Just Reviews

MISS RUSSIA 2010 - Irina Antonenko's

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:49:00 +0000

PERSONAL PARTICULARS
Birth name: Irina Antonenko
Birth date: 1 September 1991 (1991-09-01) (age 18)
Birth place: Yekaterinburg, Russia

Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Eye color: Grey
Hair color: Black
Title(s) Miss Russia 2010

BIOGRAPHY:
Irina Igorevna Antonenko (Russian: Irina Antonenko's; born 1 September 1991) who won Miss Russia 2010 was held in Moscow on March 6, 2010. Irina Antoneko was crowned Miss Russia 2010 by outgoing titleholder Sofia Rudieva, Miss Russia 2009 and Stefania Fernandez, Miss Universe 2009.

DIFFERENT PHOTOS

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

Neha Sharma Photos & Biography

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:50:00 +0000

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Neha was born and brought up in Delhi. She was born at the 21st of November 1987 . She did her fashion designing from Nift Delhi(2006).Neha's debut in Hindi is Crook against Emraan Hashmi in 2010.

Miss Teen Canada -World competes for the World Title

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:02:00 +0000

Houston Texas is where 26 countries compete for the Title of Miss Teen World

August 9th to the 14th in Houston Texas 26 teenagers compete for the title of Miss Teen World. Miss Teen Canada -World is making Canada proud as she represents her country. This is the first time 17 year Channing has travelled out of Canada and she is doing a outstanding job. Good Luck

on Friday! Stay Tuned for the results.

Miss China 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:40:00 +0000

Tang Wen, Miss China 2010, wore an evening gown of her choice, fashion by Sherri Hill and a variety of dresses and skirts to special occasions during the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

MANASVI MAMGAI- MISS INDIA WORLD 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:27:00 +0000

Vital statistics (in inches): 32-24-35

Place of Birth: Delhi

City: Mumbai

Profession: Model

Relationship Status: Single

And I thought I was good looking!

Craziest rumour you have heard about yourself?

Have not heard anything that is not partially true.

You have a tattoo or a piercing in a secret place?

Have a piercing on my navel!

Your idea of being kinky?

Being imaginative and experimental

Would you ever work for Playboy?

No, does not go well with my cultural values.

What is the sexiest single article of clothing a woman can wear?

A little black dress.

Your craziest experience in life so far?

On a night safari, I ended up getting the jeep stuck in mud while looking for tigers. And then wild elephants came and surrounded our vehicle.

How sexy is intellect?

Intellectual people are very self-assured, which is a turn on.

With which celebrity would you like to go on a vacation...

Johnny Depp

Do you think living-in is a good way to check out a relationship?

Yes, it’s a great way to know your compatibility before making a life long commitment.

Your body to you means...

A gift of God.

A man’s most attractive feature...

His confidence.

Success or riches?

Success

One word in which you would like to be described to a guy...

Beautiful

What does the Miss India crown mean to you?

A cherished dream that has brought me closer to the Miss World crown.

What gives you an edge over other contestants at the pageant?

I won Miss Tourism 2008 and Miss Elite 2006. So I have an edge in terms of experience.

Favorite Actor:

Johnny Depp

Favorite Sportsman:

Michael Phelps

Favorite Movies:

The Dark Knight, Shawshank Redemption

Interests / Hobbies:

Dancing, acting, adventure sports and traveling.

Motto:

‘Carpe Diem’!! In Latin means seize the day. Life is short so live every moment giving your 100 per cent.

Favorite Book:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Dream Role:

Umrao Jaan

Love is...

The only thing worth fighting for.

Food is...

A double edged sword. Watch what you eat.

Sex is...

A physical expression of love.

Coolest pick up line you have ever heard?

Miss Egypt 2010 Dina Hamed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:02:00 +0000

Dina Hamed was crowned as Miss Egypt 2010, snatching the title from hundreds of girls who have applied for the competition. Ilham Wajdi, the former Miss, crowned the pretty brunette in a ceremony held on Saturday July the 17th. Mira Khalil won the title of first runner-up, while Asmaa Abdel
Mawjoudgot the second runner-up. Sarah Al Khawli was crowned as 'Miss World', is going to represent Egypt in the 2010 Miss World pageant. Dina Hamdan, who is a student at the Naval Academy, announced that she is very happy that she got elected and that she aspires to work in the stock market and become a businesswoman.

Airy Architecture: 14 Inflatable Pubs, Churches & More

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:19:00 +0000

The ultimate in portability, inflatable structures have long been used as temporary housing for all sorts of functions – but did you know there are inflatable pubs, tea houses and research labs? Some are sophisticated designs, using the air as an architectural element or even as insulation,

while others bring on the kitsch with puffy plastic pews and airhead angels.

World’s First Inflatable Portable Pub

(images via: elite choice)

Those bounce houses look like so much fun, don’t they? Unfortunately, most of us adults don’t get to enjoy them due to weight limits – but there are other inflatable fun houses that offer entertainment of a different sort. This inflatable pub can be constructed in just two hours and brings a kitschy atmosphere that tents just can’t provide, complete with faux paintings on the wall and a real fire exit right through the pub’s fireplace. Sadly, there’s no bouncing involved, which would actually come in handy after a few drinks.

Arctic Drifter Research Lab

(images via: inflatablechurch.com)

If you’re traditional enough to require a church wedding but eccentric enough to find an inflatable chapel acceptable, there’s simply no choice but to have your very own blow-up church delivered to the site of your preference. A company called Innovations Xtreme produces this highly unusual structure, which comes complete with pews, an organ, an altar, candles, a gold cross and angels flanking the door – all made of plastic filled with air. At night and from a distance, the church looks surprisingly convincing.

Bubbletecture Pavilion

(images via: upprojects)

Providing a comfortable, portable, good-looking venue for outdoor events can be a challenge, but this inflatable ‘Bubbletecture’ pavilion has got it covered – literally. The mobile space is easily inflated or deflated and is completely enclosed allowing waterproof, bug-free, climate-controlled entertainment that is also transparent, letting sunlight in and providing a view of the setting.

Crazy Conference Tunnel

(image via: rachelkso)

Inside South Korea’s Olympic Stadium during a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Olympic Games, which the country hosted, this structure caught the eye of an American visitor with a camera: an unusual inflatable tunnel, reportedly used as a conference room. The tunnel stretched the entire length of the 100-meter sprint and sort of resembles a worm or centipede with its segmented body.

Golf Ball Tea House

(images via: design addict)

Kengo Kuma’s golf-ball-textured, amorphous blob of a building is a long way from the serene wooden structures that most of us associate with Japanese tea houses. But step inside this airy inflatable and you may find that the domed white walls and ceiling have their own sense of peace and relaxation. Tatami mats and an electric stove make for a minimalist setup, but built-in LED lights give it a little something extra at night.

Diamond-Grid Eco-Pavilion

(images via: various architects)

Far more visually striking than a mere tent, the ‘Renaissance Pavilion’ by Various Architects features a diamond-grid pattern of inflatable tubes that inflate in under an hour to reveal a public event space unlike any other. The 100% recyclable pavilion isn’t just super-portable, it also generates its own energy in an innovative way – by mounting solar panels on the shipping container used for transport, and wind turbines gather additional power on-site.

Air-Pumped Palace

(images via: innovations x-treme)

Is the inflatable pub just not quite big enough for your needs? Perhaps nothing less than a palace will do. Well, they’ve got that, too. Because nothing says ‘luxury’ like air-filled plastic.

EURO Experience Tour: World’s Largest Inflatable Tent

images via: daily vienna)

The world’s largest inflatable tent was deployed in 8 host cities around the world during 2008′s EURO Experience Tour, part of the Euro Cup festivities. Inside the tent – which resembles a pair of grounded UFOs – was a 140-seat movie theater. The tent measured about 45 feet x 130 feet x 200 feet and weighed ten tons.

Cutty Sark Enclosure

(images via: hugh pearman)

How do you protect a priceless antique ship while restoring it, without moving the ship itself? Put it in a bottle. That’s what the Grimshaw architecture firm proposed in 2004 for the Cutty Sark, currently permanently ‘dry-docked’ in London. Grimshaw imagined building a giant inflatable enclosure around the ship so visitors could still peer inside and watch the restoration. Ultimately, Grimshaw’s designchanged drastically, ditching the inflatable concept for canvas sheets and a wooden frame, and neither design would have done anything to prevent the 2007 fire that nearly destroyed the ship.

Air Forest Pneumatic Pavilion

(images via: mass studies)

Like a sail, the Air Forest pneumatic pavilion doesn’t need to be pumped full of air artificially; it simply catches the wind. This shimmering design by Mass Studies, covered in little silver circles that reflect its environment, stays inflated using passing wind currents. Anchors keep it from taking off into the sky, but the whole structure changes as often as the wind itself, shifting with each new breeze.

Inflatable Facade Acts as Insulation

(images via: ruiz geli)

Not all inflatable architecture ideas have to use air for the entire building. This design by Enric Ruiz Geli updates an old disused building in Barcelona with an inflatable facade that doesn’t just beautify the structure, but actually regulates sunlight and temperature. The skin is made from chambers of a plastic called ETFE which expand and contract as the sunlight changes throughout the day.

Placeholder Icebergs at Stalled Construction Sites

(images via: woods bagot new york)

International design firm Woods Bagot New York has a cool solution for all of the stalled construction sites around Manhattan: put ‘em on ice. Their concept for inflatable iceberg structures hides eyesores and proides functional temporary space. From WebEcoist: “Made of translucent high-tech plastic fabric stretched over modular steel frames and inflatable faceted roofs that give them the ‘iceberg’ shape, the structures aren’t just for looks. They can be used as functional temporary spaces for retail or entertainment use and are surprisingly well insulated despite the thinness and ephemeral qualities of the materials used.”

Article Source

Halloween Dishes That Make Your Skin Crawl

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:25:00 +0000

Halloween parties are an excellent chance to show off creative cooking skills, and explore the darker depths of your mind’s pantry for spooky and gross ideas. Here are some examples of ghoulish appetizers and disgusting main courses that round out your already awesome Halloween
party:

Dismembered Heads

(Images via divinedinnerparty, petitchef, instructables)

You can’t go wrong sculpting dismembered heads out of food products. There’s something inherently disturbing about digging a fork into something shaped like a human face, no matter how delicious it is. This is a great way to get the creep juice flowing.

Writhing Worms

(Images via octoberlicious, easycupcakes, instructables)

One of the simplest, yet most effective, grossout techniques is to create a plate full of writhing worms. Get the right coloration and the perfect pasta selection, and you’ve got a disgusting dish that’s certain to creep out your friends.

Classic Skulls

(Images via notmartha, hubpages)

The only thing better than feasting on a human head, is feasting on a decomposed human head. Take a slice of that skull and try not to cringe as you feel the crunch as you chew down…

Gross Creations

(Images via mentalfloss, crazyfunnypictures, ljcfyi)

Halloween is a time for creativity, so don’t just stick with the typical ghouls and ghosts – flex your disturbing mind muscles and come up with anything and everything that will make your friends struggle to eat your food. Organs, bugs, and strange animals are always a hit.

Ghoulish Fingers

(Images via whatdoveganseat, window-blinds-project, marthastewart, maplespice)

Dismembered fingers are easily reproduced in food form, with gory (and delicious results). I especially love the fake fingernails, which look incredibly crunchy and cringeworthy.

Plucked Eyeballs

(Images via maplespice, fancyflours, mentalfloss, halloweenexpress)

Dangling eyeballs are the star of any Halloween costume, and eyeball dishes are no different. Easy to make, versatile, and totally disgusting, when in doubt, throw in an eyeball. They can be added to a stew, made out of cupcakes, or even crafted into giant cakes.

Brainnnnnssss!

(Images via petitchef, annies-eats, ghoulfriday, partyideasparade)

Cold brain is disgusting to think about, but with the wonder of the internet and brain shaped molds, it’s easy to craft them out of jello, or decorate your favorite baked goods with the tell tale twists and turns of human gray matter.

You Name It: The Biggest [Blanks] in the World!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:37:00 +0000

Bigger is better and biggest is best! Some people take size very seriously and when it comes down to being the biggest in the world, there’s no playing around. Here’s a variety of the world’s most fantastically gigantic

objects and wonders:

Biggest Pool and Indoor Beach

(Images via andrewblum, elitechoice, 123teachme)

There’s a pool beside the sea in Chile that makes an olympic pool look like a sad joke. At over 20 acres, and 1,000 yards long, this pool is a monster. Not to be outdone, the Japanese Seagaia Ocean Dome is the world’s largest indoor beach, with a fully functioning tide pool and real sand… rain or shine.

Giant Motorcycles

(Images via ridelust, desicolours)

Dream Big is the world’s tallest motorcyle, and weighs in at over 6,500 pounds. This gentle giant isn’t the only contender for the biggest motorcycle in the world, however, as the Australian Monster Motorbike from Hell weighs in at 13 tons and gets its kicks from crushing cars in front of a live audience.

Gigantic Axe

(Images via ratestogo, webshots)

In New Brunswick, Canada, they’ve erected an axe large enough to put Paul Bunyan’s to shame, all in the name of honoring New Brunswick’s proud forest industry.

Colossal Hole

(Images via newscorners, slimspeare, honorcek)

Found in Eastern Siberia, this diamond mine is nearly a mile wide and almost 2,000 feet deep. Be careful looking over that edge!

World’s Biggest Chairs

(Images via englishrussia, travelpod, wearesuperfamous)

The popularity of giant furniture most likely stems from the joy of seeing such mundane objects brought up to absurd proportions. A great promotional tool for huge furniture stores, I can think of few more enticing gimmicks to draw in new customers.

Huge Construction Equipment

(Images via catsays, listoplenty)

The Caterpillar 797 is one of the most powerful dump trucks in the world, and is able to carry over 400 short tons in one load. It’s a great help when you’re using the Krupp Bagger 288, the world’s largest trencher. The Krupp weighs over 13,500 tons and over 700 feet long.

Roadside Attractions

(Images via thexodirectory, minnemom, makethelist, seattlest)

Roadside attractions are one of the greatest boons of traveling by car, and one of the surest way to pull in bored drivers is to stamp “The World’s Largest” in front of your tourist trap. From a gigantic cow to the largest fake basket in the world, any of these items are well worth a 15 minute detour.

Heavy Duty Limos

(Images via elitechoice, glamcar, slipperybrick, driverside)

The world’s longest limo is as ostentatious as you can get, but if you want a really cool ride to prom, try out the world’s fastest limo… a stretch Ferrari 360 Modena that can get up to 170 miles per hour

The World’s Largest Bicycles

(Images via quickrelease, vinothkumarm, allworldscars)

Why not? Is all these giant bicycle creators can say when asked why they decided to put together such ridiculously large rides. These bikes are clearly not easy to ride, so I would recommend enjoying them from a distance.

Article Source

No Jason Bourne in ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ Says Director Tony Gilroy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:58:00 +0000

When we heard that Tony Gilroy would be writing and directing the fourth Bourne film, called The Bourne Legacy, a lot of quesitons came to mind. Chief among them was whether Matt Damon might return as titular hero Jason Bourne.

Now Mr. Gilroy has cleared up some of the lingering questions, and put right a few details he didn’t think were properly reported in the first place. One big point is that there will be no Jason Bourne, and consequently no Matt Damon in the new film.

Tony Gilroy called Jeff Wells and told him a couple of key points. First up, while The Bourne Legacy is the title of one of the Bourne novels (though not an original Robert Ludlum one), the film will not follow that book’s story. And this is not a reboot, nor does it invalidate or contradict the story presented in the three existing films.

Mr. Gilroy told Jeff Wells:

It’s a completely original screenplay….This is not a reboot or a recast or a prequel. No one’s replacing Matt Damon. There will be a whole new hero, a whole new chapter…this is a stand-alone project.

The easiest way to think of it is an expansion or a reveal…Jason Bourne will not be in this film, but he’s very much alive. What happened in the first three films is the trigger for what happens. I’m building a legend and an environment and a wider conspiracy…the world we’re making enhances and advances and invites Jason Bourne’s return [down the road].

The promise of this film, the director says, is showing “the bigger canvas” of the world in which Jason Bourne exists, and that those who paid attention to small details in the other three films will be rewarded for doing so.

Setting aside the fact that there’s an attempt here to leave things open for Matt Damon to return (a smart move, it goes without saying) this seems like a reasonable way to continue the series with a new actor. I’m happy to hear that the espionage angle may be emphasized here — will this be less of an action film than the first Bourne movies?

The Chemical Brothers Are Scoring Joe Wright’s ‘Hanna’

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:54:00 +0000

Good news for fans of electronic music AND teen assassins: the Chemical Brothers will be scoring Joe Wright’s upcoming film Hanna, starring the young Soairse Ronan as a trained assassin.

The news comes out of New York Comic-Con, courtesy of Firstshowing. Firstshowing reports that a few scenes were shown from the film that looked “okay,” but that Wright himself confirmed that the Chemical Brothers would be scoring the film to give it a more “modern beat.” The film certainly sounds like it will be a break in tone from Wright’s previous films, which have included the WWII epic Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, and the classical-music-influenced The Soloist.

Here’s the plot synopsis for Hanna:

Hanna (to be played by Ms. Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a solider; these come from being raised by her father (Mr. Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Sweden. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

This news continues a trend of conventional musicians taking on the task of scoring a film (a trend we discuss in an upcoming episode of the /Filmcast: After Dark). Most notably, Trent Reznor recently released a great score for The Social Network, and Daft Punk will be scoring the upcoming Tron Legacy. Musical artists have also used the opportunity to deliver something quite different than their characteristic sound (see the score for The Box by members of Arcade Fire). Whatever the case, I’m excited about this development, and it may make the Hanna soundtrack a must-purchase when it’s released.

Morgan Spurlock to Premiere ‘Committed’ on AMC

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:51:00 +0000

Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D) is set to premiere a new one-hour documentary special titled “Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival“ by on AMC this Tuesday

October 12th at 11pm eastern.

Narrated by AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff and commissioned by AMC, the show highlights the personal journeys of four filmmakers at the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival this past September. Committed follows four filmmakers who spent 12 days at this prestigious event presenting their works to the most discerning critics, buyers and audiences from across the globe. Each filmmaker hopes that his/her film will be the next big thing. From first time filmmakers to an Oscar® nominated auteur to an indie director trying to make the leap to commercial success, this eye opening documentary brings you front and center in the middle of the excitement, the anxiety and the joys of being committed to getting your film seen, sold and accepted. Committed takes you through their ride of a lifetime from their first day at the festival to their last, through the negotiations that may lead to selling their film, as well as the potential devastations and unpredictable glory that may or may not come their way.

The filmmakers featured in the special include: first time documentary filmmaker Sarah McCarthy (The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical); newbie fiction director Shawn Ku (Beautiful Boy); Academy-nominated directed John Sayles (Amigo); and indie veteran George Hickenlooper (Casino Jack). I’ve always found the concept of film festivals interesting, and have had aa simular idea to this revolving around the Sundance Film Festival, in my mind for years. I’ do find it strange that we haven’t heard anything about this project until days before it airs, and the fact that no trailer or television commercial is available online. Read the full press release after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 8, 2010

AMC Premieres Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s Original Documentary “Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival” on October 12 at 11PM/ET

NARRATED AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY AMC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JACOB SOBOROFF, ONE-HOUR SPECIAL FOLLOWS FOUR FILMMAKERS AS THEY DEBUT THEIR FILMS AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010

New York, NY - October 8, 2010 AMC will premiere a new one-hour documentary special, Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival, executive produced by Oscar® and Emmy® Nominated filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock. Narrated by AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff and commissioned by AMC, the show highlights the personal journeys of four filmmakers at the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival this past September. The documentary special will air on October 12, 2010 at 11 PM/ET.

Filming Delayed for Mad Max: Fury Road; Production May Not Resume Until 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:49:00 +0000

Well this is disappointing. After extensive prep work had gone into setting up back-to-back filming of Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa—both to be shot in 3D—the shoot has now been delayed from its originally planned February 2011 date to, if we’re lucky,

February 2012.

This is the second major setback for the film. Production had already been delayed once before, back in July. The cause then was unseasonal rains, which had made the area too fertile for the intended car stunts that would be taking place.

As unfortunate as all this is for Mad Max fans, the film’s crew has it far rougher. The Australian reports on this most recent regression: “The delay has left many major film crew members without work amid fears the high Australian dollar could ultimately kill the film as its budget grows.” Does this mean budget issues are to blame? We can only speculate, as the article doesn’t specify the reason for the delay.

Pre-production on the film won’t resume until later this year, either in August or November. The actual shoot, meanwhile, is anticipated to take place in (as mentioned above) February 2012.

So the silver lining to this news is… the films may actually get made. Not quite what I was hoping for following past exciting updates on George Miller’s continuation of the Mad Max saga, which is set to star the great Tom Hardy, but it’s less disheartening than the alternative.

This Week In Trailers: The Warrior’s Way, Carlos, The College Town, Cash Crop, 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:41:00 +0000

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all
levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?

The Warrior’s Way Trailer

That little noise in your head that is telling you this is going to be a really bad movie? It should be at cacophonous levels when you see this trailer.

Maybe that’s being a little too strong of an opinion about writer/director Sngmoo Lee’s debut work, and it is, but, man alive, just take a look at this thing. It’s got all the tropes of movies we’ve seen countless times before (the steely eyed warriors squaring off for a duel, the hitman who refuses to kill and soon becomes the hunted, the teacher/student dynamic of a hardened assassin learning to be at peace with himself, the 80’s era guitar riffs no doubt stolen from an abandoned Dokken session) but, you know what, I can’t help but not watch it. I tried to resist, I did, but I’m rivetedat what’s gong on here.

The opening sequence, with the aforementioned square off between our hero and his nemesis, just bursts with all the kind of male bravado that’s been missing this year until Sylvester Stallone decided to inject a little HGH into the cinema system with The Expendables, and I love it. It’s hackneyed, it’s not even close to being original, but it’s fun. You’ve got an entire army popping out of the water like they’re something we’ve seen out of Krull, you’ve got Dong-gun Jang and his wonderfully styled hair just tickling the breeze, while we’re given a green screen background that feels like we’re in a self-contained world of imaginary delight. Not only that but when that guitar kicks in and this becomes a Kid Rock video and our hero slaps the tush of Kate Bosworth with the broad side of a sword blade as he teaches her how to become a warrior (Of course!) I think it’s at this point any self-respecting 13 year-old would say this is their Citizen Kane of the fall movie season.

“Ninjas…Damn.”

I don’t know how Geoffrey Rush was coaxed into delivering this line without breaking down in tears (that house in Malibu won’t make the monthly payments by itself) but when the CGI ninjas all descend, one by one, on the rooftops of this dusty sleepy hollow I can’t help but be thrilled that a movie like this is about to be unleashed on the public. The clips near the end where everything becomes a western that was mashed-up with an Asian martial arts movie, the bullets and swords that are brandished, the orgy of violence that is unleashed before our eyes, it’s much too powerful for me to say that this looks completely terrible. I’m helpless against the juvenile inside of me and I will be trying my hardest to resist what looks like a movie that will be the fastest recorded film to go from theaters to the $5.00 DVD bin at Wal-Mart.

Someone, please convince me not to spend money on this.

Carlos Trailer

Carlos the Jackal?

What’s really interesting and piqued my curiosity about this movie is that this has a run time of 140 minutes whereas the original miniseries this new edit is based off of ran well over double that at 330 minutes. Plus, it played on television over the span of three weeks. So, what has been left in and what has been mercifully executed on the cutting room floor? That much I don’t know but what I can say about what I see here is that this movie feels like something in the vein of Mesrine, a fantastic exploration of a man who was bent on being the sociopath he couldn’t help being, in all the right ways. You have a movie that doesn’t want to share the bloat of a Red Riding, although that was fantastic in and of itself, and I think this trailer gives you the essence of what you’re signing up for when you see it.

Edgar Ramirez just blisters the celluloid as we follow this guy’s introduction into the world of terrorism and revolutionary idealist and director Olivier Assayas shows himself to be more than capable of squeezing hours of footage into a narrative that just zings right along in this trailer.

We get a peek into this terrorist’s life as it pertains to what he started out doing and what kind of swagger he was possessed of in order to carry this all off. What we see here shows how he went from idealist to someone who was very good at what he did and that was all kinds of mayhem while also being attractive to the ladies. Now, I don’t know why these kinds of guys always got women lining up to be with them but to see this guy navigate the sea of hootchies he looks to have seduced it made me wonder whether taking up arms would be a good idea.

Apart from the expertly placed film festival designations, the pull-quotes that just fawn over this thing, there is a moment at around the minute fifteen mark that swiftly explains how many countries this guy was in, raising all kinds of terrorist hell, with a sweet break beat doing the work for us.

There is no question this trailer makes the guy look like your modern day Pied Piper but it does it so well that you have to respect the ability for whoever edited this to get just the right pieces of information to accentuate and eliminating the rest.

4192: The Crowning of the Hit King Trailer

Here’s the short of it: this trailer is pretty bad.

Now, why it’s getting included this week is because I believe there is a great documentary here but it’s just being obfuscated by really bad editing and music choices. Really, this is an example of what happens when interesting films just get sold the wrong way which is not to say that this is a miserable trailer, just look to the preview for Chain Letter and that’ll make my point, but there are some things that can be learned by watching this. For all the brilliance that ESPN has put into their 30 for 30 documentary series this one could have used a little spit and polish from the guys who know how to package sports films.

Starting with a narration by J.K. Simmons, who comes off sounding like he’s going to be talking to me about my erectile dysfunction issues with baseball being the metaphor (“Do you remember what it was like to round first base? Realizing now it feels like you’ve been hitting ground balls back to the pitcher for the past ten years?”), the message is jumbled right there. With J.K. bizarrely having to pick up a bat that’s laying prostrate in the dirt, the camera catching every weird inch of Simmons hiking his pants up to do it, we finally see that iconic shot. It’s Pete Rose diving head first, his arms out like Superman. That’s your lead. That’s what you lead off with. Not this.

Getting Pete’s background, seeing old black and white shots of him tearing out of the dugout, getting a little history on the guy, this is interesting. Now, what causes a little bit of a disconnect at this point is the soundtrack playing beneath it. With a dramatic opera consisting of a chorus of men and women chanting as if this was the last thirty seconds of the Spider-Man trailer where they blaze though all sorts of action beats, getting us all into a lather, Pete’s just talking about getting out there and playing baseball. Cue record scratch.

I’m being honest, though, when I say what Pete has to say is riveting. It is, without question, intense. He is talking right at the camera as he talks about the mindset of a man who is charging for home with a catcher standing in his way who doesn’t have the ball. I’m frothing, just vibing off this guy’s passion. To hear him frame 18 of 24 years as failures in the big league because he didn’t make it into the World Series, it’s brilliant. This is what should be focused on, not the bad operatic ditty we get shoved in our ears.

I firmly believe Terry Lukemire has made a documentary I will absolutely watch, no question, even though I question his decision to make one about the Naked Cowboy back in 2001, but this trailer is not doing the film any favors. At all.

Cash Crop Trailer

Man, is this an exciting topic to keep talking about.

Speaking from my own limited experience I can publicly declare I have only taken three puffs off a joint in my life. It didn’t do anything, I didn’t feel any different, and I have always been disappointed, actually, by its non-effect. I don’t feel a great desire to take up the habit but I am telling you that this is an issue that needs to be resolved by way of legalization right now so we can move on with more important matters in our country. There has even been a post from the fine folks at the Freakonomics Blog that talks eloquently about the very real fiscal implications if indeed pot was legalized and taxed. It is interesting, fascinating.

This trailer, however, is a mixed bag. On the one hand you have a great message but you also have some serious issues of bad marketing that are just too glaring not to address.

First, you have a well shot opening as a genteel guy talks about why he’s heading north of San Francisco. We see luscious landscapes of green meadows and grassy hillsides, mixed with shots of people who are working the land. It’s all very evocative but that damn 80’s guitar playing in the background as if this is the start for a Stryper music video is heinous, atrocious.

But then it mellows out. It’s all chill and serene as other people tend to their marijuana plants. It feels kind and peaceful. This is about where the real crux of what we’re dealing with comes into full focus: a town that used to be dependent on fishing and timber is now shifting to one where growing a little kush supplements the income. You get some guy talking about how much a pound might sell for ($6,000, really?), some sheriff who almost seems resigned to the monetary incentives the young kids have, but then it screeches to a halt with some guy talking about legalization and taxation. I would love to be able and say “Isn’t that the truth?” but this little tidbit helps to pop that belief bubble a bit.

Director Adam Ross has made a trailer that couches this debate in a town that seems at a crossroads of seeing one industry slowly disappear while another one is slowly growing in its place. It’s tough to make a choice about what to do with your professional life when something like this, something on the verge of being legal, is right there for the taking. The trailer does a great job in balancing the ideas of both sides on this debate without it being a movie about one or the other.

It’s not black and white, it’s a little gray.

The College Town Trailer

How many times have you seen a parody trailer be included in the top five of the week? Right. Never.

This, though, deserves a little attention because it made me laugh. Made by the hard working kids at Improv Asylum this not only gets it right when it comes to poking fun at a film like The Town but it has some pretty good production values when you consider the plethora of apes armed with Flip cams who think they’re the next undiscovered talents of the comedic underground.

I would pay to see a show with these performers in it if this parody is any indication. Much of the credit should go to Matt Catanzano and Evan Kaufman along with Evan’s aforementioned props at directing something as a goof but coming off looking like a professional calling card for a troupe that got it right.

Single-Panel Comic Strip ‘The Family Circus’ To Become Movie Franchise

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:31:00 +0000

You didn’t think Marmaduke would get all the glory, did you?

That’s right: the most widely syndicated cartoon panel in the world is about to make its live-action big screen debut. Moreover, it’s being envisioned as a franchise. 20th Century Fox and Walden Media got the rights to Bil Keane’s comic, which was introduced in the

’60s and has since been released in compilations that have sold over thirteen million copies worldwide.

Deadline says Fox and Walden competed for the rights with several other studios, but beat them out with a seven figure deal against their six figures. Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir, co-writers on Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, have been hired to write the screenplay. Producing the film are John Baldecchi (Ultraviolet, Cutthroat Island) and Stacy Maes (Jumper).

There isn’t much to the comic, either in terms of character or story, which means this is almost certainly an appeal to brand name recognition. Without The Family Circus in the title—and a reduced emphasis on religion and dotted lines—this movie could just as easily be another Cheaper by the Dozen or Yours, Mine and Ours, much like Marmaduke was just another talking dog movie.

Baldecchi deserves points for persistence though; he spent two years calling and leaving messages in an attempt to persuade Bil Keane and his son (who inks and colors the comic) to make a movie, but they were resistant to the idea, so he never had any of his calls returned. One of those calls finally got through though, and he was able to convince them to move forward with the project. Apparently this is one brand Baldecchi didn’t intend to let slip by him.

David O. Russell to Write/Direct Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:27:00 +0000

Sony has confirmed that David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, The Fighter) is signed on to write and direct a film based on the PlayStation 3 game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Back in June 2009, Sony hired screenwriter Kyle Ward to pen an adaptation, but Ward’s deal fell apart at the last minute because Sony were unwilling to wait around, possibly as long as a year, as Ward was contractually obligated to pen Hitman 2. Sony then went to the writing team Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, whose screenwriting credits include Sahara, the horrible adaptation of A Sound of Thunder, and the upcoming Dylan Dog adaptation Dead of Night and the Marcus Nispel remake of Conan. It was first rumored that Russell might direct Uncharted back in May, but the LA Times reported in August that Russell, the studio and the producers were unable to come to an agreement about the terms of the film. Sony was reportedly pleased with the script and was even considering getting it ready for the studio’s 2011 summer schedule.

Russ Fischer, who knows much more about video games than I ever will, wrote back in June:

Development of Uncharted isn’t a surprise, as it was explicitly designed in the first place to have the quality of a summer adventure film. The story features Nate Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Nate is being shadowed by journalist Elena Fisher as he searches for the coffin of his forefather. When found, the object contains a diary that seems to point to El Dorado, and Nate and Elena are soon involved in a run and gun tale featuring pirates, lost gold and mutant humans.

For an idea of the game’s tone, here’s the trailer for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Read the full Sony-issued press release below:

DAVID O. RUSSELL TO WRITE AND DIRECT

“UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE”

CULVER CITY, Calif., October 8, 2010 – David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter) has been set to write and direct Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an action-adventure based upon the bestselling PlayStation 3 game, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad, and Alex Gartner.

The story follows the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “David is a tremendous choice to take on this film. He’s equally adept at combining all the classic elements involved in this property: great character development, strong comedy, and amazing action sequences. He has a brilliant vision for this material and we know he will bring his original, unique voice to this adaptation.”

The game, developed by the acclaimed team at Naughty Dog, was one of Sony Computer Entertainment’s best-selling and most critically acclaimed games for the PS3. Named IGN’s Best Action Game and Best PS3 Game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold one million copies in the first 10 weeks of its release at the end of 2007 on its way to moving more than 2.6 (confirm) million copies and spawning a sequel. That sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was a major commercial and critical success, winning Game of the Year honors from several influential critics, being named the most critically acclaimed game of the year by Metacritic, and selling more than 3.8 million copies worldwide. Both games are among the all-time best-selling games for the platform.

The project will be overseen at Columbia Pictures by Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/.

Golmaal 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Ajay Devgn: Gopal
Gopal is a young man living in Goa with his mother Geeta and younger brother Laxman. He is an innocent Psycho who loves his mother a lot and fumes over petty issues. A little finicky about certain things, Gopal keeps trying different business skills with his brother
Laxman and best friend Daboo, but they hardly succeed. Highly unsuccessful in all his ventures, Gopal cannot resist the sight of anyone's 'finger' and has broken a number of them in the past.

Kareena Kapoor: Daboo
Daboo is a young good looking tom boyish girl residing in Goa. She has a pet dog named 'Face book'. Gopal and Laxman are Daboo's Best friends. Daboo stays in Goa with her elder sister Chintu. She had lost her parents in her childhood. Innocent at heart, She loves accepting new challenges and beating the hell out of baddies. Daboo believes in living life to the fullest!

Arshad Warsi: Madhav
Madhav stays with his father Pritam and two brothers Lucky and Laxman. An expert in conning people, Madhav earns his livelihood through crediting money from various sources.

Tusshar Kapoor: Lucky
Lucky is Pritam's son. He has two brothers, Madhav and Laxman. He can only express his feelings through the sign language and the famous A - O - A - O lingo that he has. Lucky is very innocent at heart and is loved by all.

Shreyas Talpade: Laxman
Laxman is Gopal's brother and Geeta's son. He has a stammering problem and takes a very long time in expressing his views and opinions. Laxman is involved in all the unsuccessful business ventures with his brother Gopal and Best friend Daboo.

Kunal Khemu: Laxman
Laxman stays with his brothers Madhav and Lucky and father Pritam. He earns his livelihood through cheating people along with his brothers Madhav and Lucky. He is extremely awful with his stupid 'witty lines' and makes sure he uses them in every situation possible.

Mithun Chakraborty: Pritam
A school bus driver taking care of his 3 useless children; Madhav, Lucky and Laxman. A simple man living a simple life.

Ratna Pathak: Geeta
Mother of two, Geeta is a housewife taking care of her beloved children Gopal and Laxman. She is very fond of Daboo, her neighbour and is a very family oriented female.

Johny Lever: Puppy
Puppy Bhai is Goa's mafia with a short term memory problem. He carries a 70's look along with his Henchmen Daga and Teja. He changes his personality every other moment and unknowingly puts his goons in danger.

Sanjay Mishra: Daga
Puppy Bhai's henchmen. He hilariously uses all the wrong spellings possible in his conversation.

Vrajesh Hirjee: Teja
One of Puppy Bhai's henchmen, He is short tempered and thinks of killing his boss Puppy Bhai whenever he sees him losing his memory.

Mukesh Tiwari: Vasooli
Vasooli is in love with Chintu. He provides loan to Gopal and gang for their different business ideas, getting nothing in return.

Ashwini Kalsekar: Chintu
Chintu is Daboo's elder sister. She works in the shack and has a fishery business. Apparently, Chintu is Vasooli's love interest.

Murli Sharma: Dhande
An inspector in Goa, Dhande falls prey to Vasooli's abuses. He's always dragged into the wrong situations for no reason.

Vijay Patkar: Gandhari
Gandhari is a constable. He is always present with Inspector Dhande He has no account of what he speaks. Straightforward and witty, that's Gandhari!

SynopsisIndia's first ever trilogy Golmaal 3 highlights the story of hatred between two bunch of siblings within a family. One of nature's masterpieces, this is a family that eats together, prays together, lives together and a family 'that can't stand each other'.

This quirky unique family will certainly deliver you with some rib tickling moments, ageless romance and some heartwarming scenes.

A beautiful journey full of madness, love and excitement.

A film with the perfect blend of just every emotion that will set in your heart with thrice the fun, thrice the magic, and thrice the laughter.

Golmaal 3 it is!

WATCH TRAILER

Crook: It's Good To Be Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 08:38:00 +0000

Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have often admitted that newspaper headlines citing a burning issue have sown the seeds of a film in their minds. And CROOK, directed by the talented Mohit Suri, deals with one such issue: Racism in Australia. Well, depiction of racism on the
Hindi screen isn't entirely new, since I - PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN explored the issue several monsoons ago. In fact, the issue has only got aggravated across the globe post 9/11. A film like CROOK holds a lot of significance also because the plight of Indian students in Australia continues to hit headlines to this day.

Known for high concept films, Bhatt brothers' new outing CROOK, unfortunately, tackles the issue half-heartedly. Sure, you expect more from the Bhatts since the makers of repute are known to call a spade a spade, but the problem with CROOK is that the message doesn't come across strongly. That's because it tries to strike a balance between a love story and the racism issue. In fact, it takes a really long time to catch the bull by the horns [read the racism issue] and when it does, it doesn't leave a stunning impact. In fact, it's all superficial. Also, the Bhatts are synonymous with lilting music in film after film, but unlike their earlier attempts, the music of CROOK lacks the quality to linger in your memory.

In a nutshell, CROOK comes across as a half-hearted effort.

CROOK tells the story of Jai [Emraan Hashmi], who has a knack of getting into trouble. His father was a gangster who wanted to reform, but was killed by the cops. When Jai grows up, Joseph [Gulshan Grover], a friend of his father, sends him to Australia - a land far away from his past.

Almost immediately after landing, Jai meets Suhani [Neha Sharma], an Indian Australian. Her elder brother Samarth [Arjan Bajwa] is convinced that Australians have a one-point agenda to bring Indians down. Jai finds accommodation with a group of youngsters [Mashhoor Amrohi].

Jai knows that if he can make Suhani fall in love with him, he could eventually attain permanent residency by marrying her. Jai also flirts with Nicole, the stripper from a strip club. However, her brother, Russel, is against Indians and attacks them for a reason. Jai had left India to lead a hassle free life, but finds himself in the heart of a racially disturbed city.

WATCH TRAILER

Do Dooni Chaar

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 21:31:00 +0000

By Subhash K Jha
Starring: Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh
Written & Directed by Habib Faizal
Rating: ***

In a season of overblown action-comedies with superstars laying down the ground-rules for dynamic dada-giri on the large screen, it is refreshing and comforting to see an aging world-weary working-class hero who travels to work on a rickety scooter and tries to fulfil his nucleur family’s dreams of a car.

The journey from the two-wheeler to the four is what Do Dooni Chaar is about.

It’s a simple premise peppered and punctuated by scenes and dialogues straight out of a Punjabi middleclass household in Delhi where the two grownup kids dream of BMWs and IPL shares while the father tries to put together money for an Alto and chicken meals for his family.

The film directed by debutant Habib Faizal, has a heartwarming slice-of-life feel to it. Rishi Kapoor, playing a working-class loser for the first time in his career (Shah Rukh in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 20 years later) pitches in a near-flawless performance as a maths teacher whose students have gone on to own the best cars in the world while he, the gyan guru, remains frozen in his middleclass karma.

Mercifully the neatly scripted (but at times a little under-done) film opts not to focus on the irony of a knowledge-giver’s financial burdens.

Instead the plot cleverly digs out situations where the Duggal family is shown getting into comic crises, such as the wedding at Rishi’s sister’s in-laws’ place where the Duggal parivar has to show up in a borrowed car. These situations written sensibly and enacted convincingly echo the savagery of life for the workingclass without wasting time feeling sorry for the characters.

Not just Rishi’s Kapoor’s character…Even his wife played by the lovely Neetu Singh comes across as unfussy practical clever and sensible householder who makes ends meet not by the size of her husband’s income but by a miraculous mix of common sense and uncommon guts.

It’s a pleasure beyond measure to watch Rishi and Neetu play their real-life roles on screen. For those of us who watched the pair do Khullam khulla pyar in their heydays watching them slip effortlessly into the roles of harried parents seems like a journey well taken.

Add the two teenage actors playing Rishi-Neetu’s son (Archit Krishna) and daughter (Aruna Vasudev) into the plot.

And we are face-to-face with as real a family as it can get in a quirky whimsical earthy and heartwarming saga of a working class family’s promotion in life from the scooter to the automobile.

The script sometimes careens towards a scathing comment on the road taken by the underpaid teaching fraternity country. Blessedly Rishi Kapoor, one of the finest and most underrated actors of our country, plays Santosh Duggal as a bit of a rogue, not averse to shortcuts when the going gets really tough.

The humanization and under-idealization of the knowledge-giver is a clever touch in the script. The debutant director demonstrates substantial scripting skills in the way he leads his protagonist up the road of corruption and then pulls him back from temptation just in time.

On a level that goes beyond entertainment Do Dooni Chaar is actually a timely warning to the architects of the country’s education system.

The film says…don’t let the guru become a shishya of compromised idealism. Pay the teacher well. On the other hand if such a reform in the educationalist’s lives really happened we wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing Rishi Kapoor deliver such a lived-in bravura performance.

Go for Do Dooni Chaar. Its title says it all, suggesting not only that the protagonist is a mathematician but also that he is constantly trying to count the ways to make his family’s life comfortable.