming bands to ward off other violent mobs [us versus them] is also closer to home than we might fully realise. While insanity may be tough to render, being confused about reality is troubling enough, and Alvart could have satisfied himself with pursuing just that, rather than adding 'crazy' to his on-screen palette.

'Pandorum' can't decide whether to be modern or industrial, heroic or horrible, dystopian or enlightening, sane or mad. And what about scary?

It's about as scary as looking at your monthly phone bill. 'Pandorum' says a lot about our current troubled confusion towards the world, the claustrophobia and unreality of reality, where the walls move in and the substrate on which we live is decaying life. These are important issues, but unfortunately 'Pandorum' isn't easy to watch. It's a B-grade, make that a C-grade ALIEN, without the alien. It's just too much muddling about in the dark.

Score: 7/10

Movie Review: Gamer

2009-10-12T13:54:00.001-07:00

Gamer has bullshit smeared across it - by Nick van der Leek

Gamer is a great example of a current BULLSHIT movie. It's not credible, it's not creative, it has no story, it makes no sense, and as such, it's not worth caring about. It does seem to be a flick intended for audiences on LSD. It gets a 4/10.

"It's like someone threw a camera in a toilet and flushed it. It's just a bunch of crazy shit flying around."

The premise is simple. What if the avatars one uses in games could be real people? On the other hand, what if you were the avatar, unable to control your fate. Killing people thanks to the whims of others, or, in a different game platform, having sex with people. There is some Matrix theology here, rage against the machine, revolution against a system of control.

It is probably aimed at 17 year olds, but I doubt whether they are going to care. They've tried to sex it up by throwing in a lot of lurid girl on girl kissing. Naked breasts wobbly unsexily throughout the picture. The flick might be trying to make an intelligent point about the overindulgences of society - from violence, to sex, to everything that entertains us.

The problem is the flick itself is incredibly dumb. Everyone knows in real gaming that the avatar dies hundreds of times. The idea of this avatar beating the odds is very far fetched. It doesn't work.

What the flick does prove is to what extent the future is both not worth caring about, and something we seem unable to even imagine coherently.

Movie Review: The Informant!

2009-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

The lighter side of greed is still dark, and painfully relevant – by Nick van der Leek

What is the exclamation mark for, you ask? Well, The Informant! isn’t The Interpreter. Instead of Nicole Kidman, Matt Damon is the heavy hitter [and he’s about 15kg heavier than you’ve ever seen him before], and instead of the UN, there’s a company called ADM. It’s funny, but dark, and bleak, and at times, dull.

Look, it’s a comedy, but based on a true story authored by Kurt Eichenwald. Whitacre [Damon] plays the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in US history. But what’s it about? To quote a line from the flick:

“Everyone in this country is a victim of corporate crime by the time they finish breakfast.”

Initially it looks to be about embezzlement, collusion and corporate espionage. But there’s something kookoo about Whitacre. He talks a lot. And what he says doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Well, it does and it doesn’t. For example:

‘Polar bears cover their noses before they pounce on a seal. How do polar bears know their noses are black? Did they look in the water one day, see their reflection and say, "Man, I'd be invisible if it wasn't for that thing."’

Damon describes it as ‘a great story and a really incredible character…You start with a certain set of assumptions and then realise you can’t assume anything as the situation becomes utterly ridiculous.’

There is a lot of voiceover in this flick, an idea screenwriter Scott Burns proposed right off the bat to director Soderbergh. The voiceover becomes so mixed-in with what is happening, that sometimes Whitacre provides in-screen voice-over to his wire while he walks through his office, loudly introducing his secretary and other big shots to his chest-level microphone. During a company meeting, a recorder in his briefcase jams, and in virtually full view of everyone, opens the briefcase and attempts to fix it.

And there are plenty more jaw droppers after that.

Soderbergh chose Damon for his ‘inherent believability’, the ‘nice young man’ quality. There is not a trace of Bourne here, just a pompous, over-analytical stuffed suit. When he says, ‘That’s it, I’ve told you everything,’ you believe him.

About Whitacre Damon says: ‘[He] was also bald and wore a hairpiece, but the hairpiece was so good that no one knew he didn’t have hair. It’s actually a great metaphor for the character. It was right there in front of everybody and nobody ever figured it out.’

‘I’ve always thought when this is over there’d still be a place for me at ADM. I’ve still got a lot of friends there.’

My impressions of the flick? A lot if it looked and felt like burnt paper. You know, lots of tobacco yellow tones, burnt hues, Vaseline light. I didn’t like the color; it seemed too old and out of focus. A lot of the action happens in office space; ordinary spaces that most people want to get away from, and forget about when they go to the movies. It’s boring. It’s about the messy business of lies, lies and cover ups. It’s about as inspiring as reading your local newspaper. The dialogue, and Damon-on-too-much-coffee lifts it, but not enough.

On the plus side, it probably sketches the archetype of the type of person that becomes a ponzi schemer, and the schmucks that get caught out. It demonstrates how a big mess becomes a giant, god awful fiasco. Soderbergh might think that is funny. It is darkly funny, but it’s also tragic. A judge in the flick labels Whitacre as ‘garden variety greed’. Damon steals the show [his character steals just about everything else], but it’s still a tragicomedy that’s all too real to really laugh off. And that’s what makes it so disturbing. It’s painfully relevant for right now.

Score: 7/10

Directed by Steven Soderbergh;

Based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald;

Released by Warner Brothers Pictures.

Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes.

Starring: Matt Damon (Mark Whitacre), Scott Bakula (Agent Brian Shepard), Joel McHale (Bob Herndon) and Melanie Lynskey (Ginger Whitacre).

PATRICK SWAYZE INSPIRES 'GIRLS' NIGHT OUT' FOR CANSA

2009-09-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, September 29th, 2009:- The untimely death of Patrick Swayze has strengthened the resolve of many to continue the fight against cancer, and for Nu Metro Cinemas this means an inspired Girls’ Night Out with the theme 'Dirty Dancing' in honour of Swayze’s brave battle with the disease.

To assist the Cancer Association of South Africa in its work, Nu Metro will donate all proceeds to the association. “We salute the brave fight that Patrick fought as a cancer survivor. He reminds us all of the need to educate the public of the importance of early cancer detection and treatment, which is vital to prevent unnecessary deaths from this disease”, says Lucy Balona, CANSA’s Head of Marketing and Communication.

By taking part in the Girls’ Night Out, ladies can assist CANSA to continue to provide essential services to meet the needs of individuals and families facing one of the most difficult experiences of their lives.

Girls' Night Out (ladies only) will take place at Nu Metro Bedfordview, Canal Walk, Clearwater Mall, Loch Logan, Menlyn Park, Montecasino, Mountain Mill, N1 City, The Pavilion, Riverside, The Glen, V&A Waterfront and Walmer Park at 8:00pm on Thursday, 8 October. Mark Harris, Nu Metro Cinemas Content and Marketing Head, confirmed that all proceeds will be donated to CANSA.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Ships 2.5 Million

2009-09-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

PC Version and DLC Now Available

Tuesday 22nd September 2009: - Eidos Interactive Ltd, creator of some of the world’s leading videogame properties, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, today announced that the number-one selling Batman: Arkham Asylum™, firmly established as the ‘must-have’ game of Summer 2009 has shipped in excess of 2.5 million units to retail since launch.

With numerous ‘Game of the Month’ and ‘Editor’s Choice’ awards throughout the world and a MetaCritic score in the 90s, the game has met with critical acclaim in the media, earning a Guinness World Record for ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’. The Games for Windows® LIVE version launched last week in the US and Europe and the first downloadable content (DLC) went live last week, with additional DLC still to come.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the stand-out games this year,” said Phil Rogers, CEO of Eidos. “I’ve been following the great reviews and consumer blogs and I’m delighted that gamers everywhere love playing this game as much as we do.”

“The tremendous critical and commercial success of Batman: Arkham Asylum sets a new benchmark for superhero games,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Rocksteady Studios created an excellent game and the sales numbers demonstrate how a powerful franchise fused with high-quality production resonates with consumers.”

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, developed by London-based Rocksteady Studios, BATMAN finds himself trapped inside the confines of Gotham’s psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, ARKHAM ASYLUM. THE JOKER has set a trap for the DARK KNIGHT and has conspired with the deranged inmates to eliminate Batman once and for all. Adding to the authenticity of the game are veteran animated Batman voice talents Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, who reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman respectively.

Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story by Paul Dini, Batman writer and five-time Emmy Award-winner whose credits include Lost and Batman: The Animated Series. Gamers will move in the shadows, instill fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains, including HARLEY QUINN, BANE, KILLER CROC, POISON IVY and SCARECROW, who have taken over the asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is available now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 and Games for Windows® LIVE and is distributed in South Africa by Nu Metro Interactive. For more information on the game, visit the official website at www.BatmanArkhamAsylum.com.

Screenplays for You - free movie scripts and screenplays [learn to write a screenplay]

2009-09-18T06:22:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: This is a great resource for reading some of the best screenplays in the business - how they were done, the standards of writing, techniques etc.

At the link below is an alphabetised list of screenplays, with a short clip of one my favorites: ALIENS, by James Cameron.

clipped from sfy.ru

Aliens (1986)

by James Cameron.
First draft. May 28, 1985.

FADE IN
SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE - SPACE 1
Silent and endless. The stars shine like the love of
God...cold and remote. Against them drifts a tiny chip
of technology.
CLOSER SHOT It is the NARCISSUS, lifeboat of the
ill-fated star-freighter Nostromo. Without interior
or running lights it seems devoid of life. The PING
of a RANGING RADAR grows louder, closer. A shadow
engulfs the Narcissus. Searchlights flash on, playing
over the tiny ship, as a MASSIVE DARK HULL descends
toward it.
INT. NARCISSUS

Dark and dormant as a crypt. The searchlights stream
in the dusty windows. Outside, massive metal forms can
BE SEEN descending around the shuttle. Like the tolling
of a bell, a BASSO PROFUNDO CLANG reverberates through
the hull.

CLOSE ON THE AIRLOCK DOOR Light glares as a cutting
torch bursts through the metal. Sparks shower into the
room.

FIGURES ENTER, backlit and ominous. THREE MEN in
bio-isolation suits, carrying lights and equipment.

The 'ALIENS' Metaphor

2009-09-18T05:13:00.001-07:00

Ripley: You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.

I recently watched the 1986 James Cameron flick, ALIENS, for possibly the 30th time. It's perhaps not entirely accurate to say that ALIENS is my favorite film, in the sense of enjoying it. I'm not sure it is enjoyable as much as it is compelling, grim, brutal and ultimately, realistic. Because James Cameron was behind it, it has that practical mechanical dynamic that distinguishes all his films - remember The Abyss, Terminator, Titanic, and soon, AVATAR. All Cameron's flicks, at some point, involve machine tech. But he also tells a damn good story about what happens to people who misunderstand, or make arrogant assumptions, at the helm of some of these machines. That is what is compelling.

Burke: [Talking about the facehuggers] Those specimens, are worth millions to the bio-weapons corporation. If you're smart, we can both come out of it as heroes and we'll be set up for life.

One of the main themes in ALIENS is that of the corrupt and greedy CORPORATION, which is referred to time and again as 'The Company'. If you think the idea of the corrupt and greedy corporation is a cliche, you might want to catch the latest news on real world companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, AIG - in fact any fairly large company with shareholders and a stated strategy to turn a profit.

Another theme in ALIENS is hubris, and arrogance. Almost everyone is overtaken by this, rather than its opposite: modesty, humility, respect and caution. Both the Corporation and it's pawn, the expendable military, fall victim to arrogance, and the driver of this arrogance is one simple thing. Greed. Ring a bell? The pursuit of that greed, and the enslavement, the effective transformation of human beings into utilitarians - objects geared toward a specific means, a means toward a specific end - is horrifying to behold.

In ALIENS, one of the earlier scenes shows Ripley [Sigourney Weaver] hauled in front of a company tribunal, chaired by Van Leeuwen. He says: "You freely admit to detonating the engines of and thereby destroying an M-Class star-freighter. A rather expensive piece of hardware...
INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR: Forty-two million in adjusted dollars. That's minus payload, of course.
The result of the hearing is that she - Ripley - is stripped of her rank, and ordered to undergo psyche evaluations for six months. Quite a reward for surviving the 57 years in hypersleep. Of course the COMPANY doesn't care about anything other than their bottom line; which was why Ripley was re-instated [they suspected, after all, that what she said was true].

Burke, the loyal company man introduces himself in the beginning as:

Burke: I'm Burke. Carter Burke. I work for the company. But don't let that fool you, I'm really an okay guy.

When the alien shit is hitting the fan, and the colony has been devastated, the military unit half killed, and their survival up for grabs, and Ripley and Newt just having survived Burkes attempt to have them 'infected' with an alien, Ripley confronts Burke [who is trying to get Ripley to play along and take a bribe] as follows:

Ripley: They "will" know about it, Burke, from me. Like they'll know that you are responsible for the deaths of 158 colonists here.
Burke: You're wrong.
Ripley: I just read the colony log. Dated 0-6-1-2-7-9 signed Burke Carter J. You sent them to that ship and you didn't warn them. Why didn't you warn them, Burke?
Burke: Okay. What if that ship didn't even exist, huh didn't you ever think about that? I didn't know. I went in and made a major security issue out of it, and everybody steps in, and the Administrator steps in., and I made a decision and it was a bad call, Ripley, it was a bad call.
Ripley: Bad call?
[Grabs Burke by his vest]
Ripley: These people are dead Burke! Don't you have any idea what you have done here? I 'm gonna make sure they nail you right to the wall for this, you're not gonna sleaze your way out of this one. Right to the wall.
Burke: You know Ripley, I was hoping that you would be smarter than this.
Ripley: I'm happy to disappoint you.

The result of all the shenanigans and backstabs is that 3 humans beings survive, and a synthetic human that is dismembered. The 3 human survivors are a little girl - Newt - Ripley, who has a strong maternal instinct to save her [in contrast to the ALIENS' maternal hive instincts] and an injured Corporal Hicks. No company interests essentially survive, except their dismembered synthetic and the injured Hicks. Ironically, Ripley is instrumental in trying to protect the facility but an explosion in the facility sets off a nuclear meltdown.

It is interesting to contrast the ALIENS voracious habits with the human beings equally voracious greed. Both species demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice their own kind towards a higher/darker motive. For the ALIENS it is survival, for the humans it is greed, use in bioweapons. Both species intend on a parasitic relationship in terms of the other, which echoes the CORPORATIONS intentions for its drones.

Perhaps the most darkly fascinating aspect of ALIENS, and also each permutation of it, is the instrumental use of REALITY. In each instalment, Ripley is the agent of REALITY, calmly, quietly informing her minders of the terrors in store. Naturally she is laughed at, vilified, comforted, or mocked:

Vasquez: Hey, Mira. Who's Snow White?
Ferro: She's supposed to be some kinda consultant. Apparently she saw an alien once.
Hudson: Whoopee-fuckin'-do. Hey, I'm impressed.

It is the reluctance, which stems from the companies arrogance, and the companies top men, to either accept or to fully realise [that is acknowledge or communicate] the reality of the situation that creates a systemic collapse in each scenario. Part of this reluctance is based, once again, on the greed motive. If the community operating in the companies interest, can be kept in the dark about the truth nature of things, the company stands to profit. The profit motive emerges as more important than any number of human lives. Everything is expendable and secondary to the profit motive. In every permutation, I reiterate, there is a systemic collapse, an almost complete loss of company interests. This is because profits are based on human enterprise,and though you cannot sell human beings for money [conventionally at least] human beings are instrumental in making money. Thus valuing human beings is part of sustaining a revenue stream, counterintuitive as it may be to some companies.

For those human beings in the front lines of the world, whether following company orders or at the mercy of them, it can be a horrible thing to witness.

Hudson: Oh dear Lord Jesus, this ain't happening, man... This can't be happening, man! This isn't happening!

What is happening, now, in the real world of 2009:
- a world swine flu pandemic
- global financial collapse
- energy crunch
- growing levels of crime, hunger, disorder
- overpopulation
- system collapse [one or a number of crisis which may or may not include nuclear holocaust, climate chaos, war etc].

What is behind this? And what is driving it forward? The Company. And greed. What is the release, the answer, the solution, salvation from this? Simple. Reality.

UP Movie Review

2009-09-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

How does Pixar continue to do it? 'It' being put out quality films that spring from simple, straightforward stories that are designed to engage all age groups, aren't offensive, are entertaining, gorgeous to behold, and don't disappear from your memory 10 minutes after you exit the theater. With each new release Pixar manages to best itself even when it seems doing so would be an impossibility. Pixar's ninth film, WALL-E, set the bar high but somehow, someway, Up manages to top it - a task I personally never thought they'd be able to accomplish.

SHOOT: I'm not sure if UP beats Wall-E but it's a damn fine film. My score: 8/10

clipped from movies.about.com

What can be said of Pixar's animation that hasn't already been said time and time again? It's dazzling, simply stunning to take in, and so incredibly beautiful you forget you're watching an animated film and instead just lose yourself in an amazing adventure. From dog hair to bird feathers to the humans in Up to the 10,000 balloons that hold up Carl's home, Up animators have surprised us once again by surpassing the quality and beauty of every previous Pixar film. And let's face it, Pixar is the standard bearer for this medium. They do it better than every other studio out there, and that's because they never sacrifice character development for cute/fancy animated tricks. They don't play down to kids, they don't take shortcuts in plot development, and they are able to get you emotionally involved and invested in animated characters in a way their competitors have never been able to duplicate.

Up is storytelling at its best.

Daily Dose of Reality

2009-09-10T04:40:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Love this

clipped from www.explosm.net

LG Mobile and Nu Metro Cinemas present DANCE 2 FAME!

2009-09-10T01:58:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, September 10th, 2009:- To celebrate the inspiration and excitement behind the launch of the latest movie FAME at all Nu Metro Cinemas, LG Mobile and Nu Metro Cinemas present a once in a life time chance to DANCE 2 FAME from Wednesday the 23rd of September! The winners will have the distinction of being known as a member of SA’s Best Dance Crew as well as winning a share of over R100 000 worth of prizes and a chance to dance in the next JAMALI music video.

Auditions will take place around the country on the below dates:
Pretoria Nu Metro Menlyn Park 26th September 08h00 -17h00
Cape Town Nu Metro Canal Walk 28th September 08h00 -17h00
Durban Nu Metro Pavilion 30th September 08h00 -17h00
Johannesburg Nu Metro Montecasino 03rd October 08h00 -17h00

“At each audition we’re looking for the best dance crew and/or six of the best dancers to make up the best regional dance crew in each city. Once the six members are found, they will go into an intensive rehearsal to feature in the latest JAMALI single” says Mark Harris, Content and Marketing Head for Nu Metro Cinemas.

“A series of ten tightly produced four minutes stories will be broadcast throughout all Nu Metro Cinemas nationwide during the month of October and November. Then Nu Metro movie goers will make history as they become the voting judges to determine which dance crew will become the winners. The ultimate dance crew will then be featured in JAMALI’s music video for their latest single release” adds Harris.

One of South Africa’s leading singers and dancers, Kurt Herman, will choreograph the Dance2Fame promotion along with Jamali. Kurt was in the first winning POPSTARS group 101 and has gone on to become one of South Africa’s leading singers and dancers. With countless shows to his name, he now wants to help find SA’s Best Dance Crew – and wants contestants to bring it on!

The public can follow all the action on the web starting today by visiting www.dance2fame.co.za. This website will also feature live registrations and tips for the DANCE 2 FAME auditions and after each episode, browsers can go online to cast their vote for their favourite dance crew. They can also check out extra coverage, including rehearsal updates, injury reports and exclusive backstage interviews. Plus they can chat with other fans about which crew's moves are totally hot and which ones are totally not...

The headline sponsor - LG Mobile, will be launching their latest and hottest youth cell phone later this year, known as the LG GW300. With a physical QWERTY keypad and sleek design, it is a feature phone that is focused on social networking as it has a Facebook client that makes it easy for users to stay connected to friends and family. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, SMS/MMS and stereo Bluetooth. The handset is also an MP3 player and FM Radio.

Nu Metro Cinemas – MORE entertaining….

"The Hobbit" hobbled by Tolkien lawsuit, now ready to fly

2009-09-08T15:02:00.001-07:00

"I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars, and yet the creator's heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don't get a penny," lawyer Bonnie Eskenazi said in a statement at the time.

Lawyers had been seeking 150 million dollars in compensatory damages, punitive damages and the right to strip New Line of its right to make any further films based on Tolkien's work, including the "The Hobbit."

SHOOT: Lookin' forward to it...

clipped from news.yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES (AFP) –
The estate of fantasy writer J.R.R Tolkien has reached a settlement with the studio behind the "Lord of the Rings" movies after alleging it had not received "even one penny" of royalties from the trilogy of money-spinning films, officials said Tuesday.

Tolkien said he and other trustees "regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives."

"The trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of 'The Hobbit,'" Tolkien said in a statement.

"We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us," Horn said. "We all look forward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future."

The three films have grossed around three billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

The question remains: will Capitalism: A Love Story rouse the rabble to revolt?

2009-09-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

Or will audiences sit appreciatively through the movie, then go home and play the cat-in-the-toilet video? The movie is not opera so much as impassioned journalism — a broadside fired at the good ship Free Enterprise, with the hope of altering its course, and dislodging the pirates who have seized it.

SHOOT: Increasingly I am of the opinion that was is needed is nothing short of a revolution. Taking back the law, the government and making business a public service that profits all, not just business.

clipped from www.time.com

In many ways, though, this is Moore's magnum opus: the grandest statement of his career-long belief that big business is screwing the hard-working little guy while government connives in the atrocity.

As he loudly tried to confront General Motors CEO Roger Smith in Roger & Me in 1989, and pleaded through a bull horn to get officials at Guantanamo to give medical treatment to surviving victims of 9/11, so in Capitalism he attempts to make a citizen's arrest of AIG executives, and puts tape around the New York Stock Exchange building, declaring it a crime scene.

In an episode that might have come from a Dickens novel, Moore tells of two Pa. judges who shut down a state-run detention center and sentenced children, some for the most minor of infractions, to a facility run by a private company that kicked back millions to the judges.

At the end Moore says, "I refuse to live in a country like this — and I'm not leaving."

Is District 9 Racist?

2009-09-05T08:14:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: No, but it's about racism, and handled quite cleverly I must say.

Other commentators said the film possessed an Anglo-liberalism with its vague support of tolerance and its patronising, colonial racism, “Under the liberal viewpoint, Wikus is a racist because he's stupid and doesn't know better. Yet this same viewpoint engages in a more complex and fetishistic disavowal of racism. Instead of 'my culture is better than yours', reflexive racism argues 'your culture is different to mine'. This idea of 'tolerance' allows us to publicly believe that all cultures are equal, but still act as if ours was superior.” To take a peek at the rather pedantic debate you can go to: http://daveguzman.blogspot.com/2009/08/is-district-9-racist.html

clipped from www.gautengfilm.co.za

South African critics were no different in their praise for the film with influential commentator Barry Ronge writing, “it is a true landmark in the history of South African film.” Virtually across the board, including newspapers like The Sowetan and City Press, the film was heaped with praise. The only slightly sour note came from Sibusiso Mkwanazi of The Citizen who thought the film performed poorly as a thriller concluding that “District 9 is rather like olives. You will either think it is the best thing ever or you will hate it and demand your money back.”

Despite the critical applause the film has sparked some debate and several critics, bloggers and opinion makers have expressed immense unease at what they think is extreme racism related to the film’s thematic echoes of apartheid and xenophobia. Google ‘District 9 racist’ and you’ll see how this discussion about the movie is taking off, with good people finding themselves on opposite sides of the arguments.

Avatar Movie - Want to know what it's all about?

2009-08-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Today I was fortunate to attend the 30 minute teaser premiere of James Cameron's latest flick, AVATAR. I watched it on the world's largest 3D screen, which at the moment is here in South Africa, at the Nu Metro Montecasino cinema. It really is huge, and curved, and somewhat smaller than an IMAX screen, but probably 2-3 times the size of conventional silver screens. And of course, it provides cinema in 3D. So what is AVATAR all about?

First of all, this is the first project since Cameron made Titanic - er...the highest grossing movie ever. Some of the journalists present commented that Cameron's movies are soulless. Well...they certainly are more innovative and technically refined than a lot of films, and perhaps this distracts Cameron from a more cogent storyline and more fleshed out characters. As an engineer Cameron has brought us some useful and really creative work, from the submarine The Abyss to the groundbreaking Terminator franchise. Cameron was not involved in 2009's Terminator permutation, and you can sense the Cameron magic is somehow not there. John Connor [played by Christian Bale] somehow became a central character that was hard to care about in this year's Terminator, but let's not forget, Worthington stole the show, and he's the male lead here, in AVATAR, so Cameron must like him.

Okay, so there's the pedigree of the director, and one of the main actors. Cameron waited several years for the technology to be ready to bring his very elaborate vision on screen, and as you can guess, he wanted it rendered in 3D. This required building special cameras. And to watch it, you'll be wearing those special flat black geeky glasses.

And the film itself. Well, it features the likes of Sigourney Weaver [ALIENS], and, yes, Sam Worthington, who plays the legless Jake Sully. It's no coincidence that in AVATAR he asks a female alien why she rescued him, and she replies, "I see how have an unusually strong heart," or words to that effect [echoing stuff said about him in Terminator.]

Initially I was impressed with the opening volley of scenes. It looked fresh. But there were a bunch of scenes that reminded me of, at turns, Jurassic Park, some have suggested the aliens resemble Gollum, there's a scene stolen from Star Wars [a lush planet features during the extermination of the Jedi's], and perhaps even Planet of the Apes. It is also irritating that the lingua galactica happens to be English. And if you want to make a film about dangerous creatures, why not do a documentary about crime in Johannesburg, or some poisonous frogs in the Amazon, why fly all over the galaxy, and when you find life, why must you immediately start conquering and fighting? So I found that somewhat juvenileand not very elegantly done and possibly not very well thought out. But then this is fantasy and I suppose anything goes then - right?

So those are a few reservations, but there are also some breathtaking moments, and it's the sort of magic you can see filtering into game platforms and making hundreds of millions. There's a beautiful sequence that evokes the breaking in of flying dragons. So AVATAR is likely to be a big deal. I'm not inclined to gush over it, though, as some reviewers have. It's good, but it's not breathlessly magnificent. And as I say, the Jurassic Park scene [where Worthington's character battles a dinasaur like creature for what felt like a really long time] seemed more about showcasing 3D cinema, an advertisement therefore, than having any other point.

I also have an idea about the storyline [remember we only watched 30 minutes worth of snippets]. I'm guessing that it's a sort of Alien-based Dances with Wolves. Worthington's character falls in love with a rebellious but somewhat protective, and aggressive alien lovely, Neytiri [Zoe Saldana], and when it comes time to return to base, he decides to rather fight with them, allied to the new love of his life, and against the coming [human] invasion. That's a guess. It's obviously possible the flick will be far more elaborate than that, but the dinosaur scene tends to make me think the plot will be less fanciful and intricate than the blue-skinned aliens.

But there you have it. Some of the hype is deserved. Like District 9 it's originality and novelty factor will pull in titanic shiploads of people. Will it break box office records? Well, the 3D feature is also it's limiting factor - see there just ain't that many 3D cinemas around. I personally didn't fall out of my chair when I saw some of the 3D effects. I thought they were good, but I'm not ready to say it's the future of cinema. Dark Knight was a perfectly rendered 2 dimensional film, and it is the quality of the picture and the power of the story that are still by far the most important. That said, I'm pretty sure Cameron's work will be something of a triumph, and the breaking of new ground in cinema is always exciting. And AVATAR certainly is that.

Score: Tough one on 30 minutes. 7-8/10.

"District 9" isn't just a surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi stand-out in a season characterized by big, dumb studio tent-pole movies; it's a revelation.

2009-08-20T07:00:00.001-07:00

Just $30 million? Really? How?
"There's a bunch of contributing factors," Blomkamp explained.

First was using the cinema verité quality that propels the movie's fake documentary framing device to his advantage. "Because of my background, I know what I can get away with. If we had done R&D [research and development], it would have been $50 million right there. But we set out to work with digital creatures, lighting and compositing environments that are conducive to something photo real. My stuff tends to be CG in very harsh light, like sunlight. Harsh shadows. It feels real. Sometimes it's easier to make stuff look photo real in that environment," he said.

SHOOT: Go Blom.

clipped from www.latimes.com

The movie arrives as a kingmaking debut for its writer-director Neill Blomkamp, who won't turn 30 until next month and who up until its release had no feature film experience, save for a scuttled attempt to adapt the video game Halo to the screen. But "District 9's" wow factor -- quantifiable, among other ways, by its 88% "freshness" rating at rottentomatoes.com -- can be attributed to something other than Blomkamp's pedigree. And it isn't the fact that the movie was executive produced by Oscar-winning writer-director Peter Jackson of the "Lord of the Rings" franchise. His oversight on the project helped ensure that the highly original "District 9" would connect with its crucial fan boy audience at a time when every other successful multiplex offering seems to be based on a toy or comic book character.

"District 9" is that it cost only $30 million to produce. That's peanuts in Hollywood, especially when compared to the price of, say, the advertising blitz for "Transformers

New York Times reviews the South African film DISTRICT 9

2009-08-14T03:46:00.001-07:00

Terrific
Saw this at a preview screening this week and it's just great. If possible, don't read anything on it at all, though, I'm assuming my warning will be too late at this point. Just go in blind and you won't regret it!
— Amanda, Silverlake, Los Angeles

SHOOT: Getting clear information on swine flu is well nigh impossible. Is a death from swine flu when there are underlying symptoms counted? Since infections are no longer being counted the numbers are becoming virtually meaningless. So one has to look to signals from one's community to gauge a change or a trend. Vigilance is recommended.

clipped from movies.nytimes.com

For decades — at least since Orson Welles scared the daylights out of radio listeners with “War of the Worlds” back in 1938 — the public has embraced the terrifying prospect of alien invasion. But what if, notwithstanding the occasional humanist fable like “E.T.,” all those movies and television programs have been inculcating a potentially toxic form of interplanetary prejudice?

“District 9,” a smart, swift new film from the South African director Neill Blomkamp (who now lives in Canada and who wrote the screenplay with Terri Tatchell), raises such a possibility in part by inverting an axiomatic question of the U.F.O. genre. In place of the usual mystery — what are they going to do to us? — this movie poses a different kind of hypothetical puzzle. What would we do to them?

The answer, derived from intimate knowledge of how we have treated one another for centuries, is not pretty.

First 3-D footage of James Cameron’s new movie Avatar in South Africa

2009-08-14T02:46:00.000-07:00

Nu Metro Cinemas, South Africa’s premium cinema exhibitor is proud to exclusively unveil the first 3-D footage of James Cameron’s new movie Avatar in South Africa on Friday 21 August 2009.

According to Mark Harris, Content and Marketing Head for Nu Metro Cinemas, “We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to be part of worldwide phenomena, a truly unique event which unveils the first footage of James Cameron’s new movie, AVATAR, to the general public. Free tickets to this exclusive event are only available through the mobile instant messaging platform, MXIT.”

“This exclusive footage includes a message from the highly acclaimed Director, James Cameron and approximately twenty minutes of 3-D footage from this truly amazing film, which releases worldwide in December 2009. This event will take place at Nu Metro Montecasino, Canal Walk, Pavilion and Menlyn Park on Friday 21 August 2009 at 6:00pm, 7:00pm and 8:00pm”, adds Harris.

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love, as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of actual production work, AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film, disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

To stand the chance of getting your tickets to this exclusive event on MXIT, add Nu Metro as a contact by visiting Tradepost>MXit Mix> Entertainment & get full details on the competitions section. To download MXIT to your PC or mobile, visit www.mxit.co.za.

Nu Metro Cinemas – giving you MORE 3-D EVENTS

A sight for sore eyes: Rachel McAdams takes revealing turn

2009-08-13T07:44:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: A bit of all right isn't she?

clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk

Look at me: Rachel McAdams wore a plunging draped white dress at the premiere of The Time Traveler's Wife in New York last night

Looking a million dollars: She teamed her dress with a pair of black stilettos and gave a twirl to show off her stunning figure

The two of us: Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, who play husband and wife in The Time Traveler's Wife, snuggle up at the New York premiere

Smooth talker: Brad was later seen chatting and having a drink with Rachel at the premiere after party

A child who parents need protection from

2009-08-07T04:20:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Is having a child your motive to make yourself happy? A rather selfish motive perhaps.

clipped from www.thetimes.co.za

It’s a story about a family in an emotional crisis and as a solution they adopt a child. “This couple is trying to do things that will ultimately make the wife in the story feel happy. Adopting a kid seems like a good strategy and they convince themselves that they are doing a good thing for the child, but really they are doing it to make themselves feel better — a selfish motive that they choose to ignore .

“But there’s a psychological thing that happens when a vulnerable child enters a family. Parents assume that the child is weak and helpless and that they must protect and nurture them by being parents with open hearts for them. I guess parents feel vulnerable, because the kids are sort of little gurus when they come out of your belly, you know? They control everything that goes on around them in a lot of ways. Usually the power that a child has is innocent, but what happens when the child knows that they can manipulate the naive and insecure parents?” asks Silver.

Podium Comedy Series coming to Nu Metro Cinemas

2009-08-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, August 6th, 2009:- Nu Metro Cinemas, South Africa’s premium cinema exhibitor, today announced that Podium...The Comedy Merchants, a comedy management and events company with a proud record and strong presence in the South African comedy industry will partner to present the PODIUM COMEDY SERIES at ALL Nu Metro Cinemas nationwide from Thursday the 20th of August 2009.

The Podium Comedy Series will feature not only the best of South Africa’s local comedians but top international acts as well: Loyiso Gola, Mel Miller, Trevor Noah, Riaad Moosa, Kagiso Lediga, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, Katt Williams, Dylan Moran and more going forward.

According to Mark Harris, Content and Marketing Head for Nu Metro Cinemas, “We are extremely excited to be able to offer our customers the very best in stand-up comedy this country has to offer as well as top class international acts.”

“These events will initially take place as a one night only show every month”, adds Harris.

The first show will feature the very successful one man show “Loyiso Gola for President”.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Nu Metro in this endeavour as this certainly signals the emergence of a new dawn for South African comedy as a whole. In taking the best in local and international stand up comedy to the cinemas, it will certainly make stand up comedy more accessible in the mainstream thus further growing and developing the industry. We applaud Nu Metro for having the vision and pioneering spirit to usher in this, an exciting chapter for South African cinema” says Takunda Bimha, Head of Podium… The Comedy Merchants. “All titles on the Podium Comedy Series will be produced by Podium...the Comedy Merchants in association with our production partners Competent Artistes under the guidance of Director Paul Tilsley”, adds Takunda.

Visit www.numetro.co.za for the complete list of forthcoming shows and ticket availability.

230 sets of twins in the Indian town of Kodinji - but what's causing it

2009-08-05T06:50:00.001-07:00

Scientists are still trying to uncover the mystery of why there are so many twins in the village.

"Based on scientific facts, we feel something in the environment is causing this. It could be something in the water," said a local doctor, M.K. Sribiju.

"All the world over the cause of twins is mainly because of drugs. Everywhere in the Western world, people are exposed to fertility drugs, their food habits, they consume more dairy products. Everywhere the age of marriage is increasing. There are late marriages predisposed to occurrence of twins," he said.

However in Kodinji, most marriages are between people aged 18 to 20 years old.

"All the factors leading to the occurrence of twinning world wide, we cannot see it here. There is something unknown that is causing this phenomenon," he said.

clipped from news.yahoo.com

KODINJI, India (Reuters Life!) –
Walk around Kodinji village and you'll think that you have double vision.

The village is home to as many as 230 sets of twins. Nobody knows why there are so many twins in the village of 15,000 people, although one local doctor suspects it might be due to the water.

In fact with about 35-45 twins per live birth, this village in North Kerala, India, has four times more twins than normal. Not surprisingly, the village has been dubbed "the twin village."

Based on births since the survey was conducted, there are probably now around 230 sets of twins in the village, locals said. That number is set to rise as there are five women pregnant with twins.

"It's an amazing phenomenon to see a medical marvel occurring in such a localized place where the people are not exposed to any kinds of harmful drugs or harmful chemicals. It's a virgin village," said Dr Sribiju, a researcher.

Movie Review: ‘Management’ is this year's Little Miss Sunshine

2009-07-30T07:46:00.001-07:00

By Nick van der Leek

Management is one of those flicks that er…manages to fly under the radar and boomerangs back as a hit. It’s in the same boat as flicks like The Big Blue, Little Miss Sunshine, The 40 year old Virgin, Gran Torino and most recently, Twilight. It’s often the title that relegates these flicks to the DVD store, and this is doubly true of ‘Management’.

You’ll love ‘Management’ if, like me, you’re a sucker for unrequited love stories. Most of ‘Management’ revolves around a mostly unsuccessful pursuit, but it does so without being too sappy, or too zany. This flick certainly avoids, through its smart script and thoughtful boundary keeping, straying towards the syrupy or lead-heavy topic that epitomize this theme. Instead, it’s enjoyable, light and lyrical.

Now, having seen the movie, I’m not sure if ‘Management’ is the best title, but I can see where they’re coming from. The poster also makes one feel a bit ‘iffy’ about watching it. Is this a movie about Jennifer Aniston wearing the pants? Is it an office romp?

The clue lies in the subtitle, “A Touching Comedy”. What sold me on going to see it was the cast [Aniston as workaholic travelling art seller Sue, Woody Harrelson in a cameo as an ex-punk, and Steve Zahn as the motel loser Mike who falls for her]. So no, there are virtually no offices in ‘Management’ – the title refers to Mike [Steve Zahn’s] reference to himself when he first introduces himself to her, and that provides a good basis for understanding what the filmmakers were trying to achieve: How ‘Management’ evolves.

‘Management’ is really about the growth of little boy blue Mike, who is transformed in his love from a simple mom and pop motel schmuck to something more. Not much more, but he certainly gains a little substance, even insight, along the way, and all get to learn from this.

It’s definitely an off-beat, off kilter film. A couple who entered the cinema 5 minutes late left half-way through. If you want snazzy, sexy, in your face action – give this a miss. ‘Management’ has a gentle, disarming subtlety, which starts off silly and apparently lacking direction, and then gathers momentum, and it has to be said, charm.

‘Management’ has a couple of unexpected laugh-out-loud moments. Mike [Zahn’s] pursuit of Sue crosses many stalker boundaries, but his fault-ridden approach comes across as harmless. The object of his affections does ask him at one point: “Has this approach ever worked for you?” and he concedes, “No.”

It is in the last third of this 93 minute flick that ‘Management’ really gains traction, and surprisingly, imparts a few rib poking insights. Aniston extends herself in this performance. After ‘Marley and Me’ we see a more cerebral version, more taught, and several layers deeper. She’s also dressed down and yet we suspect there’s something more to that sexy butt. ‘Management’ is less about Aniston though. She is the catalyst, and Steve Zahn’s performance is credibly funny, and astonishingly, touching.

In ‘Management’ you get a fairground attraction, and a lot of fun and food for thought besides.

Score: 7.5/10

RATING: R (language)
CREDITS: Written and directed by Stephen Belber
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes

Read the review in the Washington Times.

MORE 3-D Screens!

2009-07-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, July 29th, 2009:- Nu Metro Cinemas is giving you more... MORE 3D screens to see your favourite films on!

According to Mark Harris, Content and Marketing Head for Nu Metro Cinemas, “we have just invested in an additional three 3-D screens at the following Nu Metro Cinemas: Bedford Centre, Hyde Park and The Glen Shopping Centre.” “These screens will become operational this Friday, 31 July 2009 with the release of Disney’s G-Force”, adds Harris.

This takes the cinema chains 3-D screen footprint to seven cinemas across the country. Other venues include Menlyn Park, Canal Walk, Pavilion and Montecasino.

“In addition to this, we are also in the process of converting IL Grande at Nu Metro Montecasino (the massive 77 foot screen) into 3-D as well. When this screen becomes operational in September this year it will be the biggest RealD 3-D screen in the world!”

Worldwide, Film Studios continue to commit billions to the production of 3-D films. At this stage, there are no fewer than thirty 3-D movies slated for release over the next three years.

Nu Metro Cinemas 3D - Adding a new dimension to your movie experience.

G-Force
The world needs bigger heroes.

A comedy-adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin, the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster, an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez, a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles, the computer and information specialist.

Cast: Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz
Director: Hoyt Yeatman

“HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE” breaking records

2009-07-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

BURBANK, CA, July 20, 2009 –Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” enjoyed a record-breaking opening, earning a worldwide box office gross of $394 million. The film brought in $158 million from the U.S. and Canada, and $236 million internationally, making it the highest-grossing international opening of any film ever. It was also the widest global release for any Harry Potter film to date, with 54 international markets opening concurrently with North America. The announcement was made jointly today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution.

Fellman said, “The popularity of Harry Potter, beginning with the extraordinary books and continuing with the films, is truly a worldwide phenomenon. This is just the beginning of another successful chapter in the franchise, and we look forward to the film continuing to play throughout the summer.”

Kwan-Rubinek said, “Fans around the world make each new Harry Potter movie a global event, proving that the appeal of Harry Potter knows no borders or cultural barriers. It is a privilege for us to have a part in bringing the latest movie to audiences everywhere.”

In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort’s defenses. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth installment of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter film franchise. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson return in the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Helen McCrory, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer and John Trehy co-producing.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”: An IMAX 3D Experience—digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through proprietary IMAX DMR® technology—is being released by Warner Bros. Pictures in select theatres in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago concurrently with the nationwide 35mm release in traditional theatres. The film will open nationwide in IMAX on July 29th. Using IMAX’s revolutionary live action 2D to 3D conversion technology, the movie’s opening sequence has been transformed into IMAX 3D. The film will also be shown completely in IMAX 2D in select locations without IMAX® 3D capability.

In South Africa, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opened at the number one slot for the week grossing just under R6.4 million making it the 2nd highest opening weekend for 2009 behind "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs."
Nu Metro Films, who represents Warner Bros. Pictures locally, distributes the film in South Africa.

2009-07-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: He's right on Transformers, not sure if I agree that Clone Wars sucked. It wasn't great. The suckiness of this films though says something about what the directors and moviemakers think about us, our standards and our IQ's.

clipped from blogs.suntimes.com

Gathered here in one convenient place are my recent reviews that awarded films Zero Stars, One-half Star, One Star, and One-and-a-half Stars. These are, generally speaking to be avoided. Sometimes I hear from readers who confess they are in the mood to watch a really bad movie. If you're sincere, be sure to know what you're getting: A really bad movie.

Movies that are "so bad they're good" should generally get Two Stars. And Pauline Kael once wrote, "The movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash, we shouldn't go at all." Great trash should ideally get 2.5 stars or even higher.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. (PG-13, 149 minutes). A horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments. One of these involves a dog-like robot humping the leg of the heroine. Such are the meagre joys.

Potter is magic at its most real

2009-07-15T07:47:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.salon.com

In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," magic happens as the characters are busy doing other things -- playing sports, falling in love, nursing broken hearts. And while this is, of course, a fantasy movie, the quiet and potent idea nestled inside it is that there's magic in and around the things of everyday life.

"The Half-Blood Prince" -- with the help of Bruno Delbonnel's cautiously majestic cinematography and Stuart Craig's reliably gorgeous production design -- is a beautifully paced feat of filmmaking, one that navigates potentially choppy shifts in scale with grace and ease.

The most beautiful magic in it is left unseen. And still, it emerges with absolute clarity.

The Age of Stupid - Time to mobilise out of collective dumbness

2009-07-15T03:57:00.001-07:00

Urban Sprout: If you're not in Cape Town, you can always visit the film's website, or we could always create a petition of some sort which can make Ster-kinekor or NuMetro aware that we want everyone to see it.

It really is the way to get people to mobilise out of this age of collective and conscious stupidity...

SHOOT: The picture below says it all. Would be great to see this in Johannesburg.

clipped from www.urbansprout.co.za

Look, it's not a feel-good movie. The point of it is to take our blindfolds off, and smack us around with it until we see what is really happening; and what's happening ain't pretty. But, here's the thing... YOU KNOW THAT, otherwise you wouldn't be here, reading this.

What about the rest of us? What about those who can't see beyond their 9 to 5 or are too caught up watching Idols to care about something like climate change? I think that's why this movie was made.

The reason? It has a message – it makes you think. And people don't like to think, because the moment they start thinking, they get uncomfortable, and unhappy, and start to see how terrible things really are – they begin to feel they have to do something. Corporations and governments don't want that – because that's how revolutions start.

Bruno doesn't boost gays, he backhands them

2009-07-15T03:08:00.001-07:00

Three men of demonstrably modest means in Alabama, their cheeks sunken with Appalachian want like Dust Bowl portraits, agree to take him hunting. Brüno, trying to pass, engages them in some enthusiastic banter about how much he loves "vah-ghee-nas." The men look mildly amused, but again, they don't take it and run with it.

SHOOT: In this day and age it's scary what is entertaining people. Nonsense. Michael Bay should make a movie with Cohen - think they're a perfect fit of shallow.

clipped from www.salon.com

Brüno's homosexuality comes bundled up with a lot of unattractive software. He is an open hydrant of empty, venal ignorance, a fame-chasing, grandiose fucktard, all because he is a cockaholic (his term). The repeated pistoning of sucking dick has scrambled his brains, just as surely as a muddler pulverizes mint leaves. Make no mistake: It is gay sex that has made Brüno stupid. Perez Hilton has the sobriety, moral rectitude and class of Lewis Lapham by comparison.

Indeed, aside from Baron Cohen's portrayal, the film is hearteningly scant in instances of overt homophobia. Brüno brushes past a group of "God Hates Fags" poster-toting crazies from Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church -- lunatics infamous for being as vocal in their hatred of dead soldiers as sodomites, and more important, not there in response to him.

He compares the multitude of stars in the sky to how many hot guys there are in the world.

2009 List of Best Flick of All Time

2009-07-14T14:42:00.001-07:00

Lists of the best films ever always tell you a lot more about the people compiling them, and about the state of critical thinking at a given moment, than they tell you about the movies in question.- By Andrew O’Hehir

SHOOT: Click on the link below the fold for the full list. Must have been compiled by a bunch of old timers and geriatrics. Where's ALIEN? Where's Dark Knight? Where's a Spielberg Film [Saving private Ryan/Schindler's List].

clipped from www.salon.com

Arguing about whether Tarantino's neo-psychedelic gangster gabfest is better than, say, "City Lights" or "The Bicycle Thief" (both below it on the list) is a bit like asking whether cocaine is better than asparagus. But as an immense cultural influence, a symbol of its era and an enormous popular and critical success, "Pulp Fiction" may have earned its slot. At least the people who voted for "Pulp Fiction" have actually seen it, enjoyed it and can halfway remember it; I'm less certain that is true of F.W. Murnau's 1927 silent "Sunrise" (No. 18) or the Marx Brothers' 1933 "Duck Soup" (No. 33).

Your observations, please.
1. Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles
2. Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick
4. The Godfather (1972) Francis Ford Coppola
5. Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz
6. The Third Man (1949) Carol Reed
7. Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese
8. Seven Samurai (1954) Akira Kurosawa

Harry Potter's Half Blood Prince Delivers

2009-07-12T02:58:00.000-07:00

Horace Slughorn: These are mad times we live in! Mad!

"It's all about sex, drugs and rock n' roll," British director David Yates has said to The Daily Telegraph. "Okay, maybe we should take the 'drugs' out. Really, this film is more sex, potions and rock n' roll."

HHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince' is stellar. It's the edgiest Potter flick of the lot so far. The cinematography is top notch, Steve Kloves has written a screenplay that is tight and well-conceived, and David Yates delivers a Potter flick that's a crafty combination of intelligence and sheer cinematic beauty. It's edgy.

The themes in Half Blood Prince are essentially love and death. The stakes go up a few notches in this one, and the film is undoubtedly the best of the Potter series thus far.

Ron Weasley: I'm in love with her!
Harry Potter: Alright. Fine. You're in love with her. Have you ever actually met her?
Ron Weasley: [pauses] No. Can you introduce me?

There's an unusual combination of levity and darkness in this one, but it's pulled off very well, with numerous artful representations that colorfully epitomise the tone and texture of wizards, castles, the battle between light and dark. This is some of the most skillful use of technology in the cinema. And there's a good story - and a lot to get through - to boot.

Albus Dumbledore: Oh to be young and to feel love's keen sting.

The ceramic Emma Watson (as Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) have matured as performers, and are also old enough now to bring oodles of chemistry to the screen. They bring a delightful subplot (high school wrestling matches, infatuation versus love delightfully portrayed in the Hogwarts setting).

Lavender Brown: I happen to be his girlfriend!
Hermione Granger: Well, I happen to be his... friend.

Naturally there are the usual Potter (AKA 'The Chosen One') efforts - to counter the shenanigans of Voldemort (oops shouldn't have said that). Harry gets more than his fair share of luck, as you might recall from the J.K. Rowling book, especially when he discovers a potions textbook owned by The Half Blood Prince, which he uses to good effect in the new lecturers (Professor Slughorn's) class. Slughorn is played credibly by the veteran Jim Broadbent (you'll remember he was Bridget Jones' father), but there are plenty of fine cameos besides. Who is the Half Blood Prince? What is a horcrux? Who falls in love with who? There's plenty waiting for you in this one, including HARRY POTTER KISSING A GIRL, but Harry has an awful lot on his plate here, as the flick's motif suggests: Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry.

Half Blood Prince requires Harry to work with the difficult subtleties of emotions and memories, and I'll give this away. Someone dies in this film. [Yes, you probably knew that already if you read the book, but do you remember how?].

Remus Lupin: [from trailer] Voldemort has chosen Draco Malfoy for a mission.

Draco Malfoy adds another subtext to this intricate, interesting flick. Malvoy is uncharacteristically ashen, and keeps company with a new set of dark allies. One of them is played by Helena Bonham Carter.

Half Blood Prince in the end is a wonderful concoction of chuckles, light romance, beautiful flourishes and delicate touches and then some brutal and visceral magic. The magic is probably the real star, and it is woven throughout with such perfect brushstrokes that this has got to be one of the best flicks of 2009. I think Star Trek might have pipped Potter to the post, but by a whisker, by a flickering fairy light.

After this one there's only one more, sadlym so enjoy Half Blood Prince. It really is a triumph - but before I send you on your way to watch this, two warnings:

First, a last quote: Albus Dumbledore: Take my arm. That was fun. Most people vomit their first time.
Second, you really don't want to miss a glowing morsel of this flick, so visit the loo beforehand, and get an extra large popcorn for the ride. It's a tad over 2 hours 33 minutes long.

You'll walk out eager for more of what has become a high value product for young and old (besides the owners of this now billion dollar franchise). It's become an increasingly meaningful collection of stories about a sensitive but strong young man, who is growing up, who is trying to remember who he is and what he is meant to be doing. Good, right?

Everyone's falling in love - Harry Potter Movie Review

2009-07-08T14:13:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Maybe I'm biased but this is probably the best movie review I've ever ever ever read...

clipped from english.ohmynews.com

There's an unusual combination of levity and darkness in this one, but it's pulled off very well, with numerous artful representations that colorfully epitomize the tone and texture of wizards, castles, and the battle between light and dark. The film deploys skillful use of technology in cinema. And there's a good story -- and a lot to get through -- to boot.

The ceramic Emma Watson (as Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) have matured as performers, and are also old enough now to bring oodles of chemistry to the screen. They bring a delightful subplot (high school wrestling matches, infatuation versus love delightfully portrayed in the Hogwarts setting).

In the end, "Half Blood Prince" is a wonderful concoction of chuckles, light romance, beautiful flourishes and delicate touches and then some brutal and visceral magic. The magic is probably the real star, and it is woven throughout with such perfect brushstrokes that this has got to be one of the best flicks of 2009.

50 Greatest Trailers of All Time

2009-06-30T06:42:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Great to see ALIEN at number 1. Blair Witch project is the scariest horror movie I've ever seen. CLOVERFIELD also has a great intro. I see WATCHMEN is at number 46, The Matrix at 32. Now where is the trailer for The Dark Knight?

clipped from www.ifc.com

We know them as trailers, but they don't trail anything; they play before the movie, not after it. The name dates to their earliest incarnation, when they actually did follow the feature. The documentary "Coming Attractions" dates the very first trailer to a 1912 Edison serial entitled "What Happened to Mary?" After each installment, a black card with white text would appear to inform audiences "The next incident in the series of 'What Happened to Mary' will be shown a week from now." Not exactly "In a world..." but it did the trick back in 1912.

1. Alien (1979)

2. Psycho (1960)

clipped from www.ifc.com

11. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

12. Independence Day (1996)

15. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Transformers 2: Summer gets stoopid

2009-06-23T16:05:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Sorry doods, I'm going to break rank here and call this beautifully filmed toy story what it is - eye candy for kids (stoopid kids). Transformers is evidence that you can spend hundreds of millions - the special effects in this are killer - and you're still left with an empty shell of a movie. Young teens and tweens might like it, and get something out of it. But if you don't play with toys any more you might be wondering what Megan Fox is doing in the story. The slow motion candy shots of her start to jarr...are her lips really that big, have they been botoxed or is that CGI. If you're preoccupied with these thoughts your movie is in trouble. If the whole flick had been set on campus it may have been a huge hit. It's as engrossing and horrible and expensive as a car wreck, but just as quickly forgotten. 6/10 [Rotten Tomatoes gives it 57%]

clipped from www.wired.com

9: Megan Fox is in it. While there are rumors that she’s actually CGI-animated herself, Megan Fox is proving that she’s much more than just eye candy. She’s eye candy that can run really fast from giant CGI robots.

4: Peter Cullen is still the voice of Optimus Prime. He damn well better be. The studio probably didn’t want to even bother considering a Transformers movie until Cullen signed on. The fan outcry when the first one was in the works was so huge, that there was no chance it would have made any money without him. Prime only has one voice.

2: It’s not Wolverine. Which means it’s a movie full of giant space robots beating the crap out of each other. That is, no matter what happens you won’t be set up for disappointment.

1: There is no school. It’s summer. Your kids don’t need an excuse to be pulled out of school to go see a movie. You’re the only one that needs an excuse. And now you’ve got ten. Go get your kids and a couple giant tubs of popcorn and let me know how awesome it is

African Photography - FOR SALE

2009-06-14T03:32:00.001-07:00

Some beautiful work by Nick van der Leek is going on sale this month.

clipped from www.nickvanderleek.com

Storm in Mabua, Kalahari R3499 unframed.

Foam at Kleinbrak River, Garden Route R1000 unframed/R2000 framed

Blazing sky over Free State Windmill R4999 framed/R4000 unframed.

For $US prices click here.
For more photography go to my Facebook Album.

INTERVIEW with AFTER LAST SEASON'S MARK REGION

2009-06-13T07:14:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.filmmakermagazine.com

At the end of March, an exceedingly odd trailer for a feature film showed up on Apple's trailer page. For a film titled After Last Season,
the trailer was a collection of almost random moments and conversation between students, researchers and a doctor seemingly involved in some kind of science experiment involving perception and telekinesis. The sheer mysteriousness of the whole endeavor — the fact that the trailer conveyed so little information about the film itself as well as its low production values (an MRI machine seemed clearly made from cardboard) — spawned an instant internet cult, with fans debating whether the film was real or a spoof, made by an "outsider filmmaker" or an elaborate stunt hatched by a savvy prankster

Just over two months later, the film has opened in four cities, proving that it does indeed exist.

Mark Region, did virtually no publicity, and, after seeing it, some viewers are still debating the intentions of the director and the meaning of the film.

Terminator Salvation: Roars then sputters

2009-06-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

SHOOT: Suffers heart failure at the end...

clipped from videogameblog.tuscaloosanews.com

The gang somehow manages to escape, and after destroying the SkyNet installation, John Connor is left dying on a hospital table back at the outdoor command center. That's not so bad. I thought they had guts doing that, and if Connor had died, I would've been fine with it.

But noooooooooo. Marcus tells the doc to take his heart and give it to John.

Look, I'm no expert in heart transplants, but I don't think the pregnant redhead had a great background in open heart surgery. I'm also pretty sure that the exclusion list for heart donors probably includes factors like ... he was dead an hour ago. I guess technology increases a great deal in the next seven years, despite the gigantic world war which culminates in the destruction of most of mankind.

The ending is ridiculous and had I not been reviewing the film, I would have walked out.

BOX OFFICE AWAKENS TO “THE HANGOVER”

2009-06-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR TODD PHILLIPS’ NEW HIT COMEDY IS #1 AT THE U.S. BOX OFFICE

BURBANK, CA – June 8, 2009 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ new comedy “The Hangover” took the top spot at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend, surprising industry analysts. On the heels of critical and audience raves and a multi-targeted marketing campaign, “The Hangover” earned an impressive $44,979,000 in its opening weekend, making it the third-highest opening of an R-rated comedy ever. For Warner Bros., it is also the sixth film to open at number one in 2009 to date.

Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, stated, “Coming into this weekend, we knew we had across-the-board great reviews, extremely strong word of mouth, and a marketing campaign that I would simply call amazing. As importantly, we had a movie that delivered. Congratulations to everyone involved in the making of ‘The Hangover,’ including the entire cast and crew and the producers. And special congratulations to Todd Phillips, who has been a great collaborative partner and an important member of the Warner Bros. family.”

Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures, added, “From our earliest screenings, we knew ‘The Hangover’ was something special. Todd made a brilliantly funny movie and we wanted to craft a very strategic and creative marketing campaign to match. Aggressively utilizing both the mainstream media and the internet, we set out to make this an all-audience film. We found unique ways to introduce the concept and the characters, leaving no chicken or tiger unturned. The wealth of material—not to mention a director and cast who worked tirelessly to support the film—gave us so many avenues to explore in putting together an all-encompassing and pervasive campaign. By the time we opened, we had not only created awareness but a definite must-see vibe surrounding the film. Jeff, Dan and I are also proud that ‘The Hangover’—added to such comedy hits as ‘Get Smart,’ ‘Yes Man,’ ‘Four Christmases,’ ‘He’s Just Not That Into You,’ ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘17 Again’—once again emphasizes our growing success in the comedy arena.”

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, added, “We are obviously thrilled with the box office results for ‘The Hangover,’ which came into this weekend against some very strong competition. The film did not have the benefit of instantly recognizable star names and it was not in the category of a big action blockbuster. But Todd Phillips does comedy like no one else and we knew ‘The Hangover’ was that rare gem of a comedy that plays to audiences of virtually every demographic. And it did. Based on this weekend’s overwhelmingly positive audience response, we anticipate that the excitement will continue to build through the summer as moviegoers turn out to get ‘The Hangover.’”

From director Todd Phillips comes a new comedy about a bachelor party gone horribly wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and his three buddies (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) drive to Las Vegas for a blow-out night they’ll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their posh hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue about what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time for his wedding. However, the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they’re really in.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: “The Hangover,” starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor. The film is directed by Phillips from a screenplay by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore. Todd Phillips and Dan Goldberg produced, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink serving as executive producers.

Nu Metro Films will be releasing THE HANGOVER in South Africa on 19 June 2009.

And now for a flick that will scare the living shit out of you [WATCH TRAILER]

2009-06-03T06:23:00.001-07:00

If you like horror and have been dying for an American film that doesn't wimp out on you or have some stupid-ass rip-off bastardization of a Korean or Japanese film's twist ending or any of the other disappointments we've come to expect from every week's horror releases, this is a spectacularly refreshing change of pace.

SHOOT: Watch the Quicktime trailer here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/dragmetohell/

clipped from www.televisionwithoutpity.com

Reviews of Movies We've Actually Seen

Drag Me to Hell Review: It is Very Awesome.

by Mindy Monez May 28, 2009 12:40 PM

I feel I should start out this review with a little PSA: If you scare easily, do not allow your vindictive gorehound friends to sweet-talk you into going to this movie. It ain't frickin' Gothika. It's a horror film made for horror fans by somebody who knows what he's doing. It will scare the living shit out of you if you're not properly desensitized to this type of thing. And for the rest of us? It's still effectively scary! I jumped in my seat, I laughed a lot, I thought I might vomit a few times -- to sum it up, I had a fantastic time. This is the measure of a successful horror film, friends.

UP soars, Arnold Schwarzenegger back in next Terminator?

2009-06-01T07:24:00.001-07:00

Of the 2009 releases, the three top worldwide winners are Monsters vs Aliens, Fast & Furious and Wolverine, all of which have exceeded $300 million so far. Could you guess which of the late-2008 releases have earned about $250 million? Gran Torino and Marley & Me.

News was not so good for Terminator Salvation, which lost a steep 62% from last weekend's gross. This fourth episode in the John Connor saga could trace the sorry trajectory of this March's action film, Watchmen, which earned more than half of its total domestic take in its first weekend. In plain English, that means the hardcore fans saw it immediately but didn't go back, or convince others to buy tickets. It also suggests that certain action franchises do need a star. Given the tarnished fiscal state of the Golden State, Arnold Schwarzenegger may wish he were a movie star again. Indeed, he's spoken of getting back into films after his term is up.

clipped from www.time.com

To win a summer weekend, a movie usually needs a star name or an action-film punch, or to be a sequel to or the remake of a blockbuster. Except, that is, for any new Pixar release. Rising on the propulsion of a brand name known for quality entertainment, the studio's tenth animated feature, Up, surpassed most predictions by earning $68.2 million this weekend, according to official projections. Buoyed by higher ticket prices in theaters showing the 3-D version, and rhapsodic reviews that tallied a 98% positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes web site, Up scored the strongest Pixar opening since The Incredibles in 2004. (Richard Corliss Names the top 10 Pixar Voiceover Artists of All Time)

Pixar movies are not, however, the mammoth generators of box-office revenue that they used to be. The 2003 Finding Nemo earned $867 million worldwide — still tops for a Pixar feature — on a reported $94 million budget. WALL-E, which cost about twice as much to make, took in about 40% less.

Movie Meat

USA'

Cinema profits at record high

Inception Ranked as 3rd Best Film of all Time on IMDb

Film Review - Predators

Toy Story 3 (3D) - reviewed by a 10 year-old

Filming of the Harry Potter Series Ends Today

Toy Story 3 comes together in one brilliant, trilogy-capping masterpiece that will leave a lump in your throat and a smile on your face

Empty heads are very fond of long titles

Gareth Cliff: Julius Malema is the Sarah Palin of the Black African youth

SHUTTER ISLAND: Scorsese has created a superior psychological thriller

James Cameron's AVATAR = Disney's POCAHONTAS

Peter Traver reviews - The Hurt Locker

Burton sees ‘Alice’ through dreary looking glass

Seven films on Oscar’s visual effects shortlist

AVATAR has made $1 billion

Cameron talks about AVATAR: says two sequels are possible, it's not anti-human, it's about aspiring to be better than we are

Barry Ronge's Review of AVATAR: It is one of the most beautifully imagined and created movies we have seen in years.

Snow denies AVATAR record grosses, for now

AVATAR: Interesting 'White Guilt' Interpretation

Mandela in INVICTUS provides an example of the leadership needed in Copenhagen

'Avatar' star Sigourney Weaver as queen of sci-fi: 'Outer space has been good to me' [UPDATED]

Sigourney Weaver Interview: "Just relax and let your mind go blank," she tells him, then adds with withering nonchalance: "It shouldn't be hard for you."

Rumpelstiltskin and the ogre return for the last: 'Shrek Forever After'

"New Moon" opened to $274.9 million, the sixth-highest worldwide debut of all time

Summit Entertainment underestimated the film's worldwide ticket sales by $16.1 million. The latest opening-weekend total is $274.9 million, but overseas box office figures are still trickling in.

New Moon Review: "Jacob has secrets of his own that soon emerge, first in the form of some massive biceps. My, what big muscles you have, Bella tells him, nicely exposing her inner wolf"

Movie Meat Reviews: Twilight New Moon

How to shoot nudity and keep it sexy

If (500) Days of Summer is not a date movie, then it is because of the risk of the date being dumped for the movie.

Movie Meat Reviews: The Stoning of Soraya M.

"NEW MOON" pre-bookings overtake "MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT"

Movie Review: Pandorum

Movie Review: Gamer

Movie Review: The Informant!

PATRICK SWAYZE INSPIRES 'GIRLS' NIGHT OUT' FOR CANSA

Batman: Arkham Asylum Ships 2.5 Million

Screenplays for You - free movie scripts and screenplays [learn to write a screenplay]

The 'ALIENS' Metaphor

UP Movie Review

Daily Dose of Reality

LG Mobile and Nu Metro Cinemas present DANCE 2 FAME!

"The Hobbit" hobbled by Tolkien lawsuit, now ready to fly

The question remains: will Capitalism: A Love Story rouse the rabble to revolt?

Is District 9 Racist?

Avatar Movie - Want to know what it's all about?

"District 9" isn't just a surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi stand-out in a season characterized by big, dumb studio tent-pole movies; it's a revelation.

New York Times reviews the South African film DISTRICT 9

First 3-D footage of James Cameron’s new movie Avatar in South Africa

A sight for sore eyes: Rachel McAdams takes revealing turn

A child who parents need protection from

Podium Comedy Series coming to Nu Metro Cinemas

230 sets of twins in the Indian town of Kodinji - but what's causing it

Movie Review: ‘Management’ is this year's Little Miss Sunshine

MORE 3-D Screens!

“HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE” breaking records

Roger Ebert's Your Movie Sucks© files

Potter is magic at its most real

The Age of Stupid - Time to mobilise out of collective dumbness

Bruno doesn't boost gays, he backhands them

2009 List of Best Flick of All Time

Harry Potter's Half Blood Prince Delivers

Everyone's falling in love - Harry Potter Movie Review

50 Greatest Trailers of All Time

Transformers 2: Summer gets stoopid

African Photography - FOR SALE

INTERVIEW with AFTER LAST SEASON'S MARK REGION

Terminator Salvation: Roars then sputters

BOX OFFICE AWAKENS TO “THE HANGOVER”

And now for a flick that will scare the living shit out of you [WATCH TRAILER]

Drag Me to Hell Review: It is Very Awesome.

UP soars, Arnold Schwarzenegger back in next Terminator?