Thursday, January 29, 2009

"The Curse of Potter"?


REPORT: Actors who have worked on the Harry Potter movies believe the films are cursed after a series of tragic deaths and mishaps over the years.

In the latest incident on Wednesday this week, Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double was left badly hurt after a freak accident on set at Leavesden Studios in Watford.

Rob Knox who played the role of Marcus Belby in the yet-to-be-released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince died after being stabbed in Sidcup in May last year.

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During filming of the sixth Harry Potter film The Half-Blood Prince shooting had to be axed after the set was battered by storms and then streakers and special-effects mistakes halted filming in Farnham, Surrey.

Film bosses brought in ex-SAS body-guards to protect Daniel Radcliffe in March last year after he received a death threat from a stalker.

Dumbledore actor Richard Harris died in October 2002 after losing his battle against cancer. The 72-year-old appeared in the two Harry Potter movies, The Philopsers’ Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.

LINK TO STORY

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

UPDATE: Review Posting

Finally, I promised to post up every review I've done since 2005. The reviews prior to 2005 are still buried somewhere and would require updating and editing. Anyway, this notice is to announce that my reviews already posted online won't be available for download while I post up the older ones.

I'm planning to post up the reviews January 31st!

Stay tuned!

-Andres

Protests against 'Slumdog Millionaire' continue in Bihar capital

REPORT: Slum dwellers in Bihar's capital continued to protest Monday against Oscar-nominated film 'Slumdog Millionaire', demanding the film's makers remove the word dog from the title.

The protesters said their sensibilities had been offended by the title, which they said was abusive of people who live in slums. The protests continued for the second day, even as Republic Day was being celebrated.

A group of slum dwellers protested against the showing of the film at Ashok cinema hall Sunday, while some protesters tore down posters and banners of the film.

The Jhuggi Jhonpdi Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti (a group promoting the rights of slum dwellers) threatened to burn the film's director Danny Boyle in effigy.

'We will burn Danny Boyle in effigy in 56 slums here,' Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, general secretary of the group said.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

'Che' spurs debate, Del Toro walkout

Thursday, January 22, 2009

List of 81st Annual Oscar Nominations



LIST

1. Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

2. Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."

3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"; Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"; Meryl Streep, "Doubt"; Kate Winslet, "The Reader."

4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"; Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"; Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"; Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road."

5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "Doubt"; Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; Viola Davis, "Doubt"; Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler."

6. Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; Gus Van Sant, "Milk"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."

7. Foreign Film: "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class," France; "Departures," Japan; "Revanche," Austria; "Waltz With Bashir," Israel.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"; Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"; David Hare, "The Reader"; Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."

9. Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"; Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"; Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"; Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"; Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Bolt"; "Kung Fu Panda"; "WALL-E."

11. Art Direction: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Duchess," "Revolutionary Road."

12. Cinematography: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

13. Sound Mixing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

14. Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

15. Original Score: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat; "Defiance," James Newton Howard; "Milk," Danny Elfman; "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman; "WALL-E," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road."

18. Documentary Feature: "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," "Encounters at the End of the World," "The Garden," "Man on Wire," "Trouble the Water."

19. Documentary (short subject): "The Conscience of Nhem En," "The Final Inch," "Smile Pinki," "The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306."

20. Film Editing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire."

21. Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

22. Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes," "Lavatory — Lovestory," "Oktapodi," "Presto," "This Way Up."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)," "Manon on the Asphalt," "New Boy," "The Pig," "Spielzeugland (Toyland)."

24. Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man."

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Complete list of winners at the Golden Globes

Complete list of winners at Sunday's 66th annual Golden Globes held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, California:

MOTION PICTURES:

Picture, Drama: ``Slumdog Millionaire.''
Picture, Musical or Comedy: ``Vicky Christina Barcelona.''
Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, ``The Wrestler.''
Kate Winslet, ``Revolutionary Road.''
Director: Danny Boyle, ``Slumdog Millionaire.''
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, ``In Bruges.''
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, ``Happy-Go-Lucky.''
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, ``The Dark Knight.''
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, ``The Reader.''
Foreign Language Film: ``Waltz With Bashir.''
Animated Film: ``Wall-E.''
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, ``Slumdog Millionaire.''
Original Score: A.R. Rahman, ``Slumdog Millionaire.''
Original Song: ``The Wrestler'' (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), ``The Wrestler.''

TELEVISION:

Series, Drama: ``Mad Men.''
Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, ``In Treatment.''
Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, ``True Blood.''
Series, Musical or Comedy: ``30 Rock.''
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, ``30 Rock.''
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, ``30 Rock.''
Miniseries or Movie: ``John Adams.''
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, ``John Adams.''
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, ``John Adams.''
Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, ``Recount.''
Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, ``John Adams.''

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg.

Monday, January 5, 2009

MSNBC: TRAVOLTA FAMILY MOURNS SON’S DEATH

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Spirit (Review Date: January 1, 2009)


Archived Reviews (2005-2009)

Click on the movie title to download the PDF version of my review!

2005

Batman BeginsCrash Fantastic FourJarhead King KongKingdom Of HeavenMunich Saw II Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The SithSyriana The 40 Year Old VirginThe Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The WardrobeThe Great RaidThe IslandThe ProducersWalk The LineWar Of The WorldsWedding Crashers

2006

Babel Borat Casino RoyaleDéjà VuEragon Flags of Our FathersFlyboys Ice Age: The MeltdownMarie AntoinetteMission: Impossible IIINight At The MuseumPan's LabyrinthPirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestSaw IIIScary Movie 4Superman ReturnsTalladega Nights: The Ballard Of Ricky BobbyThe Da Vinci CodeThe IllusionistThe PrestigeThe Pursuit Of HappynessUnited 93V For VendettaX-Men: The Last Stand

2007

3:10 To Yuma300 AtonementBlades of GloryDisturbiaEnchantedEpic MovieFantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver SurferI Am LegendNo Country For Old MenOcean's 13Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's EndRescue DawnRush Hour 3Saw IVShrek The ThirdSpider-Man 3Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetThe Bourne UltimatumThe Simpsons MovieTransformers

2008

24: RedemptionAppaloosaBody Of LiesCaptain BlastoCloverfieldGet SmartHancockHellboy II: The Golden ArmyHorton Hears A WhoIndiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal SkullIron ManKung Fu PandaLeatherheadsQuantum Of SolaceSemi-ProSeven PoundsThe Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Dark KnightThe Forbidden KingdomThe Incredible HulkThere Will Be BloodTraitorWALL-E

2009

DefianceGran TorinoSlumdog MillionaireThe Spirit