Finally a Promo Video for "Breaking Bad" Season 4!....wait, didn't I already see that?

     After nearly a 12-month hiatus, fans of the brilliant AMC drama Breaking Bad are just about at the breaking point.  The fourth season needs to start, and it needs to start now.  People are ready to riot in the streets.  Shows about Hal from Malcolm in the Middle making meth labs will do that to people, I suppose.  Anyway, I was excited to see the release of a video promo for the highly-anticipated next season, which is probably nothing more than proof to the audience, saying, "See?  Now do you believe us that we really have been filming since January?  We promise!"

     If they really said that, I still wouldn't believe them.  Why?  Because this promo contains NO NEW FOOTAGE.  I know it's a "promo", and not a "sneak peek"....but technicalities aside this was a shitty thing to do, and hardly promotes anything.   Good job AMC.  Now you can stop showing this promo on your station, and fill that time slot with cat food commercials or something, because everything I just saw on that promo...I saw LAST YEAR.

 

    

"The Hobbit" is Blooming

     Peter Jackson announced yesterday via his Facebook page that Orlando Bloom will in fact reprise his role as the elf Legolas in Part I of the fiercely anticipated Hobbit movies.  Sweet!  Jackson stated earlier:

“Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas. 

I’m excited to announce today that we’ll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. 

I’m thrilled to be working with Orlando again. Funny thing is, I look older—and he doesn’t! 

I guess that’s why he makes such a wonderful elf.”(chud.com)

    It's the conditioner he uses, Jackson.  I'm sure of it.  The trick is you have to leave it in for about 5 minutes, THEN wash it out.  It leaves the hair glowing.  I know Liv Tyler keeps brushing up on her Elvish, but hopefully Bloom has been too.  In any case, we're all glad the pretty-boy is back.

(img source=tolkinforums.com)

Trailer for remake of "The Wave"

     A teacher creates an experiment in the classroom that mirrors Hitler's Third Reich, pitting students against each other.  The original in 1981 kicked ass, so I'm puzzled as to why it's being redone.  Will it be any better because it's in present-day Germany?  Will the ending be more powerful?  Ratings on imdb.com show it may become more popular than the original.  We'll just see about that, IMDB.

Useless Trivia of the Week

     Many people believe that Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win an Oscar.  Not true.  While she was the first to win "Best Actress", she was not the first black woman to be nominated for the award and win it; nor was Denzel Washington the first African American to earn a golden statue either.  The first African American ever to be nominated for and win an Academy Award was Hattie McDaniel for Gone with the Wind in 1940.  She won Supporting Actress for playing Mammy, the O'Hara family house servant and nanny.  It's been ten years since I have seen that movie, but she was one character I remembered the most.  That alone should tell you how wonderful her role was.

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Cool Movies I Watched Over the Weekend

     This weekend there was a little something for everyone.

1. Shower

      Some foreign films, particularly French films (go figure), do not translate well in American culture.  No pun intended.  But this Chinese film was warmer and funnier than I ever expected.  It's a story about a young, successful business man named Da Ming, who returns home to his small northern Chinese village suspecting that his father, the owner of a bathhouse, has passed away.  His father, in fact, is still alive and running his prized bathhouse as smoothly as ever, with the help of his other son and Da Ming's mentally handicapped brother, Er Ming.  Da Ming's impatience and urgency to catch the quickest flight back home is overshadowed by his father's sudden health decline, and the risk of losing the bathhouse to an ever-expansive industrial age, which would rather see neon signs and a shopping mall than half-naked Chinese men fighting crickets and lounging in steaming bath pools.  Nevertheless, Da Ming stays to help his family.  As cliche as this "I'm coming home and it's going to be tense" storyline can be at times (movies like Garden State and Elizabethtown come to mind), it has a wittiness and more pure simplicity about it, because it shows one small family exactly how it is - imperfect and rash to one another at times, but also caring, kind, and, whether they will admit it or not, close.  The relationship that Da Ming develops with his handicapped younger brother is well paced, natural, and aided with some superb acting and writing talents. 

2. The Host

     
     Ok, so I kind of lied.  I guess there's not as much diversity this weekend in my movie viewage as I previously stated.  Man, last time it was a bunch of Mormon films, and now it's foreign Asian films.  I just can't catch a break.  It's not like I'm doing this on purpose, people.
    The Host is a South Korean horror/monster flick that should not be overlooked.  After the government and other vaguely implied officials dump a bunch of chemical toxins into the Han River, BIG SHOCKER, a large, mutated, amphibious creature is discovered to be dwelling there ten years later. It leaps ashore one sunny afternoon and kills a bunch of picnickers, then dives back into the water with a small girl named Hyun-Seo.  Her family is devastated, until they receive a call from her somewhere in the sewer system, proving she is still alive.   It's now up to her pathetic and otherwise unmotivated father Gang-Du, her grandfather, and her uncle and archery-champion aunt to find where the monster has stowed away their youngest family member - and to bring every ounce of revenge they have.
    This movie is actually more of a black comedy than anything.  It's a more unique type of horror film that would appeal to any horror fan.  The humor is subtle, and finds its epitome in the anti-hero Gang-Du, who finds time to nap and be clumsy even in midst of running from the Korean CDC in the hopes of finding his little girl alive.  The monster itself is slightly cheap-looking in terms of CGI, which I believe was on purpose.  The writers, producers, and director didn't want you to pay the most attention to the special effects that made up this terrifying monster; they instead point the audience to focus on the lives this monster has disrupted, and the fate of all involved in the end.

(img source=dianying.com / beyondhollywood.com)

Documentary Wednesday - Trailer for "Gasland"

     So I'm pretty sure water isn't supposed to do that.

    Gasland is a winner at the Sundance Film Festival, and, like many politically motivated documentaries that are emerging today, is not likely to go away anytime soon.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" Season 8 Promo Trailer!

     Our favorite neurotic Jew is back, this time in the Big Apple.  Season premiere is July 10th.

Link to promo trailer - 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/watch-hbos-curb-your-enthusiasm-191338

People literally booed Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" at Cannes Film Festival

     The trailer for The Tree of Life, as mesmerizing as it was, left me a little puzzled and bewildered as to what journey this imagery-bombarded piece of celluloid would take the audience on.  Apparently wherever it took them, they got pissed and started booing, because that's exactly what happened this week at the Cannes Film Festival, which is in full swing overseas.  This has my interest/confusion/bewilderment peaked.  Whatever is in this movie that makes film festival-goers actually BOO has got to be good.

     As with almost anything these days, response to the booing blew up on Twitter accounts.  The MSN Movies reviewer James Rocchi put it bluntly:

“Yes, some booed at Tree of Life‘s end, but a) far more clapped, 

b) wouldn’t a monobloc of opinion be dull? And, of course, c) jerks abound." (insidemovies.com)

     Well put on both sides of the fence, I suppose.  And I would feel more sorry for director Terrence Malick if he had in fact been there at Cannes for the film's debut.  He will show up later this week instead, but really, Malick, what's the use?  Brad Pitt already had to cover your ass for you by answering all these stupid questions from confused reporters about the movie, the main question being: What is this movie about, and why does the theater sound like the Iowa caucus?

Trailer is here for you to view, if you are as interested as I am.

 

Jason Bateman's new movie looks familiar and awful

     Apparently there is a new way to spell "Hollywood"; it starts with "unoriginal" and ends with "stupid twats".

 

Documentary Wednesday: "Flesh and Blood"

     Flesh and Blood is an amateur documentary about the fringe world of body modification.  And there is a LOT of exposed flesh in this film, and a LOT of blood.  Just throwing that out there.

     The film focuses mostly on a body modification artist named Steve Haworth, who pioneered three-dimensional piercings and implants, and even took up flesh-hook suspension.  After opening up several successful piercing parlors in Arizona, Steve began taking body art to the next level by catering to patrons from around the world that wanted artistic implants in various parts of their bodies.  Steve is very passionate and serious about his work, as are his body art companions, who indulge in the pain and psychosis as much as he does.  He even went as far as to design and manufacture his own medical-grade tools, which assist him in his surgery-like procedures.

Steve Haworth

 

 

      This documentary is really not for the faint of heart.  There's a lot of cutting, piercing, blood, and some nudity.  It's a short film, only about 64 minutes in length, but would be fascinating to anyone interested in tattoos, piercings, and transdermal implants, which are becoming more popular than ever.  The producer, Larry Silverman, spent years putting together footage and compiling interviews with each individual, and putting their lives and passion onto a plane of observation for all to see, no matter the judgements or consequences.  It's not the best documentary I've ever seen, but certainly one I will not forget.

Hugh Grant Will Probably Not Join "Two and a Half Men" Cast

     It's one of those headlines that seriously made me laugh out loud, because it was so absurd.  Earlier this week, according to Deadline.com, a sister-site to TVLine, Hugh Grant was in talks with Two and a Half Men producers to take the place of Mr. Tigerblood on the CBS sitcom.  And now, over "creative differences", Grant has backed down.  That's code for, "He actually thought for two seconds what it would be like to be on that show, and ran the other direction as fast as possible."  

     Am I crazy, or is Hugh Grant the LAST person you would suggest for this role?  Can you imagine him making some joke about hitting on some giggly cocktail-waitresses in that British accent of his while playing some diddy on the piano?  Yeah, because that's the sign of a show wanting to be taken seriously again.

Tucci is Game

      The talented Stanley Tucci was announced earlier this week to be on the cast list for the upcoming book adaption of The Hunger Games, about a survival contest a girl enters to save her community in a futuristic society.  Tucci joins Jennifer Lawrence (good lead pick, casting director), and Elizabeth Banks.  Great actors put aside, the director is Gary Ross, who is best known for movies like Dave, Big, and Seasbiscuit.  Can he make a decent thriller?  Especially one based on a novel?  Plus the title is like, three words, not one.  One step at a time, Ross.


(img source=cinemasource.com)

Trailer Tuesday - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

      One of the highlights of Sundance this year was Elizabeth Olsen, the sister of twin socialites / child actresses Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.  She has seemed to come bursting out of nowhere into the limelight, proving her just as talented, if not more talented, than her twiggy sisters.  Along with the horror flick Silent House, Olsen also appeared in the Sundance favorite Martha Marcy May Marlene, which is a title seeming to fit a film about a paranoid girl losing her mind after escaping the grasps of a cult - and John Hawkes' creepy peppered beard.  

 

Hey look, it's Murphy McManus in a Lady Gaga music video

     And he seems to have strayed slightly from his Irish-Catholic roots. 

 

Blast from the Past - "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"

      Have you ever traveled through a small town in middle-America, where there's only one road and everyone wears pastels and it smells like cows and comfort food wherever you go?  And you wonder, "What the hell do these people do with their lives?  And why do they live here?"

      What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a movie that answers that question.  A heart-warming film from 1993 starring Johnny Depp (pre-hunk status) and Leonardo DiCaprio, in probably one of the best performances of his career, Depp plays a very discontented but gentle-spirited young man named Gilbert Grape.  He lives in a small town called Endora with a 500-lb disabled mother that lives at home on the couch, two very misunderstanding sisters that drive him crazy, and a mentally challenged younger brother named Arnie who can't seem to stay away from trouble.  Gilbert works at a grocery store that is being run out of business by a Costco-type grocerer line, and when he's not hanging out with his weird mortician/hamburger aficionado friends Bobby and Tucker, he's making out with a lonely housewife behind her husband's back, or dragging his handicapped brother down from the town's water tower.

     He has a quite a few things "eating" him, as you can tell.  Life in Endora is boring and stressful at the same time for Gilbert; he's restless, and needs a way out of the unwarranted responsibilities of caring for his brother, and the pressure felt at home from three estrogen-charged loud-mouths. But things begin to look up for Gilbert when he meets cute, free-spirited Becky (Juliette Lewis), who is passing through Endora with her grandmother while their cross-country RV gets repaired.  Becky and Gilbert develop a friendship that slowly buds into a quirky romance; Becky begins to open Gilbert's eyes to the possibilities not just in life, but also with the relationships around him, particularly with the two family members he is most angry at - Arnie, for his over-enthusiasm, and his mother Bonnie, for having almost no enthusiasm about anything, unless it's bacon or covered in syrup.

     I'm sorry, but you have to be a douche-bag to hate this movie.  It's so 90s, and more genuine, funny, and better written than half the independent films today.  Every actor, from Crispin Glover as the creepy funeral director to Darlene Cates as the obese matriarch, deserves praise for their roles.  DiCaprio's portrayal of Arnie is phenomenal.  Most actors that take roles for mentally-handicapped characters seem to hold them hostage, demanding an Academy Award as ransom.  DiCaprio is not attention-seeking, exploitative, or ulteriorly motivated. The atmosphere of Endora is as listless as it is interesting and engaging, which would be incredibly hard for a director and/or writer to pull off.  But this is America, and as previously stated, we have all been to towns like Endora.  This story is about the people and families living in them, dying in them, and trying desperately to get out of them.

(image source = movie2s.com) 

Let's see how long it takes for a movie to be made about Osama Bin - oh wait. Never mind.

     Kathryn Bigelow, who is a badass and won Best Director for The Hurt Locker two years ago, was already set to start casting a movie based on the life of terrorist Osama Bin Laden.  Man, some things just fall into place.

     The movie, called very affectionately Kill Bin Laden, is set to start shooting as early as this summer.  Obviously some "script changes" have taken place as of this week, a source reports.  Given Bigelow's success with The Hurt Locker this movie will probably turn out a big crowd.  
     My top three actors to play Bin Laden?  Easy. Zach Galifianakis, Jake Gyllenhaal, or Michael Cera.  Or that one guy who played Jesus in Passion of the Christ. 

Trailer Tuesday - "Page One: Inside The New York Times"

     Newspapers are doing poorly.
   They now have to compete with Facebook, Twitter and...Youtube? What?
   Could the New York Times "go under"?
   Wow, this is shaping up to the be thriller of the century!!
   Go.

Cool Movies I Watched Over the Weekend

      I am a bum on the weekends.  I watch weird movies on Netflix so that throughout the week I can try to discuss them with people that could care less.  What other outlet will alleviate the stressful rigors of my part time job?
     So if you are a couch bum on the weekends as well, or you're wanting to take up the art, here are some movies I partook in over the weekend that can help you get there.

1. I Love You, Philip Morris

 

       When I first saw the trailer for this movie way back before it was released into theaters, I remember what I said.  I said, "That looks awful."  Guess what?  I was wrong.  This movie rocked.   

     I was most surprised at how little I hated Jim Carrey in this movie.  His performance, along with the performances of Ewan McGregor and Leslie Mann, was astonishingly sincere and at times very tear-jerking - both from sadness and laughter.  It's a movie about gay men, the high life, scamming the system, and probably the biggest little known pathological liar in history.  But more than anything, it's a movie about love.    

     Even if you find on-screen homo-eroticism a little uncomfortable, there are enough laughs in this dark (DARK) comedy to go around for any person of any background.  Unless you're a Mormon.  Then don't see this movie.  I don't want to get a letter later saying how offended you were that Jim Carrey wore spandex shorts and stockings.

2. SLC Punk!

      "SLC" stands for "Salt Lake City", which I'm sure is the worst place in the world to live.  Sorry, I don't mean to be anti-Mormon in this post (I swear, this was not planned).  If you want to be Mormon, hey, it's your life, that's cool.  You can drink whatever flavor Kool-Aid you want. 

      Anyway, even if you don't like punk music or punk kids, you will like this movie.  From Italian director James Merendino, who grew up in Salt Lake after moving from Rome, it's hysterical, smart, and full of bizarre flashbacks and neon-haired anarchists.  Matthew Lillard especially did a great job as the main character Stevo, who finds himself and his friend Heroin Bob are the two lone outcasted punks in a conservative, religious city in the 1980s.  His dad is pressuring him to go to Harvard and finally grow up, but all Stevo wants is chaos without selling out.  You'll see how that works out for him.

3. Marwenchol 

 

     Marwencol is a documentary about a man named Mark Hogancamp who, after a violent assault by a gang left him nearly brain dead, turned to the comfort of a 1/6 scale model of a post-World War II Beligium town named Marwencol he built in his backyard.  He buys figures and Barbie dolls and fills the town's bars, houses, and church with SS men, barmaids, rugged soldiers and sexy women, but each figure has a story and a past that Mark explains elaborately to us.  He is as close to his creation as a parent would be to its child.  Many of the figures are based on his real family, friends, and co-workers (he even has an avatar for himself), and Mark works tirelessly every day on either expanding Marwencol or taking photographs of it.

  

     The effect the attack had on Mark is evident throughout the movie; this film has more PTSD in it than Born on the Fourth of July.  The intimacy between Mark and the inanimate inhabitants of Marwencol would be creepy if it wasn't so depressing.  Instead of feeling judgmental, you feel sympathy for what Mark has gone through, and where it has taken him.   Marwencol is a little slower type drama, but it exposes the audience to an art form that Mark has been able to pick up, along with the pieces of his life, after a near death experience.

(image sources = whoisscout.files.wordpress / listal.com / fest10/0rg / arttherapyblog)