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I’ll definitely be checking out State of Play when it appears on DVD, sounds great.

Luke Stevens - 06 July 2009 02:56 PM

I’ll definitely be checking out State of Play when it appears on DVD, sounds great.

The DVD release date is set for 16 September. They are also re-stocking the 2003 BBC series of the same name in a 2 disc set - on which the US movie’s storyline is mostly based. I saw the original series on ABC TV and it stretched over 5 hours. The latest US version is just over two hours and has a fast tempo of sustained tension. For lovers of good drama, definitely one not to be missed.

After several very busy weeks, we have finally found time to catch a few movies.  “The Proposal” turned out to be an interesting romantic tale. Enough laughs to make it a comedy, good smooth dialogue and talented cast to make it entertaining - and outstanding scenery ( of another place we’ll never get to visit ) to make if pleasant to the eye. ( It really is a beautiful world that God has created. )

Basic storyline is : Sandra Bullock plays a topflight Canadian Book Editor in New York who wants to marry her assistant in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. They fly to meet his family in Alaska - to announce their “engagement”.

Interestingly, the closing credits had no reference to where it was filmed - so, full of curiosity, I googled when I got home and found this bit of trivia :

Nowhere does it list Alaska as an actual film location. The film was actually filmed in Boston and on Boston’s North Shore. In one of the scenes, you can see the famous Rockport icon, “Motif No.1”, the little red shack famous for being a subject of many famous painters’ and photographers’ work. Snow-capped mountains (or any mountains, for that matter) are nowhere to be found on the North Shore. Those were added in digitally.

Ah, the illusion of movies - Alaska one day - Boston the next ! An entertaining “chick flick” that a few of us guys can appreciate too - I give it 7 out of 10. And my wife gave me full points for taking her so see it ;)

Saw a few DVDs over the weekend. 

Bolt was predictable but still good action involving a dog, cat and hamster - 7/10.

Lakeview Terrace was ordinary except for the last gripping 10min.  Samuel L Jackson did as well as he could in the role but I felt was constrained a little - 6/10.

Had a sisters’ day out to see the latest Harry Potter instalment. As a book purist, wasn’t too unimpressed. The M rating was justified, though all the teenage angst moments were really good fun to watch - almost as good as the way the book depicts them!

Saw trailer for Where The Wild Things Are. Might use some movie gift vouchers on that one.. .. ..but I have much bigger fish to fry right now (cf. MARK chapter 1, verses 14-20).

TZ.

Not seeing My Sisters’ Keeper Tia?  That film has ‘chick flick’ written all over it (not interested myself though hehe).

Interestingly, this film seems to go a bit beyond merely “chick flick” status.

My Sister’s Keeper (2004), by Jodi Picoult, is a novel about a young girl who sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned in order to save her older sister’s life. The main themes surrounding this novel are family and bioethics.

I have read that the film and the novel have a few variations - the main difference in the adaptation is the ending. With Cameron Diaz and Alec Baldwin heading up the cast, this medical ethics movie looks more intriguing than the title might imply.

Thanks for the recommendation Arthur ;)

ps Handy hint for Arthur : make sure you go to “chick flicks” with a “chick” and not just your manly Kung Fu mates !

Well I got completely thrown off when the previews to MSK said “From the director of The Notebook…”

Lol at the ps, the only people I see chick flicks with are either girls or my family.

Not seeing My Sisters’ Keeper Tia?  That film has ‘chick flick’ written all over it (not interested myself though hehe).

Hah! Chick flicks? I’d only go see one of them if I were paid a year’s teaching salary. In Advance.

Oh, and of course if any of my girlfriends, ballet friends or Christian sisters-in-Christ wanted to watch one at a girls’-only social/ night out.

I’ve never been a movie junkie. As I said to one of my British team members during mission, I prefer a book. Oh well. Some of us have to be nerds by nature. For me it’s just part & parcel of having the gift of langues (Fr.-En. “tongues/languages”.)

TZ.

If you’re into Chinese martial arts films, SBS TWO (Channel 32) is showing on debut Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) at 9pm tonight.  Great action flick!

Fast & Furious - 7/10.  You can tell I like action films (racing scenes are cool too).

Knowing - 7/10.  Great disaster movie with a bad ending.

Meteor - 6/10.  This was the one that showed last Saturday night on Ch.7, PVR’d it to skip over one hours’ worth of adds.  Reasonable with average acting for the most part, but could do with a bigger budget in sections.

Seen quite a few more films but the most significant:

District 9 - 7.5/10.  Great action combining the concepts of Cloverfield and Minority Report.

Coraline - 6/10.  Has some great Christian concepts (what looks and feels good may be the work of the devil).  Quite weird and uncomfortable for an animated PG movie, it will polarise viewers.  Disappointed me but may well satisfy other viewers!

I finally get the net again and my fav forums disappears. How things change…

Anyhow, just saw District 9. Pretty awesome, very different. It is violent but I would rate it an 8/10.

I agree that Knowing had a rubbish ending. It was pretty decent except for the last half hour.

Public Enemies: 7/10 (awesome cinematography but too cold)

The Ugly Truth: 7/10 (funny and crude but lame ending)

Forgot to say that I thought GI Joe to be very entertaining - 8/10.  Of course, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Saw Inglourious Basterds, the new Tarantino flick. Very violent but brilliantly filmed with great dialogue and Brad Pitt is pure genius in it. 8/10

Arthur Lee - 25 August 2009 05:04 PM

Forgot to say that I thought GI Joe to be very entertaining - 8/10.  Of course, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

I agree - ” one person’s trash is another’s treasure “. However, if you want to get your pulse racing - then I too reckon G I Joe worthy of 8 out of 10. Gotta love all that CGI and special effects ;)

Loved seeing Christopher Eccleston as a baddie. I well remember him in a regular role in the TV series “Cracker” ( early ‘90’s )  that made him a recognizable figure in the UK. He also was “Dr Who” in 2005.

The end of G I Joe: Rise of the Cobra certainly had “SEQUEL” written all over it.

We just got home after seeing “The Taking of Pelham 123”. The 1998 remake was really terrible - I always wondered why anyone would bother messing about with such a classic as the original 1974 film starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. That original version remains in my top list of classic crime dramas - we saw that during it’s first week of release too. It’s approach was so fresh and captivating at the time.

And so we were a bit apprehensive about this latest effort. Well, may I just say that the re-write is fantastic. It has been re-cast in modern ( electronic gadgetry ) 2009 - so anyone else familiar with the 1974 film will be most enthusiastic about what they have prepared for us. And - for film buffs - it’s again worth staying until the final credits have rolled for that little bit extra.  Catch the ride soon for yourself - I give it an energetic 8.5 out of 10.

We caught the new AUSSIE film “Charlie and Boots” last night. ( Being the 5pm session, we luxuriously had the entire cinema 1 at Beverly Hills to ourselves. ( Now that’s definitely a form of Gold Class - at bronze prices. )

PAUL HOGAN teams up with SHANE JACOBSON ( “Kenny” ) to play father and son, Charlie & Boots. They’re not actually the best of friends, there’s been some falling out over the years, but when Charlie’s wife Grace dies,  this dairy farmer from Warrnambool loses it. He just sits around the house, stunned at his loss.  Boots, concerned about his father, decides to take him on a trip they’d talked about but never done… go fishing at the northernmost part of Australia - Cape York.

Margaret Pomeranz’s full review is at :  http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2656452.htm

We liked the story-telling approach to this “road trip” movie. Their past ‘failures’ in life slowly ( and naturally ) unfold during the long ride north. A distant relationship between father and son is challenged by their shared drive north. The changing Australian countryside along the way is also a main ‘character’ in this beautiful movie - it brought back many a memory of past holidays and country work trips. They stop at various country towns and cities along the way - and interact with locals in various ( and sometimes ) hilarious ways.

We’ld eagerly see it again - and I give it it 7 out of 10 - plus a bonus point for those beautiful sunsets and incredible Oz scenery. If you stay to the very end of the credits ( as we always do ) you’ll see the best joke in the film.

Do yourself a favour - and catch this beaut Aussie film for a relaxed and fun “time out” from the hurly burly of city life. Then go and throw another shrimp on the barbie !

Some interesting news on future movies based on C S Lewis’s novels has arrived from Christianity Today :

Biblical perspectives on contemporary cinema :

Friday, October 09, 2009

The Great (Big) Divorce

With a third Narnia film coming down the pike (Voyage of the Dawn Treader is now being filmed, and will release in May), Hollywood already recognizes that movies based on C.S. Lewis books can be a very hot property. Walden Media, which has produced the three Narnia pics, also owns the rights to The Screwtape Letters, though that project has been delayed numerous times.

Now comes word that another Lewis book, The Great Divorce, is coming to the big screen. Little-known Beloved Pictures announced this week that it has acquired the film rights to TGD, and that David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars, Seeker: The Dark Is Rising) will direct. Cunningham, 38, is a Christian and the son of Youth With a Mission co-founders Loren and Darlene Cunningham.

The Great Divorce tells the story of one man’s journey—on a bus!—from the post-apocalyptic wasteland of a grey town to the outskirts of heaven. No word yet on when the film might be released.

Douglas Gresham, Lewis’s stepson, has said that he would also like to see his stepfather’s space trilogy—Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength—turned into movies some day, but so far, no one has bought those rights.

Has anyone seen Mao’s Last Dancer yet?

Chi Cao, who plays the main character, trained with the Royal Ballet in London (before going to Birmingham), so his dancing at least should be top quality.

TZ.

Not yet.  Any other good movies out?  Haven’t seen one in the cinemas for a while (2mths+)

See “Surrogates” for an incredible sci-fi adventure. We loved “Up” in 3D - lots of adult themes included in this animation classic.

Looking forward to seeing “G Force” (  in 3D of course ) - and “Julie and Julia” with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams ( from ‘Doubt’ ) - but be warned Arthur, it might be a chick flick - but as it’s a movie about food, just go and enjoy it - but it’ll probably be best to go there with a full stomach. I couldn’t bear to be having hunger pangs whilst seeing all that food on the big screen for 2 hours ;)

Yes Tia I saw “Mao’s Last Dancer”  to-day. It would rank next to “Gone with the Wind ” as one of the most memorable films I have seen. Will get a swag of Oscars for sure. Chi Cao is a magnificent dancer, but the director B.B (not Brigitte Bardot) did an outstanding job. He handled the artistic, political and sexual differences between east and west with sensitive and positive ease ,which I dont think Hollywood could do. Ballet dancing is something special to me also. It sort of give us the right to be God’s special creation. I still cannot forget “Turning Point” . Another ballet film that brings tears to your eyes also. Actually I don’t mind admitting that I used a towel towards the end of “Mao’s Dancer”

My parents saw Mao’s Last Dancer and enjoyed it.  Not my kind of flick so I didn’t join them!

Up - 7.5/10.  Very good but ultimately overrated (many people are calling it a classic).
The Proposal - 7/10.  Won’t forget the Sandra Bullock rap dancing scene for some time yet!
Fired Up 5.5/10.  Run of the mill teen comedy.

Salut!

doug leverett - 23 October 2009 08:32 PM

saw “Mao’s Last Dancer”  to-day. It would rank next to “Gone with the Wind ” as one of the most memorable films I have seen. Will get a swag of Oscars for sure. Chi Cao is a magnificent dancer, but the director B.B (not Brigitte Bardot) did an outstanding job. He handled the artistic, political and sexual differences between east and west with sensitive and positive ease ,which I dont think Hollywood could do. Ballet dancing is something special to me also. It sort of give us the right to be God’s special creation. I still cannot forget “Turning Point” . Another ballet film that brings tears to your eyes also. Actually I don’t mind admitting that I used a towel towards the end of “Mao’s Dancer”

If I can find a decent park at Hornsby, I’m going to catch that film during tonight’s dinner hour - have got a movie voucher that expires TOMORROW, so must use it now!
(Though I’m so busy & tired.. .. ..)

Here’s few minute-long clips of a dancer in the same roles that Chi Cao danced during the film - Mikhail Baryshnikov, with incredible turns (between 3 and 8 in the one go).

Don Quixote solo: Mid-ballet

Don Quixote solo: Last act

This final clip is a lot longer, but go to 1 minute 52 seconds, and you’ll see him do more than 20 turns in one go (I counted!).

What is astounding is that he makes it look so EASY.

Sorry - bit of a tangent there!

TZ.