Monday, November 17, 2008
Quantum of Solace Movie Reviews
Scorsese did it with Christ and Nolan most recently did it with Batman. Those are two iconic film characters that usually embody pristine souls of clarity and goodness. Their emotions aren’t usually played upon because they don’t usually find themselves being rattled. That was until Scorsese and Nolan injected their heroes with a Shakespearian sorrow and made them human. Now, Marc Forster - with the 22nd James Bond film from Ian Flemming entitled “Quantum of Solace” – injects the same serum to James Bond; the only man in the history of cinema that is lusted by children and men and women of all ages. Now after seeing “Quantum” how would they like to embody a Bond that has an unwelcoming conscious that craves a vulnerable soul?James Bond has become a pinnacle to our society today. If his name were to be found in the dictionary it would indicate the words smooth, suave, dreamy and charismatic, not a tragic figure who invites bruises and scratches to his face preferably over kisses. Most Bond films, including last year’s “Casino Royale” where “Quantum” picks up an hour after, provides the audience to escape the everyday casualties of life, not to sulk our hero in them and watch him slowly become – how can I put this? – Human. When Daniel Craig signed on to play Bond it was an awakening to a new chapter in the franchise. Dreamy love-boats, who adorned perfectly cropped hair and always a step ahead of their nemesis, were replaced by a more rugged man whose first instinct isn’t to bed women but to put a bullet in the bad guys’ heads. He rightfully accepts the bumps and bruises that follow throughout the process.
In “Quantum,” Bond (Craig) isn’t motivated by any high-tech gizmo or sumptuous woman, but has his killer instincts set out to revenge the death of Vesper (Eva Green), his lover turned double-crosser in “Casino Royale.” In pursing her killer he uncovers Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a business mogul who’s looking to control Bolivia’s entire water supply and eventually the world. He’s more of an Al Gore, economy friendly villain than the all cunning, blood crying La Chiffe. Greene manages to have people working all over for him, especially doubling as M’s (Judi Dench) M16 agents. New Bond girl Olga Kurylenko as Camille is used as bait by Greene for business deals, but it’s Bond who understands what she really desires for because it’s the same thing he’s driven by; revenge.
Director Forster is a worthy entry to direct a Bond film that has for the first time James Bond’s heart ripped from his insides. The proof lies within Forster’s repertoire. “Quantum” calls for revenge and emotion and he answers its call. Just watch his “Finding Neverland” and “Monster’s Ball” for further reference of humans apprehending life’s pitfalls.
The script is co-written by Oscar winner Paul Haggis and is a bit too congested. It’s become almost mentally impossible to follow any Bond film without asking yourself questions at the end. “Quantum” ultimately can do away with the script because it’s a movie that’s only interested in a maimed humanity, two actually, and how each goes through action scenes, jumping from Italy to Haiti to Bolivia, to satisfy their hungry hearts. To portray James Bond, the epitome of cool, like that can be dour to some. There isn’t any love interest between Bond and Camille because they’re so fueled by revenge. No sarcasm or exotic foreplay. No showcasing extravagant cars or gadgets. No lines of dialogue containing “Bond….James Bond.” Bond doesn’t say anything about his martini being “shaken, not stirred,” because his soul is literally shaken to the core and he’s mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore. It may take a while to warm up to this new portrait of cool. But when you do, you actually realize for the very first time that you’d hate to be James Bond. Well, kind of.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench and Giancarlo Giannini
Director: Marc Forster
Release Date: November 14, 2008
Running Time: 106 min.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.
Distributors: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Sony Pictures
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Britney Spears
Britney Spears (born 2.12.1982)Britney Spears’ debut album Baby One More Time found her international stardom in 1999 and contained the Billboard topping single ‘Baby One More Time. She has sold over 83 million records worldwide, currently making her the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 31 million albums in the U.S.
Her turbulent personal life has been well documented. Most recently, On the evening of 3rd January 2008, police were called to Spears's home after she refused to relinquish custody of her children. As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, Spears was taken to UCLA Medical Centre on January 31 where she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
Britney’s Childhood
Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana.
She auditioned for the Disney Channel series ‘The New Mickey Mouse Club’ when she was just eight years old. At the time, she was considered too young to join the series, but a producer on the show suggested that she meet up with an agent in New York.
When she turned 11, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a role in the ‘The New Mickey Mouse Club’. She remained on the show from until the age of 13, from 1993 to 1994. Her young co-workers on the show included Christina Aguilera (pop singer), Justin Timbelake (who would go on to be her boyfriend for some time), Joshua Chasez (also in N’Sync with Timberlake), Keri Russell (actress) and Ryan Gosling (actor). She returned to schoool in Kentwood for one year after the show had ended.
After school, in 1997, she joined the all-girl group Innosense for a short period of time but later that year she recorded a solo demo tape and was signed by Jive Records on the strength of the demo. She eventually became the opening act for boy bands Backstreet Boys and N’Sync.
Britney’s Musical Career
Her first single ‘Baby One More Time was released in 1998 and became an instant international success. It sold nine million copies worldwide. The song’s accompanying music video featured Britney dressed provocatively in a midriff-baring schoolgirl uniform.
The album, also called Baby One More Time was released in January 1999, reaching number one on the Billboard 200. The album subsequently acheived worldwide sales of over 25 million copies. In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards and in early 2000, she took home the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards. She went on to receive two nominations at the Grammys, that same year, though she lost out to Christina Aguilera and Sarah McLachlan.
Her second album, Oops I Did It Again debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales. Concerning both musical content and sales, the album was very similar to Spears's debut, although critics were more favourable to this second album.
In 2000, Britney gained two more Billboard Music awards and another two Grammy nominations. She also garnered controversy at the MTV Music awards when she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit.
Spears third studio album, Britney was released in November 2001. Although not as successful as her previous albums, she gained some creative control by co-writing five of the album's tracks. It still managed to surpass Michael Jackson’s album Invincible when it had a successful debut at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week. The singles did not fare so well. The lead single ‘Im A Slave 4 U’ peaked at 27 on the Billlboard Hot 100, making it the album's biggest hit. At the end of the album’s promotional tour for the album, Spears announced she would take a six-month break from her career.
During her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance, she controversially utilized caged animals and danced erotically with a large albino python draped over her shoulders. At a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she performed the song ‘Like A Virgin’ with Christina Aguilera and was later joined by Madonna, with whom Spears locked lips, in a highly publicised kiss.
Spears’ fourth studio album, In The Zone, was released in November 2003. The album used lesser-known producers such as RedZone, as well as big names such as Moby and R.Kelly. The album reached number one in the U.S. charts during its debut week, with over 609,000 copies sold. Spears became the only female in music history to have her first four studio albums debut at number one.
The album spawned the hit single ‘Toxic’, winning Spears her first ever Grammy, despite previous nominations.
After her marriage to one of her dancers, Kevin Federline, Spears announced on her website she was taking another career break in order to start a family. However, November 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, which debuted at #4 on the U.S. charts. Then, In November 2005, she released her first remix album, B In the Mix: The Remixes. With Spears still on maternity leave, the album did not reach the success of her previous albums.
In May 2007, Spears made her musical comeback, but overall, this proved to be a disappointment to many. A mini-tour for the House Of Blues failed to see her singing live for the 15 minutes that she performed. Her most recent was recorded with producers such as Sean Garrett and Nate “Danja” Hills in 2006 and 2007.
The result of these recordings was Blackout, her fifth album. Scheduled for release in November 2007, it was pushed up to October 30th due to internet leaks. It debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard charts, selling 290,000 copies
Britney’s ill-fated performance at the 2007 MTV Music Awards received much media attention, being described as a disappointing attempt at a comeback. The BBC, for instance, stated that "her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards." Whilst critics at The Times noted that "Spears was out of synch as she lip-synched and at times just stopped singing altogether." Despite the backlash, however, the single has achieved success worldwide.
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson, born on the 22nd of November, 1984, in New York City, has an older brother and sister and a twin brother. She divides her time between New York with her father, a building contractor and Los Angeles with her mother, who looks out for her interests there. She's the only actor in the family, something she's wanted to be since she was three. Her acting career began when she was eight in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry with Ethan Hawke at New York's Playwrights Horizons.Scarlett has been in seven movies, the first was North. For her role as Manny in Manny & Lo she was nominated as Best Actress by the Independent Spirit Awards (1997).
She attained worldwide recognition for her performance as Grace MacLean, the teen traumatized in a riding accident in Robert Redford's hit feature The Horse Whisperer, a role for which she won a YoungStar award and was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award. She has most recently been spotlighted for her performances in the acclaimed films Ghost World, An American Rhapsody and the Coen Brothers film The Man Who Wasn't There. Johansson's additional credits include Rob Reiner's comedy North, the role of Sean Connery's daughter in Just Cause, as well as notable appearances in If Lucy Fell and Home Alone 3. She is currently lensing Brian Robbins' The Perfect Score for Paramount Pictures.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Rachel Getting Married
A rollercoaster usually doesn’t last long. You’re guaranteed to get thrills and those butterflies that float around inside the stomach as you fly down the dips. You try and take it all in but it’s useless because it goes by all too quickly. But you still try anyway because you know you only have the given moment. A Connecticut home, full of people with different backgrounds and ethnicities, housing a wedding and the receptions that come with it, finds itself on the tracks of a rollercoaster that has the possibility of being derailed. With that in mind, each person present at this party tries real hard to enjoy the moment that’s full of music, family traditions and love. One character in particular, the bride, doesn’t realize all that was in front of her until the wedding has now become something of the past. By the time the end credits roll along she reminded me of Michael Corleone, the distraught human soul, at the end of Godfather Part II.What makes a family useful is its ability to caress and refurbish painful predicaments and decaying wrongs. Director Jonathan Demme’s portrait of a young woman dealing with the pain that comes along with being human is intriguing because she goes through life having to deal with being supervised all the time and her fragile emotions are constantly picked at such a nagging pace by family members, whose affections she would have rather greeted instead. This is Demme's forte; fascination with the social outcast. We've seen that worked to perfection in his greatest film, "Silence of the Lambs."
The young woman is Kym (Anne Hathaway) and she’s been released from a rehab center. She has been in and out for ten years and results are visible. She gets the opportunity to be in attendance at her sister Rachel’s wedding at their father’s home. Kym returns home to find a celebration in the making, not for her return, but for the wedding which will be a wedding that hasn’t been captured before on celluloid. What her return home does is serve her a reminder of her haunted memories, and minor indications of a brighter future. Hathaway manages to wipe away the sexiness and beauty that layered her face in previous films in order to replace it with a pale and skinny face that is searching for a soul. Her tour-de-force performance steers the movie away from melodrama and towards a near classical narrative.
The Connecticut home is bursting with energy. A homey estate that belongs to a family of disconnected souls. It homes a dysfunctional child trying to cope with her personal struggles, Kym, and a child who abides by the everyday rules. The abiding child is named Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) and she’s getting married to Sydney (Tunde Adebimpe), an African American musical guru who has a face that announces redemption. The bride and groom’s families couldn’t be more different when it comes to appearances and traditions. Demme goes for the unnatural approach by not focusing on the interracial marriage. He doesn’t even give the slightest hint at it, scoffing it off for a lesser director to approach such a cliché. This results in the film being more truthful than it plans to be. More truth is found in this technique than the handheld device Demme uses to track each member of the family. Yet it’s with the shaky camera that he uses to distract us from the interracial marriage. His movement from room to room, person to person is Altamnesque. Every character the lens focuses on is worth listening to. The reception dinner is a perfect example of this. No matter who is doing the talking we can’t help but to only be lulled along like we have known these people for the most part of our lives.
This wedding, so unorthodox and elaborate, mounts to form an isolated island around Rachel. Constantly yelling and harassing her sister for her entire stay, the father (Bill Irwin), a weak man who may take the tragic past harder than anyone in the family, finds himself in the middle of an ongoing sibling rival that recalls to mind The Prodigal Son tale. If his soul isn’t being gnawed at by the past, it’s certainly gnawing at his divorce from his first wife Abby (Debra Winger). She’s a firecracker waiting to be ignited so she can showcase her explosions and vent steam.
If there’s a flaw in Demme’s film, and there is, it’s contained within the characters of the two sisters, Rachel and Kym. Though each actress, Hathaway and DeWitt, give great performances, their characters are focused too much on arguing with each other. It almost gets to the point that as we watch the movie we become familiar and comfortable with the families in it, and then it clicks; it seems as if the audience is being used. Just as we nestle up real snuggly to the family and feel welcomed, most of the characters then begin to spill their guts out to us. Almost as if they use the audience as a ploy in order to unleash their furies and dilemmas. We’re the lucky psychiatrist who has the fortune of listening to some real rubbish and even some entertaining stories by patients who are basket-cases.
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Brideshead Revisited Movie Review
Brideshead Revisited is a film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s acclaimed novel of same name. The novel was first published in 1945 and has been regarded as one of the British literary classics. David Yates was originally assigned as the director of this film. When he was attached to his project, he secured Jude Law, Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany as Sebastian, Julia and Charles respectively. However, Yates had to step aside when he was offered to direct Harry Potter The Order of Phoenix. Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane) took over the project, along with Jeremy Brock (Last King of Scotland) and Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones Diary) as the screenwriters.There are a number of notable similarities between the protagonist of the book, Charles Ryder and Evelyn Waugh himself. Both Ryder and Waugh went to Hertford College, Oxford; studied history and were much more interested in painting than being a history scholar. In fact, Waugh only graduated from Hertford with a third- class-degree and left Oxford before he finished his studies. When asked of whether he played any sports, his answer was “I drank for Hertford.” Waugh was known to dabble in homosexuality while he was in Oxford, although that was never proven. As for Charles Ryder, his relationship with Sebastian Flyte was always questionable. Was it merely platonic, or was there more to their friendship?
Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) bonded with Lord Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw) after the drunken Sebastian vomited all over Charles’ room on the first night he moved into Oxford. The following day, Sebastian apologised by sending him flowers and asking him out to lunch. They quickly became the best of friends, often using the Latin term contra mundum when they talked to each other. It’s always going to be them, against the world. However, things became increasingly complicated when Charles met Sebastian’s family. Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) is a staunch Catholic who ruled the household with a firm hand. She had four children; Lord Brideshead ‘Birdie’, Julia, Sebastian and Cordelia. From the moment Charles laid eyes on Julia (Hayley Atwell), he was mesmerised. Nevertheless, Charles’ feelings for Julia became a cloud that hanged upon his friendship with Sebastian.
As expected, Emma Thompson’s performance as Lady Marchmain was brilliant. Her cold and steely demeanor gave me chills to the bone. I completely understood why her children behave like nervous wrecks whenever she was around. Ben Whishaw was marvelous as Sebastian Flyte, the charming and flamboyant son who constantly struggled with his homosexuality and how it made him a constant disappointment to his mother. Sebastian dealt with these issues through drinking and avoiding his family as much as he could.
The main theme of the movie is Catholicism, although the movie tried its best to downplay its religious content. Every main character in the movie struggled with guilt, and then in the end they were redeemed through the power of grace. Julia always thought of herself as a bad girl, and married Rex because it was the right thing to do. Poor Sebastian, who often called himself a heathen, moved to Morocco and spent his life at a monastery while dealing with his alcoholism.
I really enjoyed Brideshead Revisited because of its engaging story that concentrated on the universal themes of love, friendship and religion. The performances were outstanding, the dialogue witty and the scenery breathtaking.
Now, I just have to head to the bookshop and buy the book.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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