On Friday, we heard that Stephen King’s Under the Dome had been optioned by DreamWorks TV as an “event series.” I think the new novel is extremely well-suited to a miniseries format and can’t wait to see how it turns out (if you haven’t seen my review of Under the Dome, it’s here).

Mitchell

Of course, this news can only mean one thing—coming up with casting ideas! I could see Elizabeth Mitchell of “Lost” doing a good job as Julia.

Murphy in 'Batman Begins'

Actor Cillian Murphy has a talent for being creepy without becoming a caricature (Red Eye, anyone?), so he’d be a great Junior. But at 33, is he too old for the role?

As for Big Jim and Barbie—I’m stumped! And what about the endearing Joe McClatchy and his teen cohorts? Other Under the Dome readers, share your ideas in the comments.

Ik heb afgelopen maandag de film Batman Begins (2005) op tv gezien. In deze film worden de hoofdrollen gespeeld door Christian Bale als Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine als Alfred, Morgan Freeman als Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman als Jim Gordon, Rutger Hauer als Earle, Cillian Murphy als Dr. Jonathan Crane, Liam Neeson als Henri Ducard, Ken Watanabe als Ra’s Al Ghul, Colin McFarlane als Loeb en Katie Holmes als Rachel Dawes.

De kleine jongen Bruce Wayne zag zijn ouders voor zijn ogen wreed vermoord worden: een trauma dat hem voor de rest van zijn leven vervult met wraakgevoelens. Het lot laat hem zijn wraak echter niet uitvoeren. Hij vlucht naar het Oosten, waar hij opgevangen wordt door de ninja-leider Ra’s Al-Ghul, en als hij terugkeert naar zijn thuisstad Gotham City vindt hij die in de handen van maffiabendes en andere gangsters. Hij besluit een nieuw persoon te worden, één die de harten van misdadigers met vrees vervult: Batman! Met de hulp van politieman Jim Gordon zet Batman zijn eerste stappen in zijn strijd tegen het onrecht. Zijn strijd begint tegen de maffiabaas Don Falcone, de gekke dokter Jonathan ’Scarecrow’ Crane en een mysterieuze derde persoon …
[FilmTotaal.nl]

Ik vind dit een hele goede Batman-film. Juist het fet dat de beslissing die Bruce Wayne neemt om als Batman de misdaad te bestrijden halverwege de film genomen wordt vind ik moedig en is verder heel goed uitgewerkt.

Wat ik ook heel goed vind is dat je ziet dat Bruce Wayne altijd last heeft gehad van het feit dat zijn ouders voor zijn ogen vermoord zijn. Ook wel leuk om te zien dat Bruce Wayne bij een groep Ninja’s terecht gekomen is om zichzelf te stalen en veel te leren.

Verder blijft Gotham City gewoon erg gaaf om in beeld te brengen en dat is ook in deze film heel goed gelukt. De nieuwe batmobiel is natuurlijk supergaaf!!

Al met al een film die gewoon zeer goed en onderhoudend is.

El ganador del Oscar Danny Boyle podría volver a confiar en Cillian Murphy para protagonizar su próximo proyecto. Actor y director, que ya han coincidido en 28 Días Después y Sunshine, podrían repetir en 127 Hours, drama basado en hechos reales cuyo guión, según cuentan, tiene más de una hora de metraje sin diálogo alguno. No es de extrañar, ya que la película narrará la sobrecogedora historia real de un montañero que, tras quedar atrapado su brazo bajo una roca, tuvo que tomar la difícil decisión de amputárselo para así escapar y lograr sobrevivir. Boyle, muy propenso a trabajar siempre con la gente que ya le ha dado buenos resultados, no ha confirmado sin embargo ningún nombre más atado al proyecto.

Un film del 2010, regia di Brendan Gleeson, con Jonathan Rhys Meyers / Colin Farrell / Cillian Murphy / Gabriel Byrne. Prodotto da ()

Uno studente dublinese sta scrivendo un romanzo su un romanziere moderno di nome Trellis. Questo autore vuole scrivere un libro contro il peccato e, a tale scopo, recluta molti personaggi presi in prestito da altri romanzi o da antiche saghe e favole irlandesi come il famoso eroe Finn McCool. Infine ne crea alcuni completamente originali. Però Trellis è anche uno che dorme molto e mentre dorme i suoi personaggi non sanno cosa fare e parlano del più e del meno, interrotti costantemente da Finn che vuole raccontare la storia di Sweeney sugli alberi. Durante i sonni di Trellis succede poi che i personaggi si ribellino. Pare infatti che Trellis abbia violentato un personaggio femminile di sua creazione e allora gli altri decidono di punirlo per le sue malefatte cominciando a raccontarsi storie in cui il povero romanziere viene picchiato e tormnetato con mezzi magici, per essere alla fine sbattuto sull’albero dove si trova il pazzo Sweeney.

Un film del 2010, regia di Brendan Gleeson, con Jonathan Rhys Meyers / Colin Farrell / Cillian Murphy / Gabriel Byrne. Prodotto da ()

Uno studente dublinese sta scrivendo un romanzo su un romanziere moderno di nome Trellis. Questo autore vuole scrivere un libro contro il peccato e, a tale scopo, recluta molti personaggi presi in prestito da altri romanzi o da antiche saghe e favole irlandesi come il famoso eroe Finn McCool. Infine ne crea alcuni completamente originali. Però Trellis è anche uno che dorme molto e mentre dorme i suoi personaggi non sanno cosa fare e parlano del più e del meno, interrotti costantemente da Finn che vuole raccontare la storia di Sweeney sugli alberi. Durante i sonni di Trellis succede poi che i personaggi si ribellino. Pare infatti che Trellis abbia violentato un personaggio femminile di sua creazione e allora gli altri decidono di punirlo per le sue malefatte cominciando a raccontarsi storie in cui il povero romanziere viene picchiato e tormnetato con mezzi magici, per essere alla fine sbattuto sull’albero dove si trova il pazzo Sweeney.

Mini critiques de films vus en août/septembre…

Garden State
De Zach Braff

En 2005, Zach Braff (connu par la série Scrubs) sort son premier long-métrage, un film à la fois décalé, triste et drôle, à consonance autobiographique. Résultat : c’est l’histoire d’une magnifique rencontre entre deux personnages que tout opposent, Sam (jouée admirablement par Natalie Portman) et Large (Zach Braff lui-même). A voir et revoir. Jean Pierre Jeunet le dit “Original, inspiré. Zach Braff est un surdoué.” Et on ne peut que lui donner raison.

Big Fish
De Tim Burton

A venir

Inglorious Basterds
De Quentin Tarantino

La seconde guerre mondiale revisitée par QT avec un casting hallucinant composé d’acteurs qui s’amusent (Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent), des scènes et des répliques bientôt cultes (“I want my scalp ” ou ” That’s a bingoo”). Et une grande révélation : Christoph Waltz.

District 9
De Neill Blomkamp

La première moitié de District 9 montre un film très, très impressionnant. Filmé en permanence sous le point de vue de caméras de télévisions, de caméras de sécurité ou d’hélicoptères, la réalisation est nerveuse, bluffante. Graphiquement, les aliens sont plus que crédibles… Scénaristiquement, l’orginalité est de mise, tant dans la personnalité du personnage que dans le synopsis.
Malheureusement, tout bascule durant la seconde moitié du film. Fusillades, fumée, militaire au crâne rasé, héros héroïque et grands sentiments. C’est dommage. A voir tout de même, et inventer sa propre fin.

28 jours plus tard
De Danny Boyle

Ça aurait pu être un banal film-de-zombies-qui-fait-peur, mais Danny Boyle (Slumdog milionnaire) arrive à composer quelque chose d’étonnant et de profond sur un sujet pourtant déjà pas mal traité (notamment par Romero). Filmé du style documentaire (repris dans des films comme Cloverfield ou plus réussi Rec), les passages qui se déroulent dans un Londres totalement vide sont très réussits. Et la présence du charismatique Cillian Murphy apporte beaucoup au film.

Victor Victoria
De Blake Edwards

“Une femme qui prétend être un homme qui prétend être une femme.” C’est sur tout ce paradoxe que se fonde ce film pétillant et tendre. On pardonne à Victor Victoria des longueurs et une fin qui n’en est pas une puisque Julie Andrews illumine joliment ce film. Blake Edwards sait mêler à la perfection scènes burlesques et numéros musicaux dignes de Broadway. La partie centrale du film est un pur délice.

Un prophète
De Jacques Audiard

Un magnifique film de Jacques Audiard sur l’univers carcéral ou l’histoire de Malik un petit qui deviendra grand (joué extraordinairement par Tahar Rahim). C’est beau, brutal et le film mérite plus que jamais son premier prix du jury à Cannes.

Peau d’âne / Les parapluies de Cherbourg
De Jacques Demy

Deux comédies musicales de Jacques Demy très touchantes, poétiques et colorées. Peau d’âne est une reprise fidèle du conte : des morceaux entiers de dialogues ou de narrations sont extraits du conte de Perrault. Cependant, les quelques touches de modernité et la présence de Delphine Seyrig décalent à merveille ce conte classique. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, quant à lui, présente une histoire d’amour déchirante entièrement en chanté. Les couleurs et les décors sont ici l’atout fort de ce film parfois plaintif, mais jamais agaçant.
Dans les deux cas, Demy et Deneuve nous enchantent.

L’armée du crime
De Robert Guédiguian

Le film est plus intéressant par son propos que par sa forme : l’histoire de l’armée Manouchian, groupe de résistants immigrés durant la seconde guerre mondiale est passionnante. On regrette juste que la mise en scène soit inexistante, mais certains acteurs (comme Robinson Stévenin ou Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) sont particulièrement convaincants.

So, last week I blogged about the lack of imagination and message in franchise horror movies. I said that, essentially, franchise horror is the “safe choice,” which is what makes it so popular. I also claimed that I don’t really “get” the appeal of franchise horror movies. For the most part, this is true. While, like many horror fans, I enjoy the “ride” predictable horror movies provide, I still require some kind of moral question, or a good reason behind the violence on screen. Otherwise, I feel like the movie just isn’t worth my time.

Perhaps that’s why, in the entirety of my experience watching horror movies, there is one particular subgenre that, although it’s one of the most formulaic, manages to consistently present a message along with massive amounts of gore. That subgenre is the zombie movie.

Ever since George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” kicked everything into messy high gear in 1968, the zombie has come to represent more than just an undead cannibal corpse lusting after brains. The zombie is the perfect blank slate for horror movie symbolism. It can represent just about anything you want. The zombie has been used to represent consumerism (“Dawn of the Dead,”) suburban complacency, (“Shaun of the Dead,”) racism and fear of the other (“Night of the Living Dead,” “Land of the Dead”). Romero has said of his films, “My movies are about other things, and zombies are just an annoyance.” In a zombie movie, it’s not the zombies that are actually the important thing. What’s important is the human drama created by their presence.

That human drama is the characteristic that, in my mind, makes the zombie movie so cool, as well as easy to replicate. Zombie movies follow a formula that is tailor-made to create moral dilemmas and human tension. Generally what happens is this: Zombies attack. The main character, in an attempt to escape the carnage, falls in with another survivor, or a group of survivors. After barricading themselves into a makeshift stronghold, the group tentatively starts forming connections. But there’s always at least one jerk that ruins it for everyone else. Arguments and accusations start flying, someone gets bitten, everyone gets conflicted over whether or not they should kill said bite victim. After waiting too long to make a decision (they always wait too long, instead choosing to discuss the ethical implications), the bitten friend or relative comes back to life, at which point all the outside zombies somehow find a way to infiltrate the stronghold, where there is the Final Showdown. At this point, there are usually two outcomes: a) everyone dies, b) the two characters with romantic chemistry survive to (we can only assume) repopulate the earth.

See what I mean? Yes, you can probably figure out from moment one of a zombie movie what’s going to happen and how, but the dynamic that emerges when anxious people with differing points of view are boarded up in one room and asked to work together or die can be just fascinating to watch.

Whenever I’m asked to convince people as to what makes zombie movies a genre worthy of attention, I give two examples: “Dawn of the Dead” (Romero’s original), and “28 Days Later.” Both are excellent representations of zombie movies at their political and morally thoughtful best.

“Dawn of the Dead” strikes me as the most politicized of Romero’s catalog. The consumerist tone is clearly presented from the moment the protagonists set up camp in the shopping mall. At one point, looking over the undead mob congregating outside the mall, one character, Peter, muses, “They’re after the place. They don’t know why, they just remember. Remember that they want to be in here.” Romero is presenting his audience with the notion that, as consumers, people are sheep. We want stuff, and lots of it. We don’t know why, we just know that we want it. In another scene, the whole group of survivors goes hog wild in a department store, excited that they can now appropriate anything they could possibly need or want for free. The mall is their haven. After a while, of course, as is the fashion with zombie movies, everything falls apart. But while it lasts, the situation seems pretty nice.

“28 Days Later” is, in my opinion, about as good a movie as you can find in either the zombie subgenre, or the horror genre as a whole. Generally speaking, director Danny Boyle’s movies can be pretty hit-or-miss, but his horror movies and psychological thrillers tend to be right on the money. His first film, “Shallow Grave,” presented audiences with a moral dilemma if ever there was one, and “28 Days Later” does exactly the same thing. Essentially, the audience is given this horrible apocalyptic situation, and two different ways that people choose to survive in that situation. We could take the moral high ground, with Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson, and realize the importance of maintaining human connection in a mostly-abandoned world. Or, if straight-up ruthless survival sounds better, we can side with Christopher Eccleston and his sexually frustrated soldiers. Of course, Boyle sends the message that the way of Eccleston and co. is basically the road to self-destruction, but you can’t help but feel a little bad for the guy. He may have acted horribly but, in the end, he was only doing what he thought was right.

Zombie movies may be formulaic. They may be easy to set up. But, unlike so many other subgenres, they have the potential to make an audience think. We laugh at the zombies trying to force their way into the mall in “Dawn of the Dead,” or the zombie carnival in “Land of the Dead” because these things are absurd. But, if we consider what these characterizations are meant to represent, how absurd do they make us look? Zombie movies are, at their most basic level, an opportunity for a director to turn the camera back on his audience and say “Look. These guys are us. They are what we have become.” If they want to throw a gallon or two of red corn syrup around for emphasis, then so much the better.

♥ “Mammoth”

In this indie movie, Gael Garcia Bernal (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”) and Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain”) play a couple whose lives start unraveling when Bernal flirts with infidelity on a business trip in Thailand.

The story also focuses on their live-in Filipino nanny, which is exciting since very few Filipino actors breakthrough in Hollywood. “Mammoth” even features subtitles for the actors speaking the Tagalog language. With more than 1,000 votes on IMDb.com, the film has received a 7 out of 10 rating.

♥ “Salt”

This espionage thriller was originally set to have a male lead, but when Tom Cruise (“Collateral”) dropped out of the project, the role was re-written for Angelina Jolie (“Girl, Interrupted”), naturally. Jolie is Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent, who is framed for a plot to murder the president. She must prove her innocence while on the run from authorities. Leaps unto buses ensue.

♥ “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

Jake Gyllenhaal (“Jarhead”) stars in this adaptation of a video game where he, along with a princess (Gemma Arterton from “Quantum of Solace”), must stop a villain from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.

It sounds lame when you put it like that, but from the trailers, it looks like the film has a good dose of comedy. It’s even produced by powerhouse Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates of the Carribean”). Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi”) and Alfred Molina (“Spider-man 2″) also star. Catch the domestic and international trailers after the jump:

♥ “Brothers”

Lionsgate and Relativity Media previously released a trailer for “Brothers,” which I posted here. This is the second trailer of the drama, which stars Tobey Maguire (“Spider-man”), Natalie Portman (“Closer”) and Gyllenhaal.  It’s better if you view it without reading a synopsis first, so take a look:

♥ “The Road”

It’s based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel which tells of the end of the world. Hardly anyone is left but Viggo Mortensen (“A History of Violence”), Charlize Theron (“North Country”) and their son, newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee. Guy Pearce (“Memento”) and Robert Duvall co-star. Dimension Films has also released two trailers for this Oscar contender. They are distinctly different as one is more dreary than the other. See for yourself:

♥ “The Princess and the Frog”

Disney is going back to its roots with this animated movie. Beating the likes of singers Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys, Anika Rose (“Dreamgirls”) as well as Terrence Howard (“Hustle and Flow”) and John Goodman (“Coyote Ugly”) voice the characters. A teaser trailer and full trailer below:

♥ ”The Wolfman”

Check out a horror film that boasts of Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”), Benicio del Toro (“Traffic”), Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of the Lambs”) and Hugo Weaving (“Lord of the Rings”):

♥ “Inception”

Here’s a film that’s been kept under wraps so much so that all IMDb.com states is this: “Corporations have developed a technology to enter dreams to extract information from certain people’s heads. A CEO (Leonardo DiCaprio) enters dreams and things begin to escalate, taking a turn for the worst.”

The buzz surrounding “Inception” is mostly due to its director, Christopher Nolan, who also did “The Dark Knight” and “Memento.” However, I’m watching it for one of my favorite actresses, Ellen Page (“Juno”). Marion Cotillard (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Michael Caine (Miss Congeniality”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Brick”) and Cillian Murphy (“Batman Begins”) are in it as well.

♥ “Green Zone”

Although it’s by the same people who brought us “The Bourne” movies, I think some would hesitate to watch it since it’s another war movie. Still, Matt Damon gives it some star power.

♥ “Invictus”

Damon is one hot commodity as he also stars in this Clint Eastwood film, otherwise known as an Oscar contender. Based on a true story, Damon plays the captain of a rugby team who is enlisted by Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) to win, thus, uniting the country. Prepare to hear Damon speak with a South African accent …

♥ “Gentlemen Broncos”

Some have have predicted that “Broncos” will be a cult hit, perhaps in the same vein as “Napoleon Dynamite.” (They have the same director.) “Broncos” is a comedy about a science fiction author who steals the idea of a student (Michael Angarano from “Will and Grace”) for his next book. Jennifer Coolidge (“Legally Blonde”) is also in the movie, playing Angarano’s mom.

♥ “A Single Man”

Colin Firth (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) plays a gay man who tries to carry on after the death of his partner. Julianne Moore (“Children of Men”) joins Firth, who is a potential Oscar nominee. Based on Christopher Isherwood’s novel, I must say the trailer is pretty original. It eerily plays on with no words the entire time. The film itself received an 8.6 rating on IMDb.com.

♥ “New Moon”

As the second part in the “Twilight” saga, we find  Bella (Kristen Stewart) left to gather the pieces with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) since the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) left her. This time around, Stewart finds herself among werewolves and vampire royalty, the Volturi.

♥ “The Book of Eli”

Denzel Washington (“Man on Fire”) stars in this action movie set in yet another future depicting the end of the world. To salvage what’s left, Washington has to protect a sacred book. Mila Kunis (“That ’70s Show”) co-stars.

♥ “Nowhere Boy”

I don’t know why, but this feels like the most refreshing trailer out of the bunch. ”Nowhere Boy” is John Lennon (newcomer Aaron Johnson) of The Beatles. It chronicles the band’s beginnings and Lennon’s life. Kristin Scott Thomas (“Life as a House”) is part of the supporting cast.

♥ “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”

Perhaps better known as Heath Ledger’s (“The Dark Knight”) last film, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) strikes a deal with the devil, trading in his daughter at the age of 16. Parnassus tries to rectify his mistake by offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever can help him. Jude Law (“Closer”), Colin Farrell (“Minority Report”) and Johnny Depp (“Blow”) all stepped in to finish Ledger’s role.

♥ “When in Rome”

In this romantic comedy, Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) takes some coins out of a fountain only to have the men who threw them in fall for her. The lovesick puppies include Josh Duhamel (“Transformers”), Will Arnett (“Blades of Glory”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Bell’s real-life beau, Dax Shepard (“Baby Mama”).

♥ “Dear John”

Another Nicholas Sparks’s book, another movie adaptation. By now, I should know better than to fall for Sparks’s sap, but the trailer was enchanting. Channing Tatum (“Stop Loss”) and Amanda Seyfried (“Nine Lives”) fall in love, but Tatum, a soldier, has to return to war. *Tear*

♥ “Pirate Radio” (aka “The Boat that Rocked”)

Richard Curtis, the man behind the darling “Love Actually,” brings a new movie to the big screen. The film already has more than 11,000 voters rating it 7.6 out of 10 stars. “Radio” is a comedy about DJs who air their show on the high seas. Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”) joins the ensemble cast.

♥ “The Messenger”

IMDb users give this movie 8.6 stars. “Messenger” centers on the soldiers, Woody Harrelson (“Zombieland”) and Ben Foster (“Alpha Dog”), who are tasked with notifying the loved ones of their fallen comrades. Things are complicated when Foster gets involved with a soldier’s widow. Acclaimed actresses, Samantha Morton (“Minority Report”) and Jena Malone (“Stepmom”), round out the cast.

♥ “Alice in Wonderland”

This Tim Burton film hasn’t been released yet, but it’s already won an award. “Alice” was proclaimed the Most Anticipated Fantasy Film at the 2009 Scream Awards. If that still doesn’t convince you to see it, Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”) and Depp are in the movie.

this coat!

just a bit of  home inspiration

i love drew’s style!

really loving top knots and gigantic cowlnecks via here

the film disco pigs

fifi lapin

this cozy house via a cup of joe

this photo

lauduree candle via here

urban outfitter’s winter collection

this week there is so much going on i’m just gonna throw it all at you! i drank a chai with a shot of espresso and i’m listening to white stripes…who are, by the way, so underrated. anyway, i have energy.

so we have this vampire craze going on, right?! some people are all like “get over it” but i’m in the “love it” crew. once, in high school, a good friend of mine was a vampire at a halloween event we had. i made him leave his vampire teeth in while we made out behind the maze. I KNOW, i’m a dork.

but lemondrop says that girls are into vampires because we secretly want gay men. they also tell you what your other “monster crushes” mean …

they also say the irish accent is the sexiest in the world. I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. cillian murphy, if you weren’t married…

(i lovvvvvee youuuuu!!!!)

this really intriguing story from the frisky about a woman sleeping with her gay best friend turned out to be sad, but if you are like me and usually like gay males more than straight ones, read this.

good vibrations mag has this awesome new thing where they are profiling sex educators. to me, this is a huge form of education our country seriously lacks. thankfully, obama completely cut funding for abstinence-only programs, but i still know too many people who come to college thinking girls can’t get pregnant if they’re on top. for realz.

you want to hate men (tucker max, anyone?) who discuss their sexual pursuits as brags, right? but this british man realized how much he objectified women while writing his column. amazzzing.

and finally, the craziest thing. i was shocked. and it is hard to shock me. but, apparently, there is a website out there which is made up of videos of people…normal people like your friends and coworkers and…you? having orgasms. it’s not porn, you just see their neck and face for the most part. you do have to pay to subscribe, but there is a free intro video. i think the reason this shocks me is that this seems so incredibly personal, way more personal than a nude picture. well, it’s this beautiful agony’s fifth birthday and i just now found out about it.

and three olives has this ad campaign: mmmm, if i could marry vodka i would.

“We’re watching a scary movie,” I told them, “because it’s Halloween and that’s what you do.”

My wife and her visiting friend agreed to this insistence without much prodding, which was nice. So, after picking up a couple of pizzas (then driving back to the place and exchanging the one with squid all over it for the normal mozzarella and basil I ordered), we settled down to watch a modern classic, 28 Days Later. Since my hard drive crashed, I’m pretty short on movie choices, at least ones I have not viewed multiple times. I had never seen Danny Boyle’s rejuvenation of the zombie movie all the way through, so, as far as I was concerned, this was a treat. I only hoped my wife and her friend could make it through the whole thing.

What is it about being scared that can be addictive? Especially on Halloween, there is a tendency for people – and I’m referring to normal, run-o-the-mill folks – to desire a good fright every once in a while. Now, I am adamantly opposed to gorefests, particularly the ones that reject genuine suspense and fright for dismemberment and horrific, voyeuristic slashing. I would rather watch a bad Hitchcockian film than any movie Eli Roth has made. The only real scares in those movies comes from the suddencacophonous blasting of the soundtrack to startle the audience, instead of actually building the suspense and cultivating genuine unease. Thankfully, 28 Days Later, while at times extremely visceral and in-your-face, is a quality scary movie; it cultivates emotions with well-drawn characters, just like a good drama. In a way, it is a drama. A drama about zombies.

It is interesting to watch the transformation Jim (Cillian Murphy) undergoes throughout the course of the film. From wandering the seemingly deserted streets of a post-apocalyptic London, to entering into moments of tenderness and friendship with his fellow survivors, to his escape and subsequent assault on the rogue military men’s headquarters, in which he becomes “Rage” without being infected by it. His is a steelier, more calculated Rage. His is a Rage of redemption rather than damnation. I read on the Internet that Boyle and Garland, the screenwriter, did not like the ending they settled on as much as an alternate ending that found Jim dying in a hospital bed much like the one in which he awakens from his coma at the beginning of the film. They felt Jim’s character came full circle in this way rather than the way the film ultimately ends. However, one of the most delightful paradoxes in storytelling is that you don’t always have to return to the beginning to come full circle.

As far as the frights were concerned, 28 Days Later delivered. But it delivered more than fright, which, even on Halloween, is a welcomed thing.

Asi es amigos ,en esta oportunidad nos encontramos ante un film bastante especial,y con un gran reparto encabezado por  Leonardo Dicaprio,Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page y Marion Cotillard.  Todos dirigidos por el gran Christopher Nolan.

]]> http://readrant.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/top-ten-horror-movies-of-the-00s/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:11:13 +0000 brucecastle http://readrant.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/top-ten-horror-movies-of-the-00s/

‘Tis the season! With the end of the decade and Halloween approaching, now’s the best time to torture your soul with the best horror this decade has to offer. Now, please, forgive me. The horror genre, like everything else, is getting blurrier. It’s hard to tell just what exactly is a horror film these days. I attempted to honor the genre, while keeping a clear opinion of what the best are. Enjoy!

10. 30 Days of Night

It was either this or Zombieland. A) You already know and love Zombieland. B) This is a comic site! I have to mention the adaptations when I can. 30 Days of Night could’ve easily been mediocre. An essential part of the book’s success was Templesmith’s art. Having said that, this movie looks pretty damn good. Snow always feels epic. 30 Days of Night is well-acted and well-made. It manages to naturally stretch Niles’ novel, making it, in some ways, better. To those of you who vomit at the sight of sparkly, beautiful teenage vampires, watch 30 Days of Night. These are just about the ugliest vampires ever filmed, and that’s a good thing.

9. Land of the Dead

I would’ve loved to re-watch this one, but I figure I have to get this out before Halloween. Romero’s return wasn’t as earth-shattering as we may have liked, but there’s plenty of merit here. For one thing, Land of the Dead looks great and features actors who can actually act. For another, Romero still manages to scare us with creatures who aren’t all that scary, providing uniquely gory deaths for his decent actors. And what would a Romero Dead flick be without some social commentary? With “Fiddler’s Green,” he managed to capture both the atmosphere of rich nations, who live in luxury while many still live in hell-holes, and of a post-post 9/11 world. While we sit comfortably, discussing American Idol, the evil is still lurking, and, perhaps, evolving.

8. The Mist

Ok, it’s kind of a zombie movie with bugs, but that’s different, right? In fact, thanks to the titular mist, the creatures can be grand and epic, without looking too cheesy. We’ve got some great actors here: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones. They help elevate the material. Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, completes his King trilogy, and it’s a lot of gruesome fun. This being a comic site, I have to mention Darabont’s Walking Dead TV involvement. If you want to see if he’s right for that adaptation, this movie will give you a clue.

7. 28 Days Later

Again, I would’ve loved to re-watch this. I even rented it, and I will watch it, but I’m a slave to this post. Danny Boyle was a good director before Slumdog Millionaire. I swear he was, and this film is part of the proof. I mentioned in my introduction how the horror genre has gotten blurry. Indeed, this film helped start that, with many rabid fans crying, “These aren’t zombies!” Well, whatever they are, they’re scary as hell. 28 Days Later has many impressive, grim shots of a destroyed London. It has great performances from the then-newcomer Cillian Murphy and the always-fantastic Brendan Gleeson. This may have helped splinter the zombie genre, but at least it’s pretty damn good.

6. Shaun of the Dead

This movie hammered home what George Romero has known since the 70’s: zombies are hilarious! They’re such boring monsters. In this film, we can barely tell them apart from the boring humans, maybe that’s just because they’re British. Shaun of the Dead is hilarious, but it also manages to touch upon the important elements of zombie movies, such as banding together, social commentary, and that wonderful gore.

5. Drag Me to Hell

I don’t want to oversell this, but Drag Me to Hell is arguably Raimi’s best film. We’re back to Evil Dead 2, with the perfect mixture of terror and comedy. Christine isn’t as lovable as Ash. She’s not really meant to be. However, Alison Lohman is a perfect horror heroine. She has the innocent looks and a wonderful scream. Amongst the laughs and gasps, this movie teaches us some very valuable lessons. Never deny an old gypsy! And never dig up a body in the worst storm of the decade!

4. Grindhouse

Yeah, it’s one film, damn it. Funny thing about this being on a “best” list, it’s trying so hard to be bad. That said, this is probably the most enjoyable pick on my list. Ok, so Deathproof isn’t much of a horror film, even though hot girls are getting hunted and slaughtered by a badass Kurt Russell, but Planet Terror is horror all the way, in the vein of a Carpenter flick. You’ve got the babes. You’ve got the gore. You’ve even got the great actors, like Bruce Willis! And if you’re not at least a little scared of testicle harvesting, I don’t know what to tell ya.

3. American Psycho

Finally, a slasher movie where the murders don’t matter, even within the context of the film! Bateman’s murders are an expression of his boredom and vanity. Mary Harron took this material and made it an exploration of male insanity, rather than just Bateman’s. You’ve all seen these guys. They’re on Wall Street. They’re trying to sell you something. They might even be firing you. American Psycho documents masculine squabbles in deliciously, horrific detail. Perhaps, most chilling of all, the film asks, “What if these assholes really are killing, and, with wealth & power, their mess is wiped clean?”

2. Antichrist

I was mugged by God. That was my initial reaction to this film. True of almost every great film, on the first viewing, we’re not really sure what we’ve seen. This movie’s depth is so endless, it threatens to swallow you whole, taunting you to disregard it as Eurotrash. What I am sure of is the bravery of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsburg, who follow Trier’s insanity to the end. Trier is a madman, as most great directors are, and his images, no matter how shattering to our senses, are fully realized here.

1. Sweeney Todd

The bloodiest musical, Burton’s possible best, and indeed, the greatest horror film of the decade. Burton stays faithful to the original tale, as well as Sondheim’s music. Depp and Carter are dressed like 30’s horror stars, paying homage to both the genre and the original film. I never felt Sondheim’s music should be gloriously sung, no matter how talented Angela Lansbury is. These songs are sad and personal, and though Burton’s cast aren’t singers, they are actors, and they deliver their tunes in the best possible way. You won’t find any prancing or choreography here. Sweeney Todd is a dark, terrifying tragedy that will slash its way into your nightmares as efficiently as Mr. Todd’s razors.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Patrick Bateman. Bruce Wayne. Dieter Dengler. Dan Evans. Melvin Purvis.

The on-screen characters above that Christian Bale has portrayed earned him the title ‘Master of Accents’ by his loyal fans and critics. While a big fan of the actor, I don’t think he consistently pulls off convincing foreign accents. He certainly did do a good job of fooling me into thinking this American is the next Hollywood legend. The latter part may happen. The shocker is he’s not American.

Christian Bale was born in Wales and brought up in England. Watch American Psycho and challenge yourself to believe Patrick Bateman is in fact an Englishman putting on a fake accent. It would still be hard to believe he isn’t English as Bale is known to stick to his adopted accent during interviews.

Christian Bale isn’t the only one with the unique ability to imitate a foreign accent. Even more surprising perhaps are Hugh Laurie’s and Cillian Murphy’s change in accents. Dr Gregory House is actually English off camera and the guy who played Jackson Rippner in Red Eye is actually Irish (Ireland 1-0 Everyone else).

Ever since American Psycho, I’ve developed a movie accent fetish. Its very easy to get a Mark Lee to play a Yan Bao Huang but can you get a Marion Cotillard to play a Billie Frechette? In appreciation of the talent in perfecting accents, I pay tribute to some of the best movie accents I have seen so far.

• Christian Bale in American Psycho (probably his best American accent I think)
• Cillian Murphy in Red Eye and Batman Begins (It’s just hard to believe he’s Irish)
• Gary Oldman in Batman Begins/The Dark Knight
• Leonardo Di Caprio in Blood Diamond (much debated but some do approve of his movie accent)
• Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
• Chiwetel Ejiofor in Inside Man/American Gangster
• Hugo Weaving in V for Vendetta
• Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
• Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down
• Kate Beckinsale in Click

Here’s a special mention for Donald Faison who played Renato/Leroy in Homie Spumoni. Boring movie to be honest. But Donald Faison’s Italian-American accent is both hilarious and admirable.

O ator Cillian Murphy, que fez o papel do Espantalho nos dois longas de Batman, dirigidos por Christopher Nolan, falou para a Mtv americana sobre suas expectativas em relação um 3ª longa.

Murphy assume estar ansioso para que aconteça um terceiro filme, apesar de não ter conversado com Chris Nolan sobre isso. Para ele, The Dark Knight foi um dos melhores blockbusters que já fizeram. Para muitos outros também, pode apostar.

Murphy completa que se um terceiro filme acontecer, em sua opinião, Nolan é o único capaz de fazer algo que supera TDK.

Também não resta a menor dúvida enquanto isso pra nós aqui do Mirando.

Murphy está no novo longa do diretor, Inception. Sua estréia é prevista para julho de 2010.

Leia mais:

. Christopher Nolan: Um novo gênio?

. “Batman e Robin” divisor de águas

. Enquete: quem vai “pegar” o Batman?

. Especial Batman

Guilherme Jr.