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Theater 21 Movie Cinema Guide Information All Time Actual Reference Actress Box Office Description Detail About Gallery Actress Human Girls Animation Wallpaper Really Action Stars Famous Glamor Trailer Download Film Entertainment Picture Image Art photo Celebrities Excellent Galleries >> http://cinema-cinema21.blogspot.com/Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-39228126284559402992009-05-17T22:23:00.001-07:002009-05-17T22:23:25.601-07:00X-Men Origins: Wolverine<div class="post hentry"> <a name="7310528825125024273"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;"><i>X-Men Origins: Wolverine</i> is a 2009 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. It was released on April 28, 2009 in the Netherlands and worldwide up to May 1 2009. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character. It is a prequel to the <i>X-Men</i> film trilogy and is primarily set roughly ten to seventeen years before the film <i>X-Men</i>.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1FqKjQYpI/AAAAAAAAB1A/MSeVTojigUI/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 174px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1FqKjQYpI/AAAAAAAAB1A/MSeVTojigUI/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335997724192957074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Fp5mWoMI/AAAAAAAAB0o/FKY1Pd-v4Yo/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 176px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Fp5mWoMI/AAAAAAAAB0o/FKY1Pd-v4Yo/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335997719642546370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1CypnXqbI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/94XbppNfJ24/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 177px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1CypnXqbI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/94XbppNfJ24/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335994571435780530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The film focuses on the violent past of mutant Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal adamantium. The plot also details his early encounters with Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston),<sup id="cite_ref-synopsis_1-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> the Weapon X program, Wolverine's interactions with other mutants<sup id="cite_ref-may_2-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> and his complex relationship with his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber).<sup id="cite_ref-empire_3-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The film was mostly shot in Australia and New Zealand.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Fp7TZclI/AAAAAAAAB0w/iPcBjCjRM_8/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Fp7TZclI/AAAAAAAAB0w/iPcBjCjRM_8/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335997720099910226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cy2X-0FI/AAAAAAAAB0g/Ww-D5dbBbB8/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cy2X-0FI/AAAAAAAAB0g/Ww-D5dbBbB8/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335994574860898386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Wolverine</i> was released to mixed reviews; critics praised Hugh Jackman's performance, but considered the film and its screenplay uninspired. It opened at the top of the box office, grossing $85.1 million domestically on the opening weekend, and has grossed over $210 million worldwide as of May 12, 2009.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cy0B5n8I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/9IoHnnrrNzY/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 104px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cy0B5n8I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/9IoHnnrrNzY/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335994574231412674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1FqOUeEyI/AAAAAAAAB04/vl4eRUZ5K3Q/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 106px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1FqOUeEyI/AAAAAAAAB04/vl4eRUZ5K3Q/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335997725204681506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1845 Canada, young James Howlett sees his father killed by groundskeeper Thomas Logan. The trauma activates the boy's mutation: bone claws protrude from James' hands, and he kills Logan. In his dying breath, Logan tells James that he is his real father. James flees with Logan's abused son and James' half-brother Victor Creed. The two survive for over a century as men in their prime, living out their violent urges together in the American Civil War and both <span class="mw-redirect">World Wars</span>. During the Vietnam War, Victor kills a superior after he stops a rape attempt, James defends his brother and the two are executed by firing squad, which they survive. Major William Stryker approaches the two and offers them membership in Team X, a group of mutants which includes marksman Agent Zero, mercenary Wade Wilson, teleporter John Wraith, invincible Fred Dukes and electricity-controlling Chris Bradley. The duo joins the team, but the group's questionable actions cause James to leave.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1CyZhc59I/AAAAAAAAB0A/OoitLn39I7M/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1CyZhc59I/AAAAAAAAB0A/OoitLn39I7M/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335994567115990994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cysry8_I/AAAAAAAAB0I/deKZeNk_U1w/s1600-h/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg1Cysry8_I/AAAAAAAAB0I/deKZeNk_U1w/s200/X-Men+Origins+Wolverine+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335994572259652594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Six years later, James-now going by the name Logan-lives in Canada with his girlfriend Kayla Silverfox. Colonel Stryker locates Logan and warns him someone is killing members of the team. Shortly afterwards Victor murders Kayla and brutally beats Logan. Stryker offers Logan a way to beat Victor. Logan undergoes an operation to reinforce his skeleton with adamantium, a virtually indestructible metal. Before the procedure, Logan asks for new dog tags inscribed with "Wolverine". Stryker orders Wolverine's memory to be erased, but Wolverine overhears him and flees, with former team member Zero tracking him. Wolverine takes refuge in the barn of an elderly couple who take him in for the night. Zero kills the couple and attacks, but Wolverine subdues and kills him.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-84224773868002395772009-05-17T22:22:00.000-07:002009-05-17T22:23:01.935-07:00Star Trek (2009)<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Star Trek</i> is a 2009 science fiction film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is the eleventh film based on the <i>Star Trek</i> franchise and features the main characters of the original <i>Star Trek</i> series, who are portrayed by a new cast. The film explores the backstories of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), before they unite aboard the USS <i>Enterprise</i> to combat Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan from the future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The time-travel story establishes an alternate reality, freeing the film and the whole franchise from continuity constraints.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cMluK9I/AAAAAAAABzw/H1BknaGqUsc/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 89px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cMluK9I/AAAAAAAABzw/H1BknaGqUsc/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335985389594094546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cDoEBiI/AAAAAAAABzo/oSR3GJ0xs8s/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 93px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cDoEBiI/AAAAAAAABzo/oSR3GJ0xs8s/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335985387187996194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Development of the film began in 2005 when Paramount Pictures contacted Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman for ideas to revive the franchise. The creative team contrasted Orci and Lindelof, who consider themselves "Trekkies", with casual fans like Abrams, who all aimed to create a film that would interest a general audience. They wanted to be faithful to the <i>Star Trek</i> canon, but they also introduced elements of their favorite novels, modified continuity with the time-travel storyline, and modernized the production design of the original show. Filming took place from November 2007 to March 2008 under intense secrecy. Midway through the shoot, Paramount chose to delay the release date from December 25, 2008 to May 2009, believing the film could reach a wider audience.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BqqymwI/AAAAAAAABzg/OJhp9hx1jmE/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 88px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BqqymwI/AAAAAAAABzg/OJhp9hx1jmE/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335984933811952386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BY5E32I/AAAAAAAABzQ/iWojNt0lf5s/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 91px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BY5E32I/AAAAAAAABzQ/iWojNt0lf5s/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335984929040031586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2387, Romulus is threatened by a supernova. Ambassador Spock pilots a ship carrying "<span class="mw-redirect">red matter</span>" that can create a gravitational singularity, drawing the supernova into a black hole. However, Spock is too late, and Romulus is destroyed. Captain Nero of the Romulan mining ship <i>Narada</i> attempts to exact revenge on Spock for the destruction of Romulus, but both ships are caught in the black hole's event horizon, traveling to different points into the past. The <i>Narada</i> arrives first, 154 years earlier, and attacks the Federation starship USS <i>Kelvin</i>. As the <i>Kelvin</i> is evacuated, acting-Captain George Kirk stays behind to provide cover for the fleeing shuttlecraft. The <i>Kelvin</i> is destroyed moments after George's son, James Tiberius Kirk, is born. Ambassador Spock arrives 25 years later and is captured by Nero. Spock is marooned on the planet Delta Vega so that he can witness the destruction of Vulcan.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BTKKVlI/AAAAAAAABzY/XVKjVHislQI/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 86px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BTKKVlI/AAAAAAAABzY/XVKjVHislQI/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335984927501080146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cAI1bYI/AAAAAAAABz4/l8Uucnw_--w/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+8.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 88px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06cAI1bYI/AAAAAAAABz4/l8Uucnw_--w/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335985386251709826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Kirk grows up into an intelligent, but reckless and cynical young man. Captain Christopher Pike tells him of his father's heroic efforts and convinces him to join Starfleet. At Starfleet Academy, Kirk befriends fellow cadets Leonard McCoy and Uhura. In his third year at the Academy, Kirk is accused of cheating on the <i>Kobayashi Maru</i> test by its programmer, Commander Spock. During the hearing, Starfleet receives a distress signal from Vulcan, and the cadets are mobilized to help man the ships in orbit. Acting as his attending physician, McCoy smuggles the grounded Kirk on board the USS <i>Enterprise</i>.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BGLkVAI/AAAAAAAABzA/eQOmpbZCYAw/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 85px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BGLkVAI/AAAAAAAABzA/eQOmpbZCYAw/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335984924017316866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BdHfDKI/AAAAAAAABzI/UT1vuUeo9_M/s1600-h/Star+Trek+%282009%29+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 88px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/Sg06BdHfDKI/AAAAAAAABzI/UT1vuUeo9_M/s200/Star+Trek+%282009%29+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335984930174209186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Kirk recognizes the similarities between the distress call from Vulcan and the encounter that destroyed the <i>Kelvin</i>. He warns Captain Pike that the fleet is heading into a trap. The <i>Enterprise</i> arrives late; the fleet has been destroyed. As the <i>Narada</i> drills into Vulcan's core, Nero orders Pike to surrender himself via shuttlecraft. Pike agrees, promoting Spock to captain and Kirk to first officer. En route to the <i>Narada</i>, Kirk, Hikaru Sulu, and Chief Engineer Olson perform an orbital skydive onto the drilling platform to destroy it; Olson is killed, but Kirk and Sulu stop the drill. However, it has drilled deep enough for Nero to launch red matter into the planet's core, imploding the planet into a black hole. Spock rescues most of the planet's elders, including his father, but <span class="mw-redirect">his mother</span> dies along with the majority of the planet's population. Nero sets course for Earth and tortures Pike for the command codes to its perimeter defenses.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-70305544755739899792009-04-18T21:46:00.000-07:002009-04-18T21:47:01.164-07:00Slumdog Millionaire<div class="post hentry"> <a name="5509142264687582122"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> is a 2008 drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy. It is based on the book <i>Q and A</i> written by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. Loveleen Tandan began as the film's casting director but was appointed by Boyle as a "co-director".<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2z2HakRI/AAAAAAAABc0/gHW03-jMcRs/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2z2HakRI/AAAAAAAABc0/gHW03-jMcRs/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763970488537362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zkxmCoI/AAAAAAAABcs/FkEqHb9M1Rw/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zkxmCoI/AAAAAAAABcs/FkEqHb9M1Rw/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763965833611906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The film, shot and set in India, follows a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on a game show and exceeds people's expectations, raising the suspicions of the game show host and law enforcement. Following screenings at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, <i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> had a limited release on 12 November 2008 to critical acclaim and awards success.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zZgS8iI/AAAAAAAABck/TZ7B8lHy5Ro/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zZgS8iI/AAAAAAAABck/TZ7B8lHy5Ro/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763962808267298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zOUAtjI/AAAAAAAABcc/p9dusecGsfI/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zOUAtjI/AAAAAAAABcc/p9dusecGsfI/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763959803950642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Jamal Malik, a former street child from Mumbai, is being interrogated by the police. He is a contestant on <i>Kaun Banega Crorepati</i>, the Indian version of <i>Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?</i> , and has made it to the final question but has been accused of cheating.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2w8FWIEI/AAAAAAAABcU/aiWbX_y3I60/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2w8FWIEI/AAAAAAAABcU/aiWbX_y3I60/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763920550862914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV3CMZ9e0I/AAAAAAAABc8/EQ1NUq-ZF0k/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV3CMZ9e0I/AAAAAAAABc8/EQ1NUq-ZF0k/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288764216990071618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The explanation of how he knew the answers leads us through the history of his short but full life, including scenes of obtaining the autograph of a famous Bollywood star (Amitabh Bachchan); the death of his mother during an anti-Muslim raid on the slums; and how he and his brother Salim befriended an orphaned girl, Latika. Jamal refers to Salim and himself as Athos and Porthos, and Latika as the third Musketeer of which they do not know the name.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-89193550370907447372009-04-18T21:45:00.001-07:002009-04-18T21:45:58.256-07:00Yes Man<div class="post hentry"> <a name="7367713902221476608"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;">A man signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: say yes to everything... and anything. At first, unleashing the power of "yes" transforms his life in amazing and unexpected ways, but he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV638IMgrI/AAAAAAAABdk/SvRUis1Xe6Q/s1600-h/Yes+Man_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV638IMgrI/AAAAAAAABdk/SvRUis1Xe6Q/s200/Yes+Man_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768438868411058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV7SyGIWOI/AAAAAAAABds/d8JpamcGvIc/s1600-h/Yes+Man_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV7SyGIWOI/AAAAAAAABds/d8JpamcGvIc/s200/Yes+Man_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768900031863010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning of “Yes Man,” Carl Allen is a grouch, a curmudgeon, a wet blanket. His relentless negativity — his job as a loan officer provides him with plenty of opportunities to say no — is less a matter of temperament than of circumstance: apparently Carl never recovered from the breakup of his marriage.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV618Yb-cI/AAAAAAAABdU/6J5MCy3HcNs/s1600-h/Yes+Man_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV618Yb-cI/AAAAAAAABdU/6J5MCy3HcNs/s200/Yes+Man_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768404576795074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV63mhL7OI/AAAAAAAABdc/NFiuw2lqs_Y/s1600-h/Yes+Man_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV63mhL7OI/AAAAAAAABdc/NFiuw2lqs_Y/s200/Yes+Man_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768433067650274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">But then a visit to a self-help seminar led by a guru (Terence Stamp) who preaches the power of yes transforms Carl into a wild, unpredictable fellow, a giddy, spontaneous goofball, a gangling, motormouthed, rubber-faced id. In short, Carl turns into Jim Carrey.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV61yYNWlI/AAAAAAAABdM/SK-PoLu6_3E/s1600-h/Yes+Man_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV61yYNWlI/AAAAAAAABdM/SK-PoLu6_3E/s200/Yes+Man_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768401891482194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV611F-rqI/AAAAAAAABdE/q60N5nGyt2I/s1600-h/Yes+Man_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV611F-rqI/AAAAAAAABdE/q60N5nGyt2I/s200/Yes+Man_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768402620329634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">But “Yes Man,” dutifully directed by Peyton Reed (“Bring It On,” “Down With Love”) is too sluggish and slapdash a vehicle for its star’s prodigious wackiness. “Yes Man” rarely rises to genuine hilarity. It takes no risks, finds no inspiration and settles, like its hero, into a dull, noncommittal middle ground. Should you see this movie? Maybe. Whatever. I don’t care.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-18291412952953235252009-04-18T21:44:00.001-07:002009-04-18T21:44:58.391-07:00Underworld: Rise of the Lycans<div class="post hentry"> <a name="435789214760405762"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;">Explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0ZcrVFI/AAAAAAAABfE/hQy0EY2tAZI/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0ZcrVFI/AAAAAAAABfE/hQy0EY2tAZI/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773875577607250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_z8WpHLI/AAAAAAAABe0/mPTUHbgD7Uc/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 138px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_z8WpHLI/AAAAAAAABe0/mPTUHbgD7Uc/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773867767667890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="MovieSynopsisText">The Underworld series gets the prequel treatment with this third outing that fleshes out the story of the ancient war between the vampiric Death Dealers and their werewolf counterparts, the Lycans. F/X technician Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla, Independence Day) steps out of the effects lab and into the director's chair with this entry, which sees stars Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy returning, with series newcomer Rhona Mitra also joining the cast.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_x5vIKlI/AAAAAAAABek/DT5zCXnjNqU/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_x5vIKlI/AAAAAAAABek/DT5zCXnjNqU/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773832705321554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_zmm1CVI/AAAAAAAABes/bOHH7xg76VA/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_zmm1CVI/AAAAAAAABes/bOHH7xg76VA/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773861929978194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0FKGELI/AAAAAAAABe8/koS6A3ahqms/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 130px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0FKGELI/AAAAAAAABe8/koS6A3ahqms/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773870130958514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWAtLAz8dI/AAAAAAAABfM/d7Hip0NFK-0/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWAtLAz8dI/AAAAAAAABfM/d7Hip0NFK-0/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288774850955178450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Mitra), in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom. </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-32626520471191119352009-04-18T21:43:00.000-07:002009-04-18T21:44:11.213-07:00Badtime Stories<div class="post hentry"> <a name="5546447750864515210"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;">Hotel handyman Skeeter Bronson's life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. He attempts to take advantage of the phenomenon, incorporating his own aspirations into one outlandish tale after another, but it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn Skeeter's life upside down.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu6xmuMZI/AAAAAAAABbM/jwkOxIoUi4w/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu6xmuMZI/AAAAAAAABbM/jwkOxIoUi4w/s200/Badtime_Stories_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755293443731858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVvIC4uNYI/AAAAAAAABbU/nZ26o56DZxM/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVvIC4uNYI/AAAAAAAABbU/nZ26o56DZxM/s200/Badtime_Stories_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755521420932482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">BEDTIME STORIES is an adventure comedy starring ADAM SANDLER as Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman whose life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. When he tries to help his family by telling one outlandish tale after another, it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn all of their lives upside down.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5zNN85I/AAAAAAAABbE/8M_ce8UKVnY/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5zNN85I/AAAAAAAABbE/8M_ce8UKVnY/s200/Badtime_Stories_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755276693762962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu59sVGFI/AAAAAAAABa8/TTY96Wl8V-M/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu59sVGFI/AAAAAAAABa8/TTY96Wl8V-M/s200/Badtime_Stories_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755279508609106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Skeeter’s pique (though he may not know it) is reserved for his dead father, an inept businessman whose cozy motel once occupied the lot where Skeeter’s current employer has erected an upscale resort. Gone, along with the homespun vibe, is Skeeter’s dream of one day running the property; so when his divorced sister, Wendy (a frighteningly taut Courteney Cox), asks him to baby-sit for his young niece and nephew (Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit) for a few days, Skeeter is in no mood to play scallywag uncle.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5NrqpII/AAAAAAAABa0/Q__wCxxBs6s/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5NrqpII/AAAAAAAABa0/Q__wCxxBs6s/s200/Badtime_Stories_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755266620925058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5EE2ZMI/AAAAAAAABas/3BS74o4tWhs/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5EE2ZMI/AAAAAAAABas/3BS74o4tWhs/s200/Badtime_Stories_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755264042198210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"> “I don’t believe in happy endings,” he tells his incredulous charges when story time comes around. Luckily for the tykes, their director, Adam Shankman, loves them, the happier the better. (Even as a guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” Mr. Shankman, a popular choreographer, squirmed mightily to avoid delivering a bad critique.) Rolling up his sleeves and piling on the digital effects, he labors to whip life into a screenplay (by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy) so tired even Bugsy, the children’s pop-eyed guinea pig, is moved to tuck himself into bed.</p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-44306163713883132302009-04-18T21:24:00.000-07:002009-04-18T21:27:24.517-07:00Marley & Me<div class="post hentry"> <a name="8945738234083969241"></a> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="text-align: justify;">To watch “Marley & Me,” the bland, obsequious adaptation of John Grogan’s best-selling memoir of his up-and-down relationship with an unruly Labrador retriever, is to tune in to an era that seems so close and yet so distant. In those naïve old days — the 1990s through the first part of this century — Florida real estate boomed, newspapers flourished and the heavens rained money.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxl9ua_I/AAAAAAAABbs/XrFBgVtsbxE/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 186px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxl9ua_I/AAAAAAAABbs/XrFBgVtsbxE/s200/Marley+%26+Me_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760633258306546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxOafZRI/AAAAAAAABbk/Rq95SKj2xYA/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 187px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxOafZRI/AAAAAAAABbk/Rq95SKj2xYA/s200/Marley+%26+Me_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760626936505618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0csogGQI/AAAAAAAABcM/6z4P4eemecM/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0csogGQI/AAAAAAAABcM/6z4P4eemecM/s200/Marley+%26+Me_6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288761373782710530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Because the movie, directed by David Frankel (“The Devil Wears Prada”), plays by the rules of Hollywood, John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston), never age. The Grogans, golden-fleeced journalists, move from Kalamazoo, Mich., to West Palm Beach, Fla., where they adopt a yellow Lab that John names Marley (after Bob). Except for the occasional thunderstorm that freaks out the neurotic dog, the weather in Florida is always sunny with low humidity.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzwsCfK0I/AAAAAAAABbc/w-l5z3cVJxA/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzwsCfK0I/AAAAAAAABbc/w-l5z3cVJxA/s200/Marley+%26+Me_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760617709022018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzx73HY6I/AAAAAAAABb0/amG1PoE72uU/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzx73HY6I/AAAAAAAABb0/amG1PoE72uU/s200/Marley+%26+Me_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760639136162722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Later in the movie, after nearly a decade and a half have passed and the Grogans and their three model children have moved to a greeting-card perfect stone house with a barn in rural Pennsylvania, the years seem not to have touched them. Mr. Wilson’s blond surfer locks remain unflecked with gray. The waistline of Ms. Aniston’s Jenny, after bearing three children, shows no sign of a bulge.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzyD1VzAI/AAAAAAAABb8/j7a3UH8_xC4/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzyD1VzAI/AAAAAAAABb8/j7a3UH8_xC4/s200/Marley+%26+Me_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760641276201986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0cFT6PHI/AAAAAAAABcE/Syw9nLTM0lI/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0cFT6PHI/AAAAAAAABcE/Syw9nLTM0lI/s200/Marley+%26+Me_7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288761363227360370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the Grogans have their spats, one of which drives John temporarily out of the house, the screenplay glosses over their domestic crises to convey the fantasy of a marriage that is mostly smooth sailing, save for Jenny’s exhaustion after the birth of their third child. (The possibility of post-partum depression is cautiously broached, then dropped as though too hot to handle.) Most of the time the Grogans get along fine, largely because John is a laid-back dude verging on a doormat. As for the couple’s romantic chemistry, there is plenty of cuddling but little heat.<br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-36969905307639441672009-01-29T21:57:00.001-08:002009-01-29T21:57:26.242-08:00Valkyrie<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are no discernibly nasty Nazis in “Valkyrie,” though Hitler and Goebbels skulk about in a few scenes, shooting dark, ominous looks at the heroic German Army officer played by Tom Cruise.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCl25AHZI/AAAAAAAABf0/xFCvTJcCzUw/s1600-h/Valkyrie_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCl25AHZI/AAAAAAAABf0/xFCvTJcCzUw/s200/Valkyrie_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288776924317883794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClk7V4FI/AAAAAAAABfk/kpgxG7l1zOc/s1600-h/Valkyrie_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClk7V4FI/AAAAAAAABfk/kpgxG7l1zOc/s200/Valkyrie_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288776919495860306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps they’re wondering what this Hollywood megastar is doing in their midst, a sentiment that you may come to share while watching Mr. Cruise — who gives a fine, typically energetic performance in a film that requires nothing more of him than a profile and vigor — strut about as one of history’s more enigmatic players. That enigma was Claus von Stauffenberg, a count and a colonel who, though he lost one eye, an entire hand and several fingers while fighting on behalf of the Reich, made several attempts to assassinate Hitler and seize control of the government.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClC0sI8I/AAAAAAAABfU/6TuaGd0v7Cc/s1600-h/Valkyrie_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 139px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClC0sI8I/AAAAAAAABfU/6TuaGd0v7Cc/s200/Valkyrie_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288776910341153730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCl-OX1KI/AAAAAAAABfs/MxOMg3bpZqY/s1600-h/Valkyrie_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCl-OX1KI/AAAAAAAABfs/MxOMg3bpZqY/s200/Valkyrie_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288776926286566562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>At the core of Stauffenberg’s spectacularly ambitious plot was Valkyrie, Hitler’s plan for the mobilization of the home army that Stauffenberg hoped to hijack in order to quash the SS and its leaders. It didn’t work, of course, for complicated reasons, though also because by 1944, as William L. Shirer bluntly puts it in “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” the conspirators were “terribly late.” Most of the crucial rebellious officers are played by British actors, while some of the Nazi diehards are played by Germans, which wouldn’t be worth mentioning if this cacophony of accents weren’t so distracting. But, as with the casting of Mr. Cruise, whose German voice-over quickly eases into English, this international acting community invokes an earlier studio age, when Peter Lorre and Claude Rains delivered their lines in exotically flavored English and everyone pretended that Rick’s Cafe really was located in Casablanca and not on a back lot.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCs4xR3uI/AAAAAAAABf8/KZ4QHRLw2sM/s1600-h/Valkyrie_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 147px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWCs4xR3uI/AAAAAAAABf8/KZ4QHRLw2sM/s200/Valkyrie_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288777045081448162" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClU2-ksI/AAAAAAAABfc/RkgVURm0FX4/s1600-h/Valkyrie_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWClU2-ksI/AAAAAAAABfc/RkgVURm0FX4/s200/Valkyrie_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288776915182588610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If Mr. Cruise doesn’t work in “Valkyrie,” it’s partly because he’s too modern, too American and way too Tom Cruise to make sense in the role, but also because what passes for movie realism keeps changing, sometimes faster than even a star can change his brand. Though Mr. Singer’s old-fashioned movie habits, his attention to the gloss, gleam and glamour of the image, can be agreeably pleasurable, he tends to gild every lily. Hitler (David Bamber) doesn’t need spooky music or low camera angles to be villainous: he just has to show up. Mr. Singer’s fondness for exaggeration can even undercut his strongest scenes, as when Stauffenberg visits Hitler to secure approval for the rewritten Valkyrie plan. If implemented, the plan will bring down the Führer who, for his part, seems intent on bringing down the house with leers and popping eyeballs. Mr. Singer appears to have taken cues here from “Black Book,” Paul Verhoeven’s World War II romp, but he’s too serious to make such vaudeville work.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-42349446643491161562009-01-29T21:56:00.003-08:002009-01-29T21:56:47.656-08:00Badtime Stories<div style="text-align: justify;">Hotel handyman Skeeter Bronson's life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. He attempts to take advantage of the phenomenon, incorporating his own aspirations into one outlandish tale after another, but it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn Skeeter's life upside down.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu6xmuMZI/AAAAAAAABbM/jwkOxIoUi4w/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu6xmuMZI/AAAAAAAABbM/jwkOxIoUi4w/s200/Badtime_Stories_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755293443731858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVvIC4uNYI/AAAAAAAABbU/nZ26o56DZxM/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVvIC4uNYI/AAAAAAAABbU/nZ26o56DZxM/s200/Badtime_Stories_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755521420932482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">BEDTIME STORIES is an adventure comedy starring ADAM SANDLER as Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman whose life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. When he tries to help his family by telling one outlandish tale after another, it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn all of their lives upside down.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5zNN85I/AAAAAAAABbE/8M_ce8UKVnY/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5zNN85I/AAAAAAAABbE/8M_ce8UKVnY/s200/Badtime_Stories_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755276693762962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu59sVGFI/AAAAAAAABa8/TTY96Wl8V-M/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu59sVGFI/AAAAAAAABa8/TTY96Wl8V-M/s200/Badtime_Stories_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755279508609106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Skeeter’s pique (though he may not know it) is reserved for his dead father, an inept businessman whose cozy motel once occupied the lot where Skeeter’s current employer has erected an upscale resort. Gone, along with the homespun vibe, is Skeeter’s dream of one day running the property; so when his divorced sister, Wendy (a frighteningly taut Courteney Cox), asks him to baby-sit for his young niece and nephew (Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit) for a few days, Skeeter is in no mood to play scallywag uncle.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5NrqpII/AAAAAAAABa0/Q__wCxxBs6s/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5NrqpII/AAAAAAAABa0/Q__wCxxBs6s/s200/Badtime_Stories_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755266620925058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5EE2ZMI/AAAAAAAABas/3BS74o4tWhs/s1600-h/Badtime_Stories_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVu5EE2ZMI/AAAAAAAABas/3BS74o4tWhs/s200/Badtime_Stories_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288755264042198210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"> “I don’t believe in happy endings,” he tells his incredulous charges when story time comes around. Luckily for the tykes, their director, Adam Shankman, loves them, the happier the better. (Even as a guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” Mr. Shankman, a popular choreographer, squirmed mightily to avoid delivering a bad critique.) Rolling up his sleeves and piling on the digital effects, he labors to whip life into a screenplay (by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy) so tired even Bugsy, the children’s pop-eyed guinea pig, is moved to tuck himself into bed.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-85457580907609178412009-01-29T21:56:00.001-08:002009-01-29T21:56:27.364-08:00Underworld: Rise of the Lycans<div> </div>Explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0ZcrVFI/AAAAAAAABfE/hQy0EY2tAZI/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0ZcrVFI/AAAAAAAABfE/hQy0EY2tAZI/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773875577607250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_z8WpHLI/AAAAAAAABe0/mPTUHbgD7Uc/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 138px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_z8WpHLI/AAAAAAAABe0/mPTUHbgD7Uc/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773867767667890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><span class="MovieSynopsisText">The Underworld series gets the prequel treatment with this third outing that fleshes out the story of the ancient war between the vampiric Death Dealers and their werewolf counterparts, the Lycans. F/X technician Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla, Independence Day) steps out of the effects lab and into the director's chair with this entry, which sees stars Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy returning, with series newcomer Rhona Mitra also joining the cast.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_x5vIKlI/AAAAAAAABek/DT5zCXnjNqU/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_x5vIKlI/AAAAAAAABek/DT5zCXnjNqU/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773832705321554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_zmm1CVI/AAAAAAAABes/bOHH7xg76VA/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_zmm1CVI/AAAAAAAABes/bOHH7xg76VA/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773861929978194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0FKGELI/AAAAAAAABe8/koS6A3ahqms/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 130px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV_0FKGELI/AAAAAAAABe8/koS6A3ahqms/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773870130958514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWAtLAz8dI/AAAAAAAABfM/d7Hip0NFK-0/s1600-h/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWWAtLAz8dI/AAAAAAAABfM/d7Hip0NFK-0/s200/Underworld+Rise+of+the+Lycans_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288774850955178450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Mitra), in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-1060475276285191282009-01-29T21:55:00.002-08:002009-01-29T21:56:02.062-08:00Yes Man<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">A man signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: say yes to everything... and anything. At first, unleashing the power of "yes" transforms his life in amazing and unexpected ways, but he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV638IMgrI/AAAAAAAABdk/SvRUis1Xe6Q/s1600-h/Yes+Man_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV638IMgrI/AAAAAAAABdk/SvRUis1Xe6Q/s200/Yes+Man_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768438868411058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV7SyGIWOI/AAAAAAAABds/d8JpamcGvIc/s1600-h/Yes+Man_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV7SyGIWOI/AAAAAAAABds/d8JpamcGvIc/s200/Yes+Man_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768900031863010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>At the beginning of “Yes Man,” Carl Allen is a grouch, a curmudgeon, a wet blanket. His relentless negativity — his job as a loan officer provides him with plenty of opportunities to say no — is less a matter of temperament than of circumstance: apparently Carl never recovered from the breakup of his marriage.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV618Yb-cI/AAAAAAAABdU/6J5MCy3HcNs/s1600-h/Yes+Man_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV618Yb-cI/AAAAAAAABdU/6J5MCy3HcNs/s200/Yes+Man_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768404576795074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV63mhL7OI/AAAAAAAABdc/NFiuw2lqs_Y/s1600-h/Yes+Man_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV63mhL7OI/AAAAAAAABdc/NFiuw2lqs_Y/s200/Yes+Man_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768433067650274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>But then a visit to a self-help seminar led by a guru (Terence Stamp) who preaches the power of yes transforms Carl into a wild, unpredictable fellow, a giddy, spontaneous goofball, a gangling, motormouthed, rubber-faced id. In short, Carl turns into Jim Carrey.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV61yYNWlI/AAAAAAAABdM/SK-PoLu6_3E/s1600-h/Yes+Man_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV61yYNWlI/AAAAAAAABdM/SK-PoLu6_3E/s200/Yes+Man_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768401891482194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV611F-rqI/AAAAAAAABdE/q60N5nGyt2I/s1600-h/Yes+Man_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV611F-rqI/AAAAAAAABdE/q60N5nGyt2I/s200/Yes+Man_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288768402620329634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But “Yes Man,” dutifully directed by Peyton Reed (“Bring It On,” “Down With Love”) is too sluggish and slapdash a vehicle for its star’s prodigious wackiness. “Yes Man” rarely rises to genuine hilarity. It takes no risks, finds no inspiration and settles, like its hero, into a dull, noncommittal middle ground. Should you see this movie? Maybe. Whatever. I don’t care.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-60475554420479258982009-01-29T21:55:00.001-08:002009-01-29T21:55:36.934-08:00Slumdog Millionaire<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> is a 2008 drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy. It is based on the book <i>Q and A</i> written by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. Loveleen Tandan began as the film's casting director but was appointed by Boyle as a "co-director".<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2z2HakRI/AAAAAAAABc0/gHW03-jMcRs/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2z2HakRI/AAAAAAAABc0/gHW03-jMcRs/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763970488537362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zkxmCoI/AAAAAAAABcs/FkEqHb9M1Rw/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zkxmCoI/AAAAAAAABcs/FkEqHb9M1Rw/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763965833611906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The film, shot and set in India, follows a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on a game show and exceeds people's expectations, raising the suspicions of the game show host and law enforcement. Following screenings at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, <i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> had a limited release on 12 November 2008 to critical acclaim and awards success.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zZgS8iI/AAAAAAAABck/TZ7B8lHy5Ro/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zZgS8iI/AAAAAAAABck/TZ7B8lHy5Ro/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763962808267298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zOUAtjI/AAAAAAAABcc/p9dusecGsfI/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2zOUAtjI/AAAAAAAABcc/p9dusecGsfI/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763959803950642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jamal Malik, a former street child from Mumbai, is being interrogated by the police. He is a contestant on <i>Kaun Banega Crorepati</i>, the Indian version of <i>Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?</i> , and has made it to the final question but has been accused of cheating.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2w8FWIEI/AAAAAAAABcU/aiWbX_y3I60/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV2w8FWIEI/AAAAAAAABcU/aiWbX_y3I60/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288763920550862914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV3CMZ9e0I/AAAAAAAABc8/EQ1NUq-ZF0k/s1600-h/Slumdog_Millionaire_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV3CMZ9e0I/AAAAAAAABc8/EQ1NUq-ZF0k/s200/Slumdog_Millionaire_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288764216990071618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The explanation of how he knew the answers leads us through the history of his short but full life, including scenes of obtaining the autograph of a famous Bollywood star (Amitabh Bachchan); the death of his mother during an anti-Muslim raid on the slums; and how he and his brother Salim befriended an orphaned girl, Latika. Jamal refers to Salim and himself as Athos and Porthos, and Latika as the third Musketeer of which they do not know the name.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-7558249010939281902009-01-29T21:54:00.003-08:002009-01-29T21:54:51.946-08:00The Curious Case of Benjamin Button<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</i> is a 2008 American film, very loosely based on the 1921 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film was directed by David Fincher, written by Eric Roth, and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film was released on December 25, 2008.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8e4qbp3I/AAAAAAAABeE/7FxvlIz-AHs/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8e4qbp3I/AAAAAAAABeE/7FxvlIz-AHs/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770207464793970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8eecFfjI/AAAAAAAABd8/FcZG2CwSAg0/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8eecFfjI/AAAAAAAABd8/FcZG2CwSAg0/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770200425299506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The elderly Daisy (Blanchett) is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital as Hurricane Katrina approaches in August 2005. She asks her daughter Caroline (Ormond) to read aloud from a diary containing photographs and postcards written by Benjamin Button (Pitt). Caroline begins to read as the story transitions to Benjamin's point of view.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8eFRFswI/AAAAAAAABd0/x09SQfEm57Y/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8eFRFswI/AAAAAAAABd0/x09SQfEm57Y/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770193668289282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8fI9PTHI/AAAAAAAABeU/kmWDyeAputM/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8fI9PTHI/AAAAAAAABeU/kmWDyeAputM/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770211838643314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 11, 1918, just as the people of New Orleans are celebrating the end of the Great War, a baby boy is born with the appearance and physical limitations of a man who is 86 years old. The mother of the baby dies shortly after giving birth, and the father, Thomas Button, takes the baby and abandons him on the porch of a nursing home. Queenie (Henson) and Tizzy (Ali), an African-American couple who work at the nursing home, find the baby. Queenie, who is unable to conceive, decides to take the baby in as her own, against Tizzy's wishes. She names the baby Benjamin.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8fLH1dBI/AAAAAAAABeM/26IeFwSxMOY/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV8fLH1dBI/AAAAAAAABeM/26IeFwSxMOY/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770212419957778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV86HY2ROI/AAAAAAAABec/0Vf1oTJCmdA/s1600-h/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV86HY2ROI/AAAAAAAABec/0Vf1oTJCmdA/s200/The+Curious+Case+of+Benjamin+Button_6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288770675274040546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Over the course of the story, Benjamin begins to physically grow younger. In 1930, while still appearing to be in his seventies, he meets a young Daisy (Fanning), whose grandmother lives in the nursing home. The children play together and listen to Daisy's grandmother read from a storybook. A few years later, Benjamin goes to work on a tugboat on the docks of New Orleans for Captain Mike (Jared Harris). In their free time, the captain takes him to brothels and bars. For the first time, he meets Thomas Button, who does not reveal that he is Benjamin's father. Later, Benjamin leaves New Orleans with the tugboat crew for a long-term work engagement. Before he leaves, Daisy makes him promise to write to her from "everywhere".</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-48069096913452941242009-01-29T21:54:00.001-08:002009-01-29T21:54:31.866-08:00Marley & Me<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">To watch “Marley & Me,” the bland, obsequious adaptation of John Grogan’s best-selling memoir of his up-and-down relationship with an unruly Labrador retriever, is to tune in to an era that seems so close and yet so distant. In those naïve old days — the 1990s through the first part of this century — Florida real estate boomed, newspapers flourished and the heavens rained money.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxl9ua_I/AAAAAAAABbs/XrFBgVtsbxE/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 186px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxl9ua_I/AAAAAAAABbs/XrFBgVtsbxE/s200/Marley+%26+Me_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760633258306546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxOafZRI/AAAAAAAABbk/Rq95SKj2xYA/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 187px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzxOafZRI/AAAAAAAABbk/Rq95SKj2xYA/s200/Marley+%26+Me_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760626936505618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0csogGQI/AAAAAAAABcM/6z4P4eemecM/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0csogGQI/AAAAAAAABcM/6z4P4eemecM/s200/Marley+%26+Me_6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288761373782710530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Because the movie, directed by David Frankel (“The Devil Wears Prada”), plays by the rules of Hollywood, John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston), never age. The Grogans, golden-fleeced journalists, move from Kalamazoo, Mich., to West Palm Beach, Fla., where they adopt a yellow Lab that John names Marley (after Bob). Except for the occasional thunderstorm that freaks out the neurotic dog, the weather in Florida is always sunny with low humidity.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzwsCfK0I/AAAAAAAABbc/w-l5z3cVJxA/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzwsCfK0I/AAAAAAAABbc/w-l5z3cVJxA/s200/Marley+%26+Me_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760617709022018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzx73HY6I/AAAAAAAABb0/amG1PoE72uU/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzx73HY6I/AAAAAAAABb0/amG1PoE72uU/s200/Marley+%26+Me_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760639136162722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Later in the movie, after nearly a decade and a half have passed and the Grogans and their three model children have moved to a greeting-card perfect stone house with a barn in rural Pennsylvania, the years seem not to have touched them. Mr. Wilson’s blond surfer locks remain unflecked with gray. The waistline of Ms. Aniston’s Jenny, after bearing three children, shows no sign of a bulge.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzyD1VzAI/AAAAAAAABb8/j7a3UH8_xC4/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWVzyD1VzAI/AAAAAAAABb8/j7a3UH8_xC4/s200/Marley+%26+Me_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288760641276201986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0cFT6PHI/AAAAAAAABcE/Syw9nLTM0lI/s1600-h/Marley+%26+Me_7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bkpv4iD-RcE/SWV0cFT6PHI/AAAAAAAABcE/Syw9nLTM0lI/s200/Marley+%26+Me_7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288761363227360370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Although the Grogans have their spats, one of which drives John temporarily out of the house, the screenplay glosses over their domestic crises to convey the fantasy of a marriage that is mostly smooth sailing, save for Jenny’s exhaustion after the birth of their third child. (The possibility of post-partum depression is cautiously broached, then dropped as though too hot to handle.) Most of the time the Grogans get along fine, largely because John is a laid-back dude verging on a doormat. As for the couple’s romantic chemistry, there is plenty of cuddling but little heat.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-18529702157693001202009-01-13T19:43:00.000-08:002009-01-13T19:52:34.689-08:00The Oxford Murders (film)<div style="text-align: justify;" id="bodyContent"><table class="infobox vevent" style="width: 20em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <th class="summary" style="font-size: 110%; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><i>The Oxford Murders</i></th> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dd/Oxford_murders_post.jpg/200px-Oxford_murders_post.jpg" border="0" width="200" height="288" /></span><br />Promotional film poster</td> </tr> <tr class="description"> <th>Directed by</th> <td>Álex de la Iglesia</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Produced by</th> <td>Kevin Loader<br />Gerardo Herrero</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Written by</th> <td>Jorge Guerricaechevarria (screenplay)<br />Álex de la Iglesia (screenplay)<br />Guillermo Martínez (novel)<br /></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Starring</th> <td>Elijah Wood<br />John Hurt<br />Leonor Watling<br /></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Distributed by</th> <td>Odeon Sky Filmworks, Tornasol Films</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Country</th> <td><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of the United Kingdom" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" class="thumbborder" border="0" width="22" height="11" /></span></span>UK <p><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/22px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png" class="thumbborder" border="0" width="22" height="15" /></span> </span>Spain</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <th>Language</th> <td>English</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Budget</th> <td>$14.1 million</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="font-size: 95%;" colspan="2" align="center"><span class="external text">IMDb</span></th> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><i><b>The Oxford Murders</b></i> is a 2008 <span class="mw-redirect">thriller film</span> adapted from an award-winning novel of the same name by the Argentine mathematician and writer Guillermo Martínez, directed by Álex de la Iglesia and starring Elijah Wood, John Hurt and Leonor Watling.</p><script type="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script> <p><a name="Plot" id="Plot"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Plot</span></h2> <div class="thumb tleft"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/CastRoom_VictoriaAndAlbertMuseum.jpg/180px-CastRoom_VictoriaAndAlbertMuseum.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="180" height="245" /></span> <div class="thumbcaption"> The plaster cast of Trajan's Column at the Victoria and Albert is discussed in the film.</div> </div> </div> <p>November 1993. Wood plays Martin, an American student at the University of Oxford who wants Arthur Seldom (Hurt) as his thesis supervisor. He idolises Seldom and has learnt all about him. He takes rooms in Oxford at the house of an old lady who is an old friend of Seldom. Also in the house is the old lady's daughter, who is her full-time carer.</p> <p>In a public lecture, Seldom quotes Wittgenstein's <i>Tractatus</i> to deny the possibility of absolute truth. Hoping to impress his idol, Martin disputes this, asserting his faith in the absolute truth of mathematics. Seldom humiliates him, ridiculing his arguments and making him look foolish in front of the audience. Disillusioned, Martin decides to abandon his studies and goes to his office to collect his belongings. There, he encounters his office-mate, a disillusioned mathematician Podorov (Burn Gorman), who also failed to become a student of Seldom's.</p> <p>Martin then returns to his digs, where he finds Seldom arriving to visit his old friend, the old lady. The two men enter the house together and find Martin's landlady murdered. Seldom tells the police that he had received a note with his friend's address marked as "the first of a series". As Seldom is an authority on logical series, he suspects that a serial murderer is using murder as a way to challenge his intelligence. Martin and Seldom discuss how easily the murder of the old lady might have been overlooked, particularly as she already suffered from terminal cancer, and Martin suggests that the murderer is committing 'imperceptible murders'.</p> <p>Martin, Seldom and Lorna, a Spanish nurse with whom Martin has struck up a relationship, try to solve the mathematical clues as the murders continue. They have to contend with police suspicion, a rising body count and tensions between the three of them. There is a wide range of suspects, from the three principal characters to the mathematician and the old lady's daughter. The solution lies in the mathematical concepts, but there are many twists along the way as Martin learns the truths behind reality.</p> <p><a name="Mathematical_and_philosophical_references" id="Mathematical_and_philosophical_references"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Mathematical and philosophical references</span></h3> <p>The characters debate several mathematical and philosophical concepts such as logical series, <span class="mw-redirect">Heisenberg</span>'s <span class="mw-redirect">Principle of Uncertainty</span>, <span class="mw-redirect">Gödel's Theorem</span>, circles, the <span class="mw-redirect">Vesica Piscis</span>, the possibility of perfect crime, "Fermat"'s Last Theorem and its proof by "Professor Wiles", the <span class="mw-redirect">Taniyama conjecture</span>, the <span class="mw-redirect">tetraktys</span> and the <span class="mw-redirect">Pythagoreans</span>. There are references, also, of the butterfly effect.</p> <p><a name="Production" id="Production"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Production</span></h2> <div class="thumb tleft"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/White_Horse_-_Oxford_Murders_film_set.jpg/180px-White_Horse_-_Oxford_Murders_film_set.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="180" height="135" /></span> <div class="thumbcaption"> Filming at the White Horse pub, Oxford, 22 March 2007.</div> </div> </div> <p>The film is a Spanish-French-British production directed by Spanish Álex de la Iglesia. Before the confirmation of Elijah Wood in the film, the Mexican actor <span class="mw-redirect">Gael Garcia Bernal</span> had been considered for the role of the mathematics student. There were some weeks of speculation on who would play the lead. On 26 December 2006 Tornasol Films announced that Wood was cast in the lead role. The director <span class="mw-redirect">Alex de la Iglesia</span> commented that he convinced Wood to accept the role for the script. De la Iglesia also praised Wood: “<i>I'm delighted to work with Elijah, who undoubtedly has the most powerful eyes in the industry and who is perfect for the part</i>”.</p> <p>The British actor John Hurt was cast in the role of a professor of the University, who helps the young student in his quest to try to stop a series of murders. The actor Michael Caine had been considered for this role.</p> <p>De la Iglesia described daily in his blog the peculiar situations that happened during the production of the film. The film is his first foray outside his typical black comedy genre into more dramatic fare.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>Filming began on 22 January 2007 and finished on 24 March, with locations in Oxford and the Cast Courts of the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. It was picked up for UK release by Odeon Sky Filmworks, opening on 25 April 2008. So far, the release date for the US is unknown.</p> <p><a name="Cast" id="Cast"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Cast</span></h2> <ul><li>Elijah Wood - Martin, an American student</li><li>John Hurt - Arthur Seldom, a British authority on <span class="new">logical series</span>.</li><li>Leonor Watling - Lorna, a Spanish nurse</li><li>Julie Cox - Beth Eagleton, a musician, daughter of Mrs. Eagleton.</li><li>Dominique Pinon - Frank, father of an ill girl waiting for an organ transplant (engrossed in Neopythagoreanism).</li><li>Burn Gorman - Yuri Ivanovich Podorov, a crank mathematician.</li><li>Jim Carter - Inspector Petersen</li><li>Anna Massey - Mrs. Julia Eagleton, Martin's landlady and Seldom's friend.</li><li>Alex Cox - Kalman, a demented mathematician</li></ul></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-18132397733539537402009-01-12T17:28:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:29:35.957-08:00Ip Man (film)<div style="text-align: justify;" id="bodyContent"><table class="infobox vevent" style="width: 20em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <th class="summary" style="font-size: 110%; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><i>Ip Man</i></th> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2f/Ipmanposter02.jpg/200px-Ipmanposter02.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="287" /></span><br />Promotional poster</td> </tr> <tr class="description"> <th>Directed by</th> <td>Wilson Yip</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Produced by</th> <td>Raymond Wong</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Written by</th> <td>Edmond Wong</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Starring</th> <td>Donnie Yen<br />Simon Yam<br />Lam Ka-Tung<br />Hiroyuki Ikeuchi<br />Xing Yu<br />Fan Siu-Wong<br />Lynn Hung<br />Wong You-Nam</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Music by</th> <td>Kenji Kawai</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Cinematography</th> <td>O Sing-Pui</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Editing by</th> <td>Cheung Ka-Fai</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Distributed by</th> <td><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of Hong Kong" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/22px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png" class="thumbborder" width="22" border="0" height="15" /></span></span> Mandarin Films Distribution Co. Ltd.<br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of Singapore" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/22px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png" class="thumbborder" width="22" border="0" height="15" /></span></span> Cathay-Keris Films<br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of Singapore" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/22px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png" class="thumbborder" width="22" border="0" height="15" /></span></span> Innoform Media</td> </tr> <tr> <th><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Release date(s)</span></th> <td><b>China:</b><br />12 December 2008<br /><b>Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand:</b><br />18 December 2008</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Country</th> <td><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of Hong Kong" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/22px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png" class="thumbborder" width="22" border="0" height="15" /></span></span> Hong Kong</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Language</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Cantonese</span><br />Japanese</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Budget</th> <td>HK$40 million</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Gross revenue</th> <td>HK$20.4 million</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="font-size: 95%;" colspan="2" align="center"><span class="external text">Official website</span> <span style="white-space: nowrap;">•</span> <span class="external text">IMDb</span></th> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><i><b>Ip Man</b></i> (traditional Chinese: <span lang="zh-Hant" lang="zh-Hant">葉問</span>; simplified Chinese: <span lang="zh-Hans" lang="zh-Hans">叶问</span>; pinyin: <i>Yè Wèn</i>; Cantonese Yale: <i>Yip Man</i>) is a 2008 Hong Kong martial arts biopic that is based on the life of Ip Man, the celebrated martial arts master of Bruce Lee, and the first to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun openly. The film focuses on events surrounding Yip that took place in Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War.</p> <p>Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung. Ip's two sons, Ip Chun and Ip Ching, along with several Wing Chun practitioners also appear in the film.</p> <p><i>Ip Man</i> is the first film to be based on the life of the martial artist. After a first attempt to portray Ip's life on screen resulted in the project being abandoned, producer Raymond Wong developed his own film with full consent from Ip's sons, and had filmmakers head to Foshan, to research Master Ip's life. Ip Chun, Ip Man's eldest son served as a consultant for the film. Donnie Yen, who was set to star in the abandoned film project, received a star fee and was invited to join Wong's production after a successful collaboration with director Wilson Yip on the 2007 film <i>Flash Point</i>.</p> <p>From March to August 2008, principal photography took place in Shanghai, which was used to architecturally recreate Foshan. During filming, conflict arose between producers and film director Wong Kar-wai over the film's working title, <i>Grandmaster Yip Man</i> (一代宗师葉問). Wong had intended on making his own film based on the life of Ip Man tentatively titled <i>The Great Master</i> (一代宗师). To settle the dispute, filmmakers of <i>Ip Man</i> changed their title, and it was later revealed that Wong's five-year rights to make the Ip Man biopic had expired.</p> <p><i>Ip Man</i> was released in Hong Kong on 18 December 2008, <sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> receiving widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences. The film was also released in New Zealand, and was the first country to release the Cantonese version due to time zone differences.</p><script type="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script> <p><a name="Plot" id="Plot"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Plot</span></h2> <p><i>Ip Man</i> is adapted from the life story of Yip Man, the grandmaster of the Wing Chun style of kung fu and <i>sifu</i> of legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee. This film will be the first important record of the master's life.</p> <p><a name="Cast" id="Cast"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Cast</span></h2> <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" class="wikitable"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#cccccc"> <th><b>Actor</b></th> <th><b>Role</b></th> </tr> <tr> <td>Donnie Yen</td> <td>Ip Man</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Simon Yam</td> <td>Chow Ching-Chuen</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Fan Siu-Wong</td> <td>Jin Shan Zhao</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Lynn Hung</td> <td>Zhang Yong Cheng</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Lam Ka-Tung</td> <td>Li Zhao</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Li Ze</td> <td>Ip Chun</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Xing Yu</td> <td>Master Zealot Lin</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Wong You-Nam</td> <td>Shao Dan Yuan</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Li Qi-Long</td> <td>Green Dragon</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Chen Zhi-Hui</td> <td>Master Liao</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Zhou Zhong</td> <td>Master He</td> </tr> <tr> <td>To Yu-Hang</td> <td>Hu Wei</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Hiroyuki Ikeuchi</td> <td>Miura</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><a name="Production" id="Production"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Production</span></h2> <table style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 1em 0px; padding: 4px; width: 40%; float: right; font-size: 90%; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-align: left;" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left">"We wanted to do this movie because Ip Man was a man who inspired the world and society as a whole. He was a man who believed in certain morals and principles, and we want to use this movie as a platform to convey those values to the audience. For me, that was the most important part of making this movie,”<br /><span style="">——Director Wilson Yip on making <i>Ip Man</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-star-ecentral_1-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup></span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><i>Ip Man</i> is the first film to be based on the life on the famous martial artist Ip Man. It also marks the fourth film collaboration between director Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen after 2007's <i>Flash Point.</i> The two also reunite with Simon Yam after 2005's <i>SPL: Sha Po Lang</i>. The screenplay was written by Edmond Wong, the writer of 2006's <i>Dragon Tiger Gate</i>, which was Yip and Yen's second collaboration as director and star respectively. <i>Ip Man</i> was produced and distributed by Mandarin Films, with Shanghai Film Group serving as a co-producer and Raymond Wong Pak-Ming serving as a producer. Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, served as a consultant for the film. The film's budget is an estimated HK$40 million. <sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup></p> <p><a name="Development" id="Development"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Development</span></h3> <p>The film was originally conceived in 1998, when Jeffrey Lau teamed up with Corey Yuen to bring the story of Ip Man to the big screen. Donnie Yen signed on to the project in hopes of playing Ip Man, with Stephen Chow as Bruce Lee. Yen had signed the contract and received part of the acting fee. However, the studio producing the original project folded resulting in the project being abandoned.<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>In December 2007, plans to make a new Ip Man film was announced with the filmmakers researching Ip's life in Foshan. Collin Chou was also said to be a part of the cast. Producer Raymond Wong stated that the film would take on a similar look and feel as <i>SPL</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup></p> <p><a name="Filming" id="Filming"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Filming</span></h3> <p>Production began in March 2008, and wrapped up by the end of August. 90% of the film focuses on events surrounding Ip Man that took place in Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Since the buildings in today's Foshan are architecturally different from the ones in the past, the filmmakers decided to shoot the film in Shanghai instead. <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> <sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup> <sup id="cite_ref-hincheuk.conforums3_6-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>Principal photography first took place in a storeroom in the industrial district of Shanghai. Having difficulties scouting a cotton factory suitable for shooting, set designers decided to recreate one in the style of the 1930s. They spent weeks transforming an abandoned storeroom into the Zhen Hua Cotton Mill Factory, a 1930s cotton mill factory founded by Ip Man’s friend Chow Ching-Chuen (played in the film by Simon Yam) during the Japanese Occupation of China. It was also the place where Ip first taught Wing Chun. Art director Kenneth Mak, who has frequently collaborated with director Wilson Yip, included Western elements in his design, since Foshan, in early republican years, was a unique place where Chinese and Western cultures would converge. Pillars were made to resemble English lampposts and Western lighting, chairs and tableware were used. The building was made to look obsolete and worn-out as suits the difficult circumstances under Japanese Occupation to convey the culture and feel of the time. Apart from historical references, Mak also created a glass house in the factory.<sup id="cite_ref-ipman_7-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></sup></p> <p><a name="Fight_choreography" id="Fight_choreography"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Fight choreography</span></h3> <table style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 1em 0px; padding: 4px; width: 40%; float: right; font-size: 90%; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); text-align: left;" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left">"...his biggest achievement lies in playing a true historical figure, unlike fictitious characters he had been doing in the past...he'd have to try his best to understand the thoughts of Yip Man, to be him, and to fit in within the past."<br /><span style="">——Director Wilson Yip on Donnie Yen being cast as Ip Man.<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>The martial arts scenes were choreographed by Sammo Hung, who had previously collaborated with Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen as an actor for the 2005 film <i>SPL: Sha Po Lang</i>. <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> Hung was hired as a choreographer mainly because of his experience on the 1978 film <i>Warriors Two</i> and 1982's <i>The Prodigal Son</i>, both of which involved the style of Wing Chun. <sup id="cite_ref-star-ecentral_1-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> When asked how he would work with Yen to direct the action scenes, Hung replied matter-of-factly, "With my mouth." <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>Yen has described the role being the most difficult in his career, both emotionally and mentally. <sup id="cite_ref-star-ecentral_1-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> He spent months preparing for the role, by going on a strict diet which consisted of mainly vegetables and eating one meal a day, training in Wing Chun, and learning more about Ip Man through his two sons, all in hopes of portraying an erudite and cultured Ip Man, as well as bringing out the special traits of Wing Chun.<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-5" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing.org_8-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></sup> He even went as far as to stay in character after filming, wearing his costume and changing his voice and movement patterns. <sup id="cite_ref-star-ecentral_1-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>While rehearsing a fight scene, Yen was reportedly injured when an axe wielder accidentally slashed the side of his left eye. <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing.org_8-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></sup> Yen also admitted to having a masseur on set as he could not physically raise his shoulder for the fight scenes.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>Japanese actor Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, who holds a black belt in Judo, described it to be "difficult" working under Hung's command. In one scene, he suffered a mild concussion after receiving four blows continuously. <sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></sup> Hung later praised Yen and Ikeuchi's performances in the film, even though the Japanese actor was not trained in Chinese martial arts and was not given a lot of complex moves.</p> <p><a name="Film_title_controversy" id="Film_title_controversy"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Film title controversy</span></h2> <p>The film gained controversy over its film title, which was disputed by film director Wong Kar-wai, who announced plans to make his own film on Ip Man with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai while filming <i>2046</i>. Wong Kar-wai had planned his own Yip Man biopic titled <i>The Great Master</i> (一代宗师), with Leung in the lead role.<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-6" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> Wong Kar-Wai's film, however, had been in development hell, having been announced several years earlier.<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-7" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> <sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-8" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> Producer Raymond Wong wanted to name his film <i>Grandmaster Yip Man</i>, which bore a resemblance to the title Wong Kar-Wai wanted to use for his film.<sup id="cite_ref-varietyasiaonline_11-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>After Raymond Wong announced his title, Wong Kar-wai's production company, Jet Tone Films, issued a statement saying that they had exclusive rights to the Chinese title of the film and that it is "shameful" that Raymond Wong was using it. They also denied Donnie Yen's claim that ten years ago, Wong Kar-wai and Jeffrey Lau asked him to play Ip Man.<sup id="cite_ref-varietyasiaonline_11-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>To settle the dispute, Raymond Wong publicly expressed the film title:<sup id="cite_ref-wu-jing_3-9" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></p> <table style="border-style: none; margin: auto 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: transparent; text-align: left;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 10px; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;" valign="top" width="20">“</td> <td style="padding: 4px 10px;" valign="top">Actually, all along, we have called our film <i>Ip Man</i>, but our mainland investors said that Yip Man was a great master of his times, so we changed our title to <i>Grandmaster Yip Man</i> out of respect for him. Yet, this brought about a series of debates over the title. To settle this matter amicably, after discussions with our various investors, movie consultant Yip Chun, and director Wilson Yip, we changed back to our original title.</td> <td style="padding: 10px; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 36px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right;" valign="bottom" width="20">”</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>It was later announced that Wong Kar-wai's five-year rights to make the Ip Man biopic had expired and that Mandarin Films had stepped in with their film.<sup id="cite_ref-iht_12-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></sup></p> <p><a name="Working_titles" id="Working_titles"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Working titles</span></h3> <ul><li><i>The Legend of Yip Man</i> (traditional Chinese: <span lang="zh-Hant" lang="zh-Hant">葉問傳</span>)</li><li><i>Grandmaster Yip Man</i> (traditional Chinese: <span lang="zh-Hant" lang="zh-Hant">一代宗師葉問</span>)</li></ul> <p><a name="Reception" id="Reception"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Reception</span></h2> <p><i>Ip Man</i> was given a test screening in Beijing on December 4, 2008. The film was highly praised, based on survey sheets returned by the audience. Donnie Yen's portrayal of Ip Man was repeatedly hailed as the year's best performance. As a traditional martial arts film, <i>Ip Man'</i>s fight scenes were awarded 8 to 9 out of 10 by 85% of the audience, while full marks were given by the remaining 15%. High praise was also given to the film's co-stars, Fan Siu-Wong, Lam Ka-Tung, and Lynn Hung. <sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></sup></p> <p><a name="Box_office" id="Box_office"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Box office</span></h3> <p>On the week of 18 December to December 21, <i>Ip Man</i> came in first place at the box office, grossing nearly HK$4.5 million (US$579,715) in Hong Kong, having been released in 37 screens. The film had topped its American competitors <i>Twilight</i> and <i>Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa</i> which came in second and third place respectively.<sup id="cite_ref-Hong_Kong_Box_Office.2C_December_18.E2.80.9321.2C_2008_14-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></sup> Ip Man topped the Singapore and Malaysian box office the same week as well. To date, the film has grossed over HK$ 20.4 million at the Hong Kong box office.</p> <p><a name="Sequel" id="Sequel"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Sequel</span></h2> <p>Mandarin Films Ltd. has greenlighted a sequel to <i>Ip Man</i>. Prior to its theatrical release, a sequel for <i>Ip Man</i> was announced by producer Raymond Wong. While promoting the motion picture soundtrack for <i>Ip Man</i>, Wong had revealed that the sequel, tentatively titled <i>Ip Man 2</i> would continue Ip Man's story, focusing on his migration to Hong Kong and his four disciples which includes Bruce Lee to propogate his discipline of Wing Chun. Bruce Lee would also be a major character in the film.<sup id="cite_ref-twitchfilm_15-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></sup> The sequel's budget is an estimated HK$40 million, and Mandarin Films is aiming for a release towards the end of 2010. <sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span>[</span>17<span>]</span></sup></p> <p>Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip are set to return for the second installment, and are reportedly planning a worldwide talent scout for a suitable candidate to play Lee, who is Ip's most celebrated disciple. They are also debating over whether to look for an actor with solid martial arts foundation or looks.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><span>[</span>18<span>]</span></sup> At the Beijing gala premiere of <i>Ip Man</i>, Wilson Yip announced he intends to make an <i>Ip Man</i> franchise.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><span>[</span>19<span>]</span></sup></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-10746545184713355072009-01-12T17:24:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:25:54.792-08:00Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans (2009)<table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" id="movie_asset" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody> <tr> <td rowspan="2" class="movie_image"> <div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/cs/3h1/064363h1.jpg" alt="" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /> <div class="photoAttribution" style="width: 200px;"> <span class="attributeText"> CinemaSource </span> </div> </div> </td> <td id="movie_breakdown"> <div class="trailer"> <div class="anchor_icon"><br /></div>Watch Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans Trailer </div> <div class="people"><div class="title">starring: </div> <span class="m_content"> Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Shane Brolly, Kevin Grevioux </span> </div> <div class="people"><div class="title">director: </div> <div class="m_content"> Patrick Tatopoulos </div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;" class="center">synopsis</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="movie_synopsis"> "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="center">cast + crew</div> <div class="credits" id="director"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/patrick-tatopoulos/20778446">Patrick Tatopoulos</a></div> <div class="role"> Director </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="actor"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/michael-sheen/14656750">Michael Sheen</a></div> <div class="role"> Lucian </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/bill-nighy/14657863">Bill Nighy</a></div> <div class="role"> Viktor </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/rhona-mitra/14660451">Rhona Mitra</a></div> <div class="role"> Sonja </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/shane-brolly/14661544">Shane Brolly</a></div> <div class="role"> Kraven </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/kevin-grevioux/14612156">Kevin Grevioux</a></div> <div class="role"> Raze </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="writer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/danny-mcbride/14599329">Danny McBride</a></div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/dirk-blackman/14528895">Dirk Blackman</a></div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/howard-mccain/14657179">Howard McCain</a></div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="producer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/len-wiseman/14728354">Len Wiseman</a></div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/tom-rosenberg/14644806">Tom Rosenberg</a></div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/gary-lucchesi/14644807">Gary Lucchesi</a></div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name"><a href="http://www.film.com/celebrities/skip-williamson/14834717">Skip Williamson</a></div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-2136044911040773922009-01-12T17:22:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:23:19.205-08:00Not Easily Broken (2009)<table id="movie_asset" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody> <tr> <td rowspan="2" class="movie_image"> <div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/cs/1h1/063891h1.jpg" alt="" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /> <div class="photoAttribution" style="width: 200px;"> <span class="attributeText"> CinemaSource </span> </div> </div> </td> <td id="movie_breakdown"> <div class="trailer"> <div class="anchor_icon"><br /></div>Watch Not Easily Broken Trailer </div> <div class="people"><div class="title">starring: </div> <span class="m_content"> Morris Chestnut, Cannon Jay, Eddie Cibrian, Kwame Boateng, Maeve Quinlan, Jenifer Lewis, Wood Harris, Kevin Hart, Elizabeth Uhl, Jeffrey Krebs </span> </div> <div class="people"><div class="title">director: </div> <div class="m_content"> Bill Duke </div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td id="movie_rating"> <div id="user_rating_top"> <script src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/js/pluck/ratings.js?bid=1781861020" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"> var key = "20192668"; var contentType = "Movie"; </script> <div class="user_choice" id="userRating"><div class="rating_header">Rate this Movie</div><div class="star"><img src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/images/stars/rating/star_unlit.gif" id="userstar_1" onmouseover="lightUp(1)" onclick="submitRating(1)" /></div><div class="star"><img src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/images/stars/rating/star_unlit.gif" id="userstar_2" onmouseover="lightUp(2)" onclick="submitRating(2)" /></div><div class="star"><img src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/images/stars/rating/star_unlit.gif" id="userstar_3" onmouseover="lightUp(3)" onclick="submitRating(3)" /></div><div class="star"><img src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/images/stars/rating/star_unlit.gif" id="userstar_4" onmouseover="lightUp(4)" onclick="submitRating(4)" /></div><div class="star"><img src="http://static.realone.com/filmcom/images/stars/rating/star_unlit.gif" id="userstar_5" onmouseover="lightUp(5)" onclick="submitRating(5)" /></div></div> <div id="allRatings"><div class="rating_header">User Average</div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="center">synopsis</div> <div class="movie_synopsis"> A couple's strength and faith are tested after the wife is injured in a car crash and husband becomes attracted to another woman.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="center">cast + crew</div> <div class="credits" id="director"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Bill Duke</div> <div class="role"> Director </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="actor"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Morris Chestnut</div> <div class="role"> Dave Johnson </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Cannon Jay</div> <div class="role"> Bryson </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Eddie Cibrian</div> <div class="role"> Brock Houseman </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Kwame Boateng</div> <div class="role"> Darius </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Maeve Quinlan</div> <div class="role"> Julie </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Jenifer Lewis</div> <div class="role"> Mary 'Mama' Clark </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Wood Harris</div> <div class="role"> Darnell Gooden </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Kevin Hart</div> <div class="role"> Tree </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Elizabeth Uhl</div> <div class="role"> Cast </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Jeffrey Krebs</div> <div class="role"> Cast </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="writer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">T.D. Jakes</div> <div class="role"> Source Material </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Brian Bird</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="producer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Morris Chestnut</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">T.D. Jakes</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Curtis Wallace</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Brian Bird</div> <div class="role">Co-Producer</div> </div> </div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-50841753986640109902009-01-12T17:19:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:21:02.835-08:00Che (Part Two: Guerrilla) (2009)<div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/cs/1h1/056401h1.jpg" alt="" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /> <div class="photoAttribution" style="width: 200px;"> <span class="attributeText"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">CinemaSource</span><br /><br /></span> <div style="font-weight: bold;" class="center">synopsis</div>On Nov. 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with 80 rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a young Argentine idealist and doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro--to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves himself an indispensable fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. "The Argentine" tracks Che's rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.<br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="center">cast + crew</div> <div class="credits" id="director"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Steven Soderbergh</div> <div class="role"> Director </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="actor"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Benicio Del Toro</div> <div class="role"> Ernesto 'Che' Guevara </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Demian Bichir</div> <div class="role"> Fidel Castro </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Santiago Cabrera</div> <div class="role"> Camillo Cienfuegos </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Elvira Minguez</div> <div class="role"> Celia Sanchez </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Jorge Perugorria</div> <div class="role"> Joaquin </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Edgar Ramirez</div> <div class="role"> Ciro Redondo </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Victor Rasuk</div> <div class="role"> Rogello Acevedo </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Armando Riesco</div> <div class="role"> Benigno </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Catalina Sandino Moreno</div> <div class="role"> Aleida Guevara </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Rodrigo Santoro</div> <div class="role"> Raul Castro </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="writer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Peter Buchman</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Benicio Del Toro</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Chris Gerolmo</div> <div class="role"> screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Terrence Malick</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Ben Vanderveen</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Ernesto "Che" Guevara</div> <div class="role"> Source Material </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="producer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Laura Bickford</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Benicio Del Toro</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alvaro Longoria</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Frederic W Brost</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Belen Atienza</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alvaro Augustin</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Gregory Jacobs</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> </div><br /></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-63968425054956320792009-01-12T17:17:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:19:16.318-08:00Bride Wars (2009)<div style="text-align: justify;" class="center"> <div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/2/5/3/9/25039352-25039356-large.jpg" alt="'Bride Wars'" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /> <div class="photoAttribution" style="width: 200px;"> <span class="attributeText"> FOX 2000 Pictures </span> </div> </div><br />synopsis</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="movie_synopsis"> Liv and Emma are best friends who since childhood have planned every detail of their respective weddings. At the top of their bridal "must have" list: a ceremony at New York's ultimate bridal destination, the Plaza Hotel. Now, at age 26, they're both about to get married; they're about to realize their dreams; and they're about to live happily ever after. Or maybe not... When a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates--they're now to be married on the same date!--Liv, Emma and their lifelong friendship are put to the ultimate test. Liv, a successful lawyer who is used to getting what she wants, including the perfect job and the perfect man, won't settle for anything less than the perfect wedding she has dreamed of for years. Emma, a schoolteacher who has always been good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking after herself, discovers her inner Bridezilla and comes out swinging when her own dream wedding is imperiled. Now, the two best friends who'd do anything for each other, find themselves in a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners struggle that threatens to erupt into all-out war.<br /><br /><div class="center">cast + crew</div> <div class="credits" id="director"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Gary Winick</div> <div class="role"> Director </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="actor"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Kate Hudson</div> <div class="role"> Liv </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Anne Hathaway</div> <div class="role"> Emma </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Candice Bergen</div> <div class="role"> Marion St. Claire </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Kristen Johnston</div> <div class="role"> Deb </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Bryan Greenberg</div> <div class="role"> Nate </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Steve Howey</div> <div class="role"> Daniel </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Chris Pratt</div> <div class="role"> Fletcher </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Michael Arden</div> <div class="role"> Kevin </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">John Pankow</div> <div class="role"> Emma's Dad </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Paul Scheer</div> <div class="role"> Nicky Coo </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="writer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Greg de Paul</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Casey Wilson</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">June Raphael</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Greg de Paul</div> <div class="role"> Story By </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="producer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Kate Hudson</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Jay Cohen</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alan Riche</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Tony Ludwig</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Julie Silverman-Yorn</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Matt Luber</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Jonathan Filley</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> </div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-42420450291049237472009-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:17:26.014-08:00Dog Eat Dog (2009)<table id="movie_asset" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="middle"><br /></th> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" class="movie_image"> <div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/cs/9h1/062519h1.jpg" alt="" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />synopsis<br /><div id="synopsis" class="grey"> <div class="header"> <div class="center"><br /></div> </div> <div class="movie_synopsis"> Two hoods sign their own death warrant when they bungle a job.<br /><br /><div class="center">cast + crew</div> <div class="credits" id="director"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Carlos Moreno</div> <div class="role"> Director </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="actor"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Marlon Moreno</div> <div class="role"> Victor Penaranda </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Oscar Borda</div> <div class="role"> Eusebio Benitez </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alvaro Rodriguez</div> <div class="role"> Silvio Sierra </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Blas Jaramillo</div> <div class="role"> El Orejon </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Paulina Rivas</div> <div class="role"> Iris </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Andres Toro</div> <div class="role"> Zabala </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Hansel Camacho</div> <div class="role"> Don Pascual </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Diego Quijano</div> <div class="role"> Don Pablo </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Julian Caicedo</div> <div class="role"> Porter </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Rodrigo Velez</div> <div class="role"> Torres </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="writer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alonso Torres</div> <div class="role"> Source Material </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Carlos Moreno</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Alonso Torres</div> <div class="role"> Screenplay </div> </div> </div> <div class="credits" id="producer"> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Rodrigo Guerrero</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Carolina Barrera</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Diego F Ramirez</div> <div class="role">Producer</div> </div> <div class="credit"> <div class="name">Diego F Ramirez</div> <div class="role">Executive Producer</div> </div> </div><br /></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-84886151380810594632009-01-12T17:13:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:14:38.517-08:00Twilight (2008)<div style="text-align: justify;"><table id="movie_asset" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="middle"><br /></th> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" class="movie_image"> <div class="asset_image" width="200" style="width: 200px;"> <img src="http://i.realone.com/assets/cs/7h1/061987h1.jpg" alt="" class="photo_left" width="200" align="left" /> <div class="photoAttribution" style="width: 200px;"> <span class="attributeText"> CinemaSource </span> </div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">synopsis</span><br /><br />Bella Swan has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother remarries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Wash., she doesn't expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen, a boy unlike any she's ever met. Intelligent and witty, he sees straight into her soul. Soon, Bella and Edward are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance. Edward can run faster than a mountain lion, he can stop a moving car with his bare hands--and he hasn't aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he's immortal. But he doesn't have fangs, and he doesn't drink human blood; Edward and his family are unique among vampires in their lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for--a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. But what will Edward & Bella do when James, Laurent and Victoria, the Cullens' mortal vampire enemies, come to town, looking for her?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast + crew</span><br /><br />Catherine Hardwicke<br />Director<br />Kristen Stewart<br />Isabella "Bella" Swan<br />Robert Pattinson<br />Edward Cullen<br />Taylor Lautner<br />Jacob Black<br />Sarah Clarke<br />Renee Dwyer<br />Billy Burke<br />Chief Charlie Swan<br />Gil Birmingham<br />Billy Black<br />Peter Facinelli<br />Dr Carlisle Cullen<br />Elizabeth Reaser<br />Esme Cullen<br />Ashley Greene<br />Alice Cullen<br />Jackson Rathbone<br />Jasper Cullen<br />Melissa Rosenberg<br />Screenplay<br />Stephenie Meyer<br />Source Material<br />Greg Mooridian<br />Producer<br />Mark Morgan<br />Producer<br />Guy Oseary<br />Executive Producer<br />Karen Rosenfelt<br />Executive Producer<br />Michele Imperato-Stabile<br />Executive Producer<br />Marty Bowen<br />Executive Producer<br />Wyck Godfrey<br />Producer<br />Patrick Thomas Smith<br />Associate Producer<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-64847123432458415372009-01-12T17:05:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:07:27.662-08:00Keep driving past ‘City of Ember’<h2>Gloomy kids’ adventure will disturb children, bore adults</h2><img style="border: 1px solid ;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:UOhYPJ-J2JlOxM:http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/City_of_Ember/city_of_ember_movie_poster.jpg" width="99" height="146" />
<br /><p style="text-align: justify;" class="textBodyBlack"><table style="padding: 5px 15px 0pt 0pt; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><script>getCSS("3027626")</script><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/default.ashx/id/3027626/"><div style="width: 102px;" class="box_3027626 sitewrapperbox"><script></script><table class="boxH_3027626" width="102" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="boxHI_3027626" width="1%"><img src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/img/byline_msnbcDotCom.gif" vspace="0" width="100" border="0" height="20" hspace="0" /></td><td class="boxHC_3027626" width="*" nowrap="nowrap">
<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="boxB_3027626" width="102" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td><img src="http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Bylines/mugs/MSNBC%20Interactive/alonso_duralde_ent.thumb.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" vspace="0" border="0" hspace="0" /></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_3027626"><div class="textMed"><b>Alonso Duralde</b></div><div class="credit">Film critic</div></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="boxF_3027626" width="102" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="boxFI_3027626">
<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table>It’s turning out to be quite the year for post-apocalyptic kids’ movies — this summer we had “Wall-E,” with its polluted Earth abandoned by an increasingly flabby human race, and now comes “City of Ember,” about a pocket of civilization that’s been living underground for 200 years after an unspecified catastrophe (or what Peter Greenaway in “The Falls” would call a “Violent Unknown Event”).</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Would that this new movie had a tenth of the charm or the smarts of the Disney/Pixar cartoon. All “City of Ember” offers are uninteresting characters in a grimy and bleak world — the production design all but screams “It’s a set!” — and instead of suspense or even empathy, there’s just noise and ugliness.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>The film begins with scientists loading up a box with instructions on how to leave the underground city and return to the surface world two centuries hence. The box is supposed to be passed down from mayor to mayor, but it winds up buried in a closet until it’s discovered by Lina (Saoirse Ronan). Perfect timing, too, because Lina and her best friend Doon (Harry Treadaway) have noticed that Ember is falling apart, with more frequent blackouts due to the city’s failing generator.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-70473199873170489752009-01-12T17:02:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:03:01.782-08:00Transporter 3<div style="text-align: justify;"> <!-- start content --> </div><table class="infobox vevent" style="width: 20em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <th class="summary" style="font-size: 110%; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><i>Transporter 3</i></th> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Trans3.jpg/200px-Trans3.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="308" /></span><br />Theatrical release poster</td> </tr> <tr class="description"> <th>Directed by</th> <td>Olivier Megaton</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Produced by</th> <td>Luc Besson<br />Steve Chasman</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Written by</th> <td>Luc Besson<br />Robert Mark Kamen</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Starring</th> <td>Jason Statham<br />François Berléand<br />Robert Knepper<br />Natalya Rudakova<br />Eriq Ebouaney</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Music by</th> <td>Alexandre Azaria</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Cinematography</th> <td>Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Editing by</th> <td>Camille Delamarre<br />Carla Rizzo</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Distributed by</th> <td>EuropaCorp<br />Lionsgate<br />20th Century Fox <small>(United Kingdom)</small></td> </tr> <tr> <th><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Release date(s)</span></th> <td>November 26, 2008 (USA)<br />December 5, 2008 (UK)</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Country</th> <td><span class="flagicon"><span class="image"><img alt="Flag of France" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png" class="thumbborder" width="22" border="0" height="15" /></span></span>France</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Language</th> <td>English</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Budget</th> <td>€30,000,000<br />$41,000,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Gross revenue</th> <td>$54,046,260</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Preceded by</th> <td><i>Transporter 2</i></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="font-size: 95%;" colspan="2" align="center"><br /></th> </tr> </tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Transporter 3</b></i> is a 2008 action film, and is the third installment in the Transporter film series, as well as the first not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox in the United States. Both Jason Statham and François Berléand reprised their roles, as Frank Martin and Tarconi, respectively. This is the first film in the series to be directed by Olivier Megaton. The film continues the story of Frank Martin, a professional "transporter" who has returned to France to continue his low-key business of delivering packages without questions.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Plot" id="Plot"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Plot</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Frank Martin (Jason Statham) has been pressured into transporting Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), the kidnapped daughter of Leonid Vasilev (<span class="mw-redirect">Jeroen Krabbe</span>), through the use of a device attached to his wrist which will explode if Frank goes more than 75 feet from his car. Vasilev is the head of the Environmental Protection Agency for Ukraine. He must travel from Marseille through Munich and Budapest until he ends up in Odessa on the Black Sea. With the help of Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), Frank must contend with the people who strong-armed him into taking the job, agents sent by the Ukraine government to intercept him, and the general non-cooperation of his passenger. Despite Valentina's cynical disposition and Frank's resistance to get involved, Frank and Valentina fall for each other, while escaping from one life-threatening situation after another. Statham again drives an armored Audi A8 W12 in the film.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Cast" id="Cast"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Cast</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Jason Statham as Frank Martin</li><li>François Berléand as Inspector Tarconi</li><li>Natalya Rudakova as Valentina Vasilev</li><li>Justin Rodgers Hall as Horatio<sup id="cite_ref-imdb_0-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup></li><li>Eriq Ebouaney as Ice<sup id="cite_ref-imdb_0-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup></li><li>Robert Knepper as Johnson</li><li>Jeroen Krabbé as Leonid Vasilev</li><li>David Atrakchi as Malcom Manville</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="DVD_.26_Blu-ray_release" id="DVD_.26_Blu-ray_release"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">DVD & Blu-ray release</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">According to Movieweb.com, Transporter 3 will be available to own on dvd & blu-ray March 10 in the United States. The Blu-ray version will contain a digital copy of the film that the dvd version will not have. The rest of the special features are unknown at this time.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Production" id="Production"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Production</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Shooting was initially expected to last for 16 weeks, in France and Russia. It was also filmed in Odessa, Ukraine.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Reception" id="Reception"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Reception</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The film has received mostly mixed reviews from critics. The film holds a score of 36%, based on 96 reviews, and an average rating of 4.8 out of 10 on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus stated that the film is a "middling installment in the <i>Transporter</i> franchise that is a few steps down from its predecessors, featuring generic stunts and a lack of energy."<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup> On Metacritic, the film currently has a score of 51%, based on 26 reviews.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">On its opening weekend, the film opened at number 7 with $12 million. <sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup> As of December 12, 2008, the film has grossed $27.5 million in the United States and in Canada and $17.9 million in foreign countries, with a total gross of $45.5 million worldwide. It is currently the second highest-grossing film in the <i>Transporter</i> trilogy.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230762306733345675.post-35568982224167717562009-01-12T16:53:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:03:28.446-08:00Yes Man (film)<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table class="infobox vevent" style="width: 20em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <th class="summary" style="font-size: 110%; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><i>Yes Man</i></th> </tr> <tr> <td style="line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;font-size:95%;" colspan="2"><span class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/71/YesMan2008poster.jpg/200px-YesMan2008poster.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="296" /></span><br />Film poster</td> </tr> <tr class="description"> <th>Directed by</th> <td>Peyton Reed</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Produced by</th> <td>Jim Carrey<br />David Heyman<br />Richard D. Zanuck<br /></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Written by</th> <td><b>Screenplay:</b><br />Nicholas Stoller<br />Jarrad Paul<br />Andrew Mogel<br /><b>Book:</b><br /><span class="mw-redirect">Danny Wallace</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Starring</th> <td>Jim Carrey<br /><span class="mw-redirect">Terrence Stamp</span><br />Zooey Deschanel<br />Bradley Cooper<br />Rhys Darby<br />Danny Masterson</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Cinematography</th> <td>Robert D. Yeoman</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Editing by</th> <td>Jeff Micks</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Distributed by</th> <td>Warner Bros.</td> </tr> <tr> <th><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Release date(s)</span></th> <td>December 19, 2008 <small>(US, ES)</small><br />December 26, 2008 <small>(UK)</small><br />January 1, 2009 <small>(AU)</small><br />January 21, 2009 <small>(FR)</small></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Running time</th> <td>104 min.</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Country</th> <td>United States</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Language</th> <td>English</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Budget</th> <td>$70 million</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Gross revenue</th> <td>$122,710,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" align="center" style="font-size:95%;"><span class="external text">Official website</span> <span style="white-space: nowrap;">•</span> <span class="external text">IMDb</span> <span style="white-space: nowrap;">•</span> <span class="external text">Allmovie</span></th> </tr> </tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Yes Man</b></i> is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Peyton Reed and starring Jim Carrey. The film is based on the true story and 2005 book <i>The Yes Man</i> by British humourist <span class="mw-redirect">Danny Wallace</span> (who has a brief cameo in the film). Production began in <span class="mw-redirect">Los Angeles, CA</span> in October 2007.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Plot" id="Plot"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Plot</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a divorced middle-aged man in Los Angeles who spends his days working as a junior loan approval officer in a bank, supervised by his immature manager Norman (Rhys Darby). Routinely declining social engagements so as to avoid meeting his ex-wife Stephanie (Molly Sims) with her new boyfriend, he has grown used to spending his evenings watching DVDs alone in his apartment while ignoring his friends' phone calls. But after he lets down his best friend Pete by forgetting about his engagement party, his friend Nick (John Michael Higgins) persuades him that he needs to start living again. Nick takes Carl to a motivational seminar called "Yes!" where Carl is publicly accosted by inspirational guru Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp). Browbeaten into making a covenant with himself, Carl promises to stop being a "No Man" and to answer "Yes!" to every opportunity, request, or invitation that presents itself thereafter.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">After the seminar, a homeless man asks Carl for a ride to Elysian Park. Although Carl's instinct is to say no, Nick intervenes, reminding Carl that the proper answer is yes. During the drive, the homeless man asks to borrow Carl's cell phone (Carl again says yes) and wears out the battery making calls. When they reach their destination, the man asks for the cash in Carl's wallet (which Carl reluctantly gives), but then Carl discovers that his car has run out of fuel. With his phone battery dead, he hikes to a gas station several miles away, where he meets Allison (Zooey Deschanel). She takes pity on him and gives him a hair-raising scooter ride back to his car. Emboldened by her spontaneity and by a newfound sense of possibility, Carl impulsively kisses Allison, and believes that his life has changed for the better.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">After this positive start, Carl continues saying yes. After he wins a promotion at the bank for agreeing to work on a Saturday, he goes out to celebrate with his friends, gets very drunk, impetuously kisses a girl, and becomes involved in a comic fistfight with her boyfriend (he luckily escapes injury). But when he agrees to erect some shelving for his elderly neighbor Tillie (Fionnula Flanagan), and she proposes to reward him sexually, Carl is horrified. He says no and attempts to leave her apartment—but he gets his shirt stuck in the door, falls down the stairs after freeing himself, and almost gets mauled by a guard dog. Terrified that he has broken the Yes! covenant, Carl returns to his neighbor's apartment, where he allows her to perform oral sex on him.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">After this brush with his old No Man self, Carl now commits himself to saying yes to absolutely every opportunity that comes his way—he takes flying lessons, attends Korean language classes, learns to play the guitar, and even says yes when he receives spam from a Persian dating website. As before, saying yes"works to Carl's advantage. When he says yes to a concert promoter whom he has previously ignored, he sees a band whose lead singer turns out to be Allison. Although the band is dreadful and the audience tiny, Carl is again charmed by Allison's spontaneity and idiosyncrasy. She invites him to the unconventional class that she teaches in the park in the mornings, which combines photography with jogging, and the two begin dating.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">At work, Carl has been saying yes to every loan application that crosses his desk, but this seemingly reckless approach to lending wins him a promotion to executive after it opens new territory for the bank in the area of microcredit. He finally agrees to attend one of Norm's costume parties where they dress as Harry Potter characters. His newfound talents prove fruitful when it comes to saving a man (<span class="mw-redirect">Luis Guzman</span>) from committing suicide: as the man stands on a ledge outside a tall building, Carl picks up a guitar and plays Third Eye Blind's song "Jumper" to persuade the man to return inside.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">As their relationship blossoms, Carl and Allison meet at the airport for a spontaneous weekend away. Having decided to take the first plane out of town, they end up in Lincoln, Nebraska, where they explore the Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum, attend a college football game, and go skeet shooting. As they shelter from the rain in a barn before their departure, Allison asks Carl to move in with her. He hesitates, but says yes anyway. But while checking in for the return flight, Carl is detained by <span class="mw-redirect">FBI</span> agents, who have profiled him as potential terrorist because he has taken flying lessons, studied Korean, approved a loan to start a fertilizer company, been married for six months three years previously, and bought plane tickets at the last minute.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Carl calls his best friend Pete, a lawyer, who travels to Nebraska to explain Carl's commitment to saying yes to everything. At this point, Allison finds out about Carl's motivational covenant, and begins to doubt whether his commitment to her was ever sincere. She also finds out about Carl's marriage and divorce, which he had not mentioned to her previously. Deciding that she can no longer trust a man who is obliged to say yes to everything, regardless of his true feelings, Allison leaves Carl at the airport. Carl repeatedly tries to contact her, but to no avail.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In a vain effort to speak with Allison, Carl attends another of her band's concerts, where she indirectly tells him to jump off a bridge so Carl signs up to do a <span class="mw-redirect">bungee jump</span>. While dangling from the bridge after the jump, he receives a phone call from the bank's vice president, saying that he must fire his old boss Norman. He tries to make things better, going through with the bridal shower he has agreed to organize for Pete's fiancée, and even setting Norman up with a Korean party planner whom he met when planning the shower.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">While he is broken up with Allison, Carl gets a tearful phone call from his ex-wife Stephanie, whose boyfriend has walked out on her. Carl goes to Stephanie's apartment to comfort her, but she kisses him passionately and asks whether they can get back together. After Carl emphatically says no, his luck takes a turn for the worse: The elevator in which he tries to leave Stephanie's building almost snaps free of its cable, a black cat crosses his path, and his car gets clamped and towed. He has a momentary hallucination in which the tow-truck operator metamorphoses into himself, and starts to chant "No Man, No Man, No Man."</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In desperation, Carl decides to track down Terrence Bundley so that he can be released from the Yes! covenant. After lying in wait for Bundley in the backseat of the his convertible, Carl emerges after the car pulls off, but Bundley is so shocked that he loses control of the vehicle and crashes it. Carl awakes some hours later in the hospital, only for the guru to tell him that there really wasn't any covenant, and that he wasn't supposed to take saying yes so literally. The point of the covenant was only to open Carl's mind to other possibilities, not to take away his ability to say no when he needed to. Freed from this restraint, Carl borrows the <span class="mw-redirect">Ducati</span> motorcycle from a male nurse who bought it with the money he lent the man and rides it to Allison's morning class, wearing only a hospital gown. He apologizes, admits that he does not want to move in with her just yet, but tells her that he genuinely loves and wants her—and has been with her not just because he is compelled to say yes. The couple kiss passionately while the amateur photographers capture the moment.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the movie, Carl and Allison make a rather large donation of clothes to a local homeless shelter. Cutting to the scene of the Yes! seminar, Bundley is surprised when he walks on stage to several hundred naked audience members. It is implied that the participants have said Yes! to donating their clothes to charity.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In a scene during the credits Carl and Allison try on a new body skating outfit designed by a man he had previously denied a loan early in the film. They zip down a large hill at high speeds laughing all the way.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Cast" id="Cast"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Cast</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Jim Carrey as Carl Allen</li><li>Zooey Deschanel as Allison</li><li>Bradley Cooper as Peter</li><li>John Michael Higgins as Nick</li><li>Rhys Darby as Norman</li><li>Danny Masterson as Rooney</li><li>Terence Stamp as Terrence Bundley</li><li>Molly Sims as Stephanie</li><li><span class="new">Sean O'Bryan</span> as Ted</li><li>Sasha Alexander as Lucy</li><li><span class="new">John Cothran Jr.</span> as Tweed</li><li><span class="mw-redirect">Luis Guzman</span> as Jumper</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Production" id="Production"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Production</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Carrey received no upfront salary for his role in the film. He will instead be paid 36.2 percent of the film's gross after its production and marketing costs are recovered.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">During shooting of a scene where Carrey's character bungee jumps off a bridge, Carrey interrupted and asked to do the stunt himself.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> Carrey stated to the stunt double that he intended to do it in one take. When he jumps off, he is seen taking out a cell phone for the scene.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">While shooting the scene in the bar where Carrey's character turns around into a waitress and falls flat on his back, Carrey executed the stunt incorrectly and fell to the floor harder than he expected, breaking three ribs in the process. Carrey himself revealed this in an interview for Moviefone in response to a viewer-submitted question about the film's stunts. <sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Carrey also mastered basic Korean for a scene. A language coach was hired to help Carrey learn the language accurately. However, this is not the same for the scene in which Carrey's character learns to play the guitar; Carrey has been playing the instrument since his childhood.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The film's soundtrack features original music by "Munchausen by Proxy", a fictional band named after the Münchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder. Jim Carrey's character is incessantly invited to see the band by an over-eager manager/street promoter. Along with female lead Zooey Deschanel, the fictional band was created by Von Iva.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> The San Francisco-based all-girl power trio of vocals, keyboards and drums were hired to collaborate with the actress to write and perform the original songs and stylized aesthetic of the group for this pivotal scene.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup> Von Iva got the part of the fictional ensemble in the film after the movie's music supervisor, Jonathan Karp, saw the cover of their CD in Amoeba in Hollywood.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></sup> The soundtrack also features 9 songs by the Eels including a brand-new song, "Man Up." <sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a name="Reception" id="Reception"></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Reception</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Yes Man</i> generated mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 42% of critics gave positive based on 128 reviews.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></sup> Most critics thought that its plot was too similar to <i>Liar Liar</i>, which also starred Jim Carrey. <sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></sup> Metacritic also calculated a 45/100 approval rating based on 23 reviews.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></sup></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In his review for <i>The Miami Herald</i>, Rene Rodriguez wrote, "<i>Yes Man</i> is fine as far as Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh,"<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></sup> while Kyle Smith of <i><span class="mw-redirect">The New York Post</span></i> countered in his review that, "The first time I saw <i>Yes Man</i>, I thought the concept was getting kind of stale toward the end. As it turns out, that was only the trailer."<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></sup>.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> The film opened #1 in its first weekend at the US box office with $18.3 million,<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></sup> and went straight to the top of the UK box office in its first weekend after release</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0