by sylvia

It’s quiet here.  Which I’m grateful for.  Thanksgiving Eve, and I’m just waiting for all the work bombs to drop before I can actually leave the office and get ready for some gluttony over Thanksgiving.

So while I’m riding out this work day, I thought I would share with you some links for your enjoyment (maybe) in case you are in a situation similar to mine (which is bored and/or at work and/or not feeling like doing any actual work):

Travolta & Williams’ Greatest Misses - a photogallery from Television Without Pity highlighted two of my least favorite stars – John Travolta and Robin Williams – and the terrible movies they have made

List of the Day Glamour Shots - who doesn’t love a Glamour Shot?  And BTW, that may or may not be me in that first picture

Rules for Attending Your Child’s Sporting Events – now I don’t have any kids, but I’ve bookmarked this site so I know how to raise ‘em, and to tell other people with children what they are doing wrong

A Fish With Humanoid Teeth - scary and gross.  I warned you.

A Mr. Rogers Quiz - I got an 80%, bitches.  Maybe it’s because I have my own neighborly connection to Mr. Rogers and drank a Coke at his house once….

Cookie Warming Fail - mmm….cookies….mmmm….Owen….

My Favorite LOLCAT

Mugshot Roundup from The Smoking Gun – always a great reminder to stay the hell out of trouble this weekend

The Secrets of The Sparkle - yes, we’ve linked to this Twilight thingie before, but it’s such a great time waster!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

creepy

Nachdem Scarlett Johansson in “Lost in Translation” neben Superstar Bill Murray brillierte, steht sie diesmal neben einer weiteren Schauspielerikone, nämlich John Travolta, vor der Kamera. Auch mit dabei: Gabriel Macht, mit dem Johansson 2008 “The Spirit” gedreht hat.

In New Orleans ist eine kleine Gemeinschaft geschockt. Nach dem Tod von Lorraine Will, einer beliebten Sängerin der Musikstadt, ist das Leben ihrer Freunde wie auf den Kopf gestellt. Dabei hat kurz darauf auch Purslane, genannt Pursy, Will (Scarlett Johansson), Lorraines Tochter großen Einfluss. Die Beerdigung hat sie verpasst, weil ihr Freund Bobby Longs (John Travolta) Nachricht nicht weitergeleitet hat. Wütend verlässt sie ihn und kehrt in das Haus ihrer Mutter zurück. Das wird allerdings von Bobby und seinem Protegé Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht) in Beschlag genommen. Nach kurzer Zeit zieht die störrische Pursy in die Männer-WG ein. Sie versucht die beiden Trunkenbolde aus ihrem Haus zu jagen, während die Alkoholiker wiederum Pursy loswerden wollen. Denn nach Lorraines Testament haben die beiden Männer bloß ein Wohnrecht auf ein Jahr, was sie Purslane fürsorglich nicht unter die Nase reiben.

Unter den wachenden Augen seines ehemaligen Literaturprofessoren Bobby arbeitet Lawson an einem Buch über seinen Mentor. Um die Konzentration des Autoren besorgt, versucht Bobby Pursy den Aufenthalt so schlimm wie nur möglich zu gestalten, damit sie schnell wieder auszieht. Pursy sucht hingegen einen Job, um den Blicken und Kommentaren von Bobby zu entkommen. Die Schule hat sie abgebrochen und kein wahres Interesse dahin zurückzukehren. Bis sie einen Deal mit Lawson eingeht, in den sie sich zunehmend verliebt: er hört auf zu trinken und sie zieht das letzte Schuljahr durch. Doch die sich langsam einstellende Idylle hält nur solange an, wie Pursy nicht von der Lüge Bobbys und Lawsons erfährt.

Lawson Pines: Damn girl, you woke up productive. Bobby, come see what Pursy did.
Bobby Long: I see what she didn’t do. Leave.
Pursy Will: She ain’t gonna leave.
————————–
Lawson Pines: We die only once, and for such a long time.
Bobby Long: Molière.
————————–
Cecil: Your mama thought you were golden so we named you after yellow flowers and corn. This is you here…
[cuts some purslane from garden]
Cecil: …pretty, golden purslane.
Pursy Will: Purslane’s really a weed, you know. A neighbor told me when I was 9 and I ran over his tomato plants. He said all gardeners hate purslane.
Cecil: Yeah, and dandelions. Doesn’t stop kids from making wishes on ‘em.

Quelle: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369672/quotes

Im Mittelpunkt der Geschichte steht der auch im Titel genannte Bobby Long. wie die anderen Hauptpersonen ist er ein gebrochener Charakter. Einst ein bei den Studenten verehrter, von den Kollegen beneideter und von Frauen umschwärmter Professor mit einer Traumfamilie, sitzt er nun den Tag lang rauchend und an der Flasche hängend in New Orleans seine Zeit ab. Neben ihm fristet Lawson seit neun Jahren sein Dasein. Aus einem vorerst nicht genannten Grund halten die beiden Schöngeister seit Jahren zusammen, werfen sich gegenseitig Zitate von weitaus klügeren Autoren zu und erraten den Urheber der Worte – schwärmend von der alten Zeit. Purslane hingegen hat ihre Mutter nie wirklich kennen gelernt. Von ihrer verstorbenen Großmutter aufgezogen und von der Mutter nie ernstfaft umsorgt, wird Pursy weitgehend abseits von ihrer Familie auf. Dennoch kehrt sie zu dem Heimatort ihrer Mutter zurück, als sie von ihrem Tod hört. Von allen Bekannten ihrer Mutter hört sie ständig bewundernswerte Geschichten, von der Güte und Liebe von Lorraine und dass sich ihre Mutter immer um Pursy kümmern wollte. Gemerkt hat sie von all der mütterlichen Zuneigung reichlich wenig.

Die Dreiecksbeziehung entwickelt sich in jede erdenkliche Richtung und die Schauspieler lenken immer gemeinsam mit. Das Ensemble harmoniert  wunderbar miteinander, sodass wirklich der Eindruck aufkommt, dass alle Beteiligten wahnsinnig viel Spaß während des Drehs hatten. Erstaunlich blass bleibt dieses Mal aber die talentierte Scarlett Johansson. Schauspielerisch zumindest heben sich Gabriel Macht und natürlich John Travolta ziemlich ab. Insbesondere Travolta scheint für die Rolle geschaffen zu sein, zynisch, chauvinistisch und tiefgründig zugleich gibt er sich. Lange Zeit lässt er nichts an sich herankommen, beschützt von der Anwesenheit seines Protegés Lawson.

Der Clou des Drehbuchs besteht aus den kleinen Geheimnissen des Films. Zum Einen hat Pursy ihren Vater nie kennen gelernt. Doch sowohl der nette Nachbar, als auch alle anderen Freunde und Bekannte der Mutter haben sie geliebt und bewundert. Ist einer der Beteiligten Pursys Vater? Zum Anderen stellt sich die frage auf, warum Bobby in New Orleans im Suff ertrinkt und Lawson sich hat mitziehen lassen. Die Lösung dieser Frage hält Regisseurin und Drehbuchautorin Shainee Gabel gekonnt lange im Dunkeln, um sie wirklich emotional und sehr gekonnt auszuführen.

Ansonsten zieht die Musik den Zuschauer in seinen Bann und verleitet zum Mitsingen und Schaukeln. Aufgrund der tiefen Charaktere ist der Film wirklich sehr empfehlenswert. Scarlett Johansson erhielt sogar eine Golden Globe Nominierung für ihre Darstellung der Pursy Will, obwohl sie zumindest von Altmeister Travolta in den Schatten gestellt wird.

OLD DOGS

(Disney) John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu Travolta, Conner Rayburn, Lori Loughlin, Matt Dillon, Bernie Mac. Directed by Walt Becker

From the director of Wild Hogs comes this new comedy that similarly involves older men in a younger man situation. In this case, two successful businessmen on the verge of closing the biggest deal of their careers are derailed by the revelation that one of them is in fact a father and at one of the most critical junctures in their negotiations, will be babysitting his newfound brood. As will happen around kids, chaos ensues.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Rating: PG (for some mild rude humor)

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

(Apparition) Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flannery, Clifton Collins, Julie Benz. This is the sequel to the cult classic penned by Troy Duffy (the making of which was the subject of the acclaimed documentary Overnight). The brothers MacManus who have been taking it easy in Ireland since the events of the first film find themselves compelled to return to the mean streets of Boston when a priest is brutally gunned down.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Rating: R (for bloody violence, language and some nudity)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

(Fox Searchlight) Featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzmann, Bill Murray. From the minds of the late novelist Roald Dahl and director Wes Anderson (Rushmore) comes this animated feature that pits a clever, tricky fox against three brutal but not-so-bright farmers.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Rating: PG (for action, smoking and slang humor)

Ninja Assassin

(Warner Brothers) Rain, Naomie Harris, Sho Kosugi, Rick Yune. Taken from the streets as a child by the legendary but lethal Ozunu Clan and trained as an assassin, Raizo becomes one of the deadliest killers on the planet. However he butts heads with the clan and is forced to vanish. Now, he finds an Interpol agent who has stumbled upon one of the secrets of the Ozunu Clan and is marked for death. He must protect her – and himself – from the world’s most skilled assassins and try to find a way to bring the clan down for good. This stylized anime/video game hybrid is from V for Vendetta director James McTeigue.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Rating: R (for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language)

The Road

(Weinstein) Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Kody Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron. After a global catastrophe kills nearly all life on earth and ends civilization as we know it, a father and his son make their way across a barren, dangerous landscape trying to avoid predators of the natural and unnatural kind in an effort to make it to the coast and survival. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, this post-Apocalyptic thriller boasts an all-star cast.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Rating: R (for some violence, disturbing images and language)

As my first Stephen King novel, I was not disappointed with Carrie. Sure, King might be a pretty twisted guy for all his whacked out ideas, but he definitely knows how to weave a story. From seeing snippets of the movie, primarily the prom scene, I expected more of a typical gory story line. Instead I found that King carefully crafted some very interesting characters and a unique plotline.

The novel is less about the gruesome revenge of an outcast teenager, and more about the mysterious powers of telekinesis. The end of the novel leaves you more with a feeling of tragedy for the events that unfolded, similar to those of after a high school shooting.

Interspersed with the real-time story, King placed clips from various books and articles about the “Carrie White case” which were supposedly published in the future. Adding these scientific studies and news tickers made the whole thing much more believable. Almost from the get-go he references the “incident.” As the novel continues, the articles reveal more. The “incident” becomes the “black prom,” and eventually they even relay how many deaths occurred – all before he even describes the event. Very cool, Stephen King.

I must say I had high hopes for the movie… it was actually one of the reasons I wanted to read the book. I’d seen images from the film of Carrie covered in blood with an eerily psychotic look in her eyes. When that scene actually unfolded in the movie, all I could think was that her eyes were going to pop out of her head. Overall, I was not a huge fan of the movie.

The characters were not developed very well. Tommy Ross, the golden boy of the high school, gave me the creeps (not to mention his comically enormous head of blonde curls). Sue Snell was a mystery, and the gym teacher convinced me that she had inappropriate feelings for her student Carrie. Plus, another great thing about the novel is its use of actual thoughts,

(o King o Stephen King you know how to write)

stream of consciousness style. Though I know it is fairly impossible for a movie to mimic this, I felt like it left a gaping hole in the story. How were you supposed to sympathize with Carrie without really seeing into her mind? The movie also left out a lot of key elements of Carrie’s childhood.

I know that a movie can’t include everything from a novel. I’m not trying to nitpick all the little differences between the two. Overall I just didn’t think that the movie stayed true to the feeling of the novel. King’s Carrie was perfectly eerie, and propelled you forward with cautious curiosity. The movie was very random and confusing until all of a sudden Carrie went berserk.

If you want to rent a slightly cheesy 70s horror movie, Carrie is a great choice. I don’t want to sound too critical, because it did have some great moments. I almost jumped out of my skin at the end. Some scenes might give you a good scare, but most will just have you laughing. At the very least, rent it to see John Travolta in his movie debut. Honestly the best scenes were the ones he starred in!

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The same thing can be said for this new comedy.

In the new comedy from Wild Hogs director Walt Becker,  John Travolta teams with Robin Williams as two advertising agents who find themselves on the fine line between being a grandparent and being middle aged.

Robin’s life changes when his ex-wife (Kelly Preston), whom he married in a shotgun wedding years earlier, drops a bomb on him.

She claims her kids are his and she is going to jail for two months on a protest charge and needs someone to look after them.

This complicated plot turns into a version of My Two Dads or The Game Plan with toilet humor and some very silly antics.

The movie had some gut splitting jokes but all of them were in the trailer. The gorilla scenario, the mixed up meds, Justin Long’s psychotic camp guy and Matt Dillon’s butch scoutmaster are all really funny!

I like slapstick humor as much as the next guy. Heck, my favorite comedy of all time is Airplane! But these jokes felt really, really forced.

When they wrote this film I think they wrote the jokes first and filled in the plot to incorporate the jokes. There are just some of the craziest inconsistencies and ill-conceived plot jumps I have ever seen in a movie.

I took my parents to the advance screening of this movie and they laughed hysterically throughout. Maybe this movie is a generational thing but I just didn’t find it very funny.

1.5 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Old Dogs is an upcoming 2009 American comedy film directed by Wild Hogs’s Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with supporting roles played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard and Bernie Mac. It is set to be released on November 25, 2009. It is also Bernie Mac’s final film, as he died in August 2008.

Plot

Charlie (John Travolta) and Dan (Robin Williams) are best friends and co-workers who have no clue about the importance of family or what life is truly about. Dan’s ex-wife, Vicki (Kelly Preston), shows up after a long period of time and reveals that she and Dan have seven-year-old twins: a son and a daughter. Dan recruits Charlie and together they take care of the twins and a dog. With help from a co-worker, Ralph (Seth Green), they go from outdoor activities with the kids and a rough instructor, Yancy Devlin (Matt Dillon), to enduring a flamboyant children’s entertainer, Jimmy Lunchbox (Bernie Mac), and eventually they will learn the true meaning of life and family.

Cast

• John Travolta as Charlie
• Robin Williams as Dan
• Kelly Preston as Vicki
• Seth Green as Ralph White
• Matt Dillon as Yancy Devlin
• Justin Long as Adam Devlin
• Bernie Mac^[2] as Jimmy Lunchbox
• Rita Wilson as Gloria Lawrence
• Dax Shepard as Trent Rice
• Ella Travolta as Marley Greer
• Luis Guzman
• Lori Loughlin
• Conner Rayburn as Zach Greer
• DeRay Davis as Julio
• Marcus Johnson as himself

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Saturday Night Fever, 1977 – Direção: John Badham – Elenco:John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow.

Divertidão, simples rápido e profundo até.

Primeira vez que vejo esse filmão, que não vou chamar de obra-prima pelo simples fato de não o ser. É divertido, tem seus momentos, bom de assistir, tranquilo, não é pesado, leve, reflexivo em alguns momentos, mas nada muito estrondoso pra se transformar em uma obra-prima, portanto já falo, amei o filme, só que não o julgarei como coisa maior do que é.

Aqui Travolta é Tony Manero ( e eu não vou ficar com esse blá,blá,blá de que foi o papel que o transformou em estrela e etc.), um cara foda e normal ao mesmo tempo. Foda porque nas pistas de dança nem o criador da palavra ou inventor dos movimentos ganham dele. Normal porque é apenas um jovem sem estudos que trabalha duro e ganha nada, revoltado com a familia depois descobre que não quer mais essa vida.

Mas não é só Travolta que é humano no filme, todos os personagens são. Pra começar o filme é muito mais humano e honesto do que eu sonhava que seria. Na verdade eu pensei que seria um filme tolo com algumas danças legais e nada mais. Errei feio. O filme retrata toda juventude de uma época de maneira quase perfeita, me lembrando até Mottola com a juventude de hoje. Aqui o diretor chuta o baile, a lata e tudo o que tem na frente e mostra que os jovens que iam aos bailes daquela época amavam dançar, sim, mas que também adoravam uma putaria transloucada.

É até engraçado quando agente logo no inicio do filme, ouve os caras falando que cada um tem um determinado tempo pra poder “comer” as garotas que conseguirem no banco de trás do carro. Até porque, todos precisavam fazer o mesmo, e o pior de tudo, fazem, e na mesma noite (!) e no mesmo carro (!). Outra humanização é ver um dos amigos tendo que se preocupar com a cagada que fez ao engravidar uma de suas namoradas e vendo que não tem pra onde fugir, pensando até mesmo em aborto e vendo que não daria pra acontecer, tendo um destino trágico por isso, por ser jovem e não saber o que fazer. Temos uma moça apaixonada de mais e que por não ser correspondida acaba dando pra todo mundo que aparece e se arrependendo por isso. Enfim, uma juventude louca e que viveu seu tempo.

O Tony Manero de Travolta é o tipo de cara de que todos gostam, ou seja, o anti nerd legítimo. É um herói desde o primeiro frame, desde a primeira sequencia onde demonstra só pelo seu andado ser um cara descolado. Mas ele tem uma família que não o reconhece pelo que é e que vê coisas que ele não vê. Trabalha em uma loja de tintas onde ganha praticamente nada e que provavelmente passará o resto de seus dias ali. Mas no salão de dança ele é o superman. Ele é o cara que todas as garotas querem beijar e fazer besteirinhas. Ele é o cara que todos abrem espaço pra que passe. Ele é o cara que arregaça na dança. E numa época onde quem dançava mais tinha o ‘pinto’ maior por assim dizer, Tony Manero era o cara com o maio “pinto” da região.

O mais engraçado é que em um determinado momento, Manero desabafa e diz que não quer ser endeusado pelo povo da discoteca, ele dança pelo simples fato de dançar e se divertir com isso. Ele é apenas bom e persistente, por isso se sai tão bem na plataforma. Porque agente sempre se destaca em coisas que agente realmente sabe fazer e gosta de fazer, mas como todos queremos ser como Manero, tentamos ser bons em tudo de uma vez e estabacamos logo com a cara no chão e nunca conseguimos ser tão bons ou queridos como ele , que dança simplesmente porque gosta e não tenta se mostrar pra ninguém.

As tomadas na discoteca são lindas e espertas. Com movimentos de câmera safadinhos e nos momentos certos o diretor decupa coreografias magníficas e momentos já eternizados na cultura em geral.

Um filme cultuado pela grande massa que dançou e passou pelo que esses jovens passam na película, é também um ótimo passatempo pra quem não quer ver nada pesado de mais e se divertir abessa. É divertido de mais, me fez assistir quase sem pausar (sim, sou humano e tenho que mijar), o que não fez meus olhos cansarem nem pensarem em se fechar de tédio, apenas os tornou mais abertos e mais receptivos ao que o pensamento cultural daquela época era e como é hoje.

3.5/5

I’m going to keep this short this week because it’s Thanksgiving and I’m off relaxing and eating.

I like the title of this film. Ninja Assassin. Two things that are really cool. I”m not sure that it will be really good, but I do think it will be really entertaining. Benny has been drooling over this one for a while now. I’m sure we will see it this weekend. Hopefully at Alamo Drafthouse with a pitcher of Shiner. I think that’s how you should go see a film about bad-ass-ass-kicking.

WHY? Why was this film made? And who exactly is its target audience? Normally for stupid Robin Williams films I would say my parents. They went and saw and liked Wild Hogs, but this film looks even worse. There are hitting-people-in-the-nuts jokes, a weird Seth Green-being-cradled-by-an-ape, and other odd humor that usually doesn’t appeal to the 40-50 something audience. Are they expecting the teenage boys who tend to like this type of humor to go see this film? ‘Cause they’ll be at Ninja Assassin. I think this film missed it’s audience and looks terrible and not funny and Robin Williams should be banned from any type of performing now. Probably John Travolta should as well.

I love Disney films. I don’t think they are as good in overall quality as Pixar films, but I like the fantasy. It is about time we had a black princess. It’s ridiculous that little black girls have only been able to buy and play with mostly white princess’. Every little girl wants to imagine herself as a princess and I imagine it’s really hard when they don’t look anything like you. Disney has given us a Native American princess, a Chinese princess and an Arabian princess, and I dig that, but why is black last? What was the fear? That the film wouldn’t sell to the larger audience? I suppose that’s a possibility. I guess we’ll see.

I’m not sure this will be Disney’s greatest achievement. The story doesn’t sound compelling to me. I hope I’m wrong. I want to be swept up in the fantasy and feel myself long to be that girl, like when I watch The Little Mermaid. It doesn’t seem likely, though, does it? I really hope this isn’t a disappointing film. I really want it to be good. I know Disney contacted people like Oprah to get opinions on the story and character and that was probably a good idea. I like that it’s hand drawn, which is Disney’s niche. So, please, please, let it be good. For all the little black princess’ out there.

Intense. Frightening. Depressing. Maybe heartwarming at times. Then bittersweet at the end. That’s what I think this film will be. And I’m guessing it will be too heavy for me, but if you like that sort of thing, it’s going to be a much more realistic vision of the apocalypse then 2012 was for sure.

The Taking of Pelham 123 2009

Director: Tony Scott

Writer: Brian Hegeland

Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzman, Victor Gojcaj, John Turturro, James Gandolfini and Michael Rispoli

    Tony Scott is one of the best modern action film directors today, so whenever he has a new film I always see it.  I had heard of the original version of this film but had never seen it.  I will definitely seek it out after seeing this version.  This was a solid action film with some very tense scenes in it and a great interplay between Washington and Travolta.  I always have liked Travolta more when he plays the heavy, such as his great performances in John Woo’s Face Off and Broken Arrow.  This is a fast paced and expertly executed crime film and all the lead actors do an excellent job.  The only fault I have with the film is that it doesn’t bring anything new or exciting to the action film genre.  But it is still a enjoyable and gripping film to watch.

    The plot basics are this, four amred men hijack a subway train one afternoon in Manhattan.  They stop and decouple the first car and then begin their plan too blackmail money out of the city by holding the people on the train hostage.  The leader of the terrorists is Ryder (Travolta) and he gets in contact with dispatcher, Walter Garber (Washington), who has been recently demoted due to being investigated for taking a bribe.  He makes aconnection with Ryder and he refuses to deal with anyone but Garber.  Ryder demands ten million within a hour or for every minute the payoff is late he will eliminate a hostage.  The Mayor (Gandolfini) okays the deal, but it seems the payoff is putting the stock market through the wringer and the negotiator in charge (Turturro) is wondering if Ryder only wants the money or is making a stock broking gambit with it too make himself obscenely rich.  As the time limit comes and goes Garber has to meet Ryder with the money and what follows is a tense face off and a game of cat and mouse, and who knows who will come out on top in this gambit?

    This is a good film.  Scott’s direction is great as always.  His style of fast cutting and quick edits is not for everyone, but I always enjoys what he does with the camera.  The film is violent too and never skirts away from showing it.  The way he sets up the SWAT sniper’s attacks is tense and when everything goes wrong it comes together perfectly.  Hegeland’s script is tightly woven and he really breathes life into both Ryder and Garber’s characters.  The cast is good too, Washington and Travolta have great chemistry together and as usual Travolta hams it up and it suits the film well.  Turturro is also good as the negotiator trying to get to the bottom of what is happening here.  I also really enjoyed Gandolfini as the mayor, he brought a much needed comedic element to the film and with all the tense face offs in the film it is much needed for the viewer to catch his breath from time to time.  The action sequences in the film are very good, I especially liked the sniper attack, that was the most memorable one in my book.  This was a tense and exciting film, but in my final estimation it does not add anything great to this type of crime film.  I think the thing that makes this film the most enjoyable was Travolta’s performance.

This one gets 3 out of 5

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Quentin Tarantino may be many things — perverted, profane, whipsmart, cocky, a little too enamored with his own cleverness — but subtle he is not. He’s not even in the ballpark. Matter of fact, if that ballpark blew up, he wouldn’t hear the sound for another three days. Nah, Tarantino’s a guts-glory-chicks-and-explosions kind of director, and that imagination of his? In the name of Le Royale with Cheese does it dream up some wild-n-twisted trips.

Mark ”Pulp Fiction” down as one of the wildest. Every nanosecond of this humdinger’s 154 minutes contains something warped/crazy/effortlessly cool to behold: philosophical discussions about foot massages, the nature of miracles and a gold watche that has been places no watch should go; murders both coolly calculated and comically accidental; a frightful drug overdose; kinky sex (think S&M with an Alabama drawl and a gimp); and, last but not least, a sinfully delicious $5 milkshake. Random as this catalogue seems, Tarantino’s film is far more scattershot. The action doesn’t adhere to a simple timeline; instead, there are three stories that run parallel, then smash together, then diverge only to reconnect in ways that boggle the mind upon repeat viewings. “Pulp Fiction” is a genius noir/gangster combo that keeps us guessing. Guess long enough, though, and patterns start to emerge from the madness.

Sort of. Since Tarantino makes it nearly impossible to understand how these stories pool into a cohesive ending, let’s tackle one beast at a time. First, there’s “Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace’s Wife,” the tale of L.A. hitmen Vince (John Travolta) and Jules (a perfeclty cast Samuel L. Jackson) heading to do a job ordered by their loose-cannon boss Marsellus (Ving Rhames). Since Marsellus recently threw a guy out a high-rise window for giving his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) a foot massage, Vince has the jitters about taking her out on the town. His plan is simple: “Chew my food with my mouth closed, laugh at her fucking jokes, and that’s it.” Of course, trouble has a tendency to follow Vince, so things don’t go that smoothly.

Smoothness doesn’t much like Butch (Bruce Willis) either, which we discover in ”The Gold Watch.” A talented boxer with a sweetly innocent girlfriend (Maria de Medeiros), Butch shovels some dirt on his own grave by winning the fight Marsellus paid him to throw. But his neat double-cross turns messy through a series of freak coincidences, the most interesting involving two pawn shop owners who plumb forgot to pack their manners (not to mention their morality) when they left the Deep South. ”The Gold Watch” leads into “The Bonnie Situation,” a conclusion of sorts where Tarantino himself shows up as Jimmie Dimmick, a pal of Jules who begrudgingly agrees to help him clean up an accidental hit (“my gun went off! I don’t know why!” insists the a brain matter-spattered Vance) with help from Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel). What’s on Wolfe’s business card we can’t be sure, since the terse mystery man only offers “I solve problems” as his job description.

It’s offhand comments like these that demonstrate one of Tarantino’s greatest strengths: revealing character traits with one or two stray lines of dialogue. He’s a student of human nature, and he knows the ways people fill time by arguing over whether foot massages are sensual or wondering what cheeseburgers are called in France (see above). And yet everything these characters say tells us something about themselves or the story. Christopher Walken, in his lone scene, delivers a howling-good speech that seems like comic relief, but the subject — the gold watch — comes back into play. Jules spouts a nonsensical version of Ezekiel 25:17, but it reveals his own moral code. Thurman, who finds jumpy loneliness in Mia, parlays a terrible joke about tomatoes into a real connection with Vince. Haphazard though they seem, these lines are the threads that knit everything together.

What else dazzles about “Pulp Fiction”? There’s the abundance of lurid violence — much of it comical (including an uncomfortably funny rape scene), some of it truly shocking, none of it gratuitious. Jackson and Travolta are one hell of two-man team, while Willis registers a pulse and Eric Stoltz has wit to burn. Ultimately, though, it’s the manic, fearless force of Tarantino that makes “Pulp Fiction” a sweet, sweet joyride, indeed.

Grade: A

1. Catholic Church tries to extort the U.S. government…again – It seems like it was only a week or two ago that the Catholic Church gave Washington the ultimatum that they could either oppose gay marriage or lose one of their faith-based charities (because the Catholic Church cares so much for the poor for reasons other than as pawns in their political games). But now they’re barred Representative Patrick Kennedy from receiving a communion wafer because of his stance on abortion. Sounds like it may be time to reignite Crackergate.

2. Yet another former $cientology speaks out – This just isn’t CoS’ year (nor was last). They can’t seem to catch a break. Last week, Australian senator Nick Xenophon publicly challenged their tax exempt status and called them a criminal organization. And now Aaron Saxton, a former “enforcer of the Church of Scientology’s policies in the Sea Org, has done an interview. If you still don’t think $cientology needs to be destroyed after reading this interview, then you’re insane.

3. Arkansas Society of Freethinkers’ holiday display denied second year in a row – And they weren’t even given a reason.

Scientology is targeting sixth graders:

The New South Wales Government says the Church of Scientology is targeting Year 6 students using “marketing” material that claims to promote human rights.

Education Minister Verity Firth has ordered principals not to distribute DVDs and booklets funded by the church and sent to schools by a group called Youth For Human Rights.

The material outlines the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and quotes Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard on a list of “famous human rights leaders”.

Hubbard a famous human rights leader?

LOL

Oh yeah, he’s right up there with Genghis Khan.

Of course Scientology spokesman Cyrus Brooks had other names in mind:

He has defended the inclusion of L Ron Hubbard in the material, saying the Scientology founder’s views are as valid as those of others quoted, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama.

Wow! Just wow!

When I was watching Saturday Night Fever(Badham 1977),  I couldn’t help being blown away by the music.  I guess I’ve never really been exposed to disco, but I kept taking apart the music, it was satisfying to listen to.  The music complimented the narrative nicely, matching whatever was happening in the film at the given point. I remember being told that Saturday Night Fever was a low budget film, but also I’ve been told in another class that disco music is expensive to produce.  It makes me wonder if it must have been relatively cheap then to use expensive disco music in the film.

In the film Tony struggles with being a low paid employee at a hardware store and his family life.  At night it is revealed that he is a talented and respected disco dancer at the club.  Tony pursues a girl named Stephanie, and though she at first thinks poorly of him,and insults him of being of lower class they go on to win a dancing contest. The plot when it is stripped down is simple, but the film seems more complex when you are watching it.  The conflict is rich and made me uncomfortable at times.  For example I felt ambiguous about the character of Annette, a dancing partner that Tony rejects and refuses to sleep with. At first I thought she was really annoying, but later I came to sympathize with her.  Also one of Tony’s friends repeatedly is shown asking everyone their opinions about what he should do about his girlfriend’s pregnancy.  I didn’t know how to feel about him.  I almost felt as if I were another character in the film when I was watching him, like I needed to avoid his problem.

There is allot of demand placed on the viewers of this movie.  It was easy for me to get lost in the dancing throughout the film, and Tony’s perspective doesn’t always give a clear cut right versus wrong solution. This is a film that keeps the audience actively reconsidering what is happening in terms of the bigger picture. It had me struggling with figuring out if Tony was a likable character or not.  It was hard to tell if he had made a mistake, because the actions that he made were complicated.

Visually the film was well put together.  I noticed allot of low angle shots, which were interesting.  The film does a really fantastic job with the club scenes, it felt like you were in that world.  The lighting, the atmosphere, the cast were all natural looking and this made the club scenes exciting to watch.  I whole-heartily agree with Annette when she tells Tony that she likes to watch him walk down the street.

I was talking with my mom earlier about which movie I should pick and she advised me to watch this one because, “everyone went and saw it and it was back when John Travolta was good looking and young.”  According to wikipedia this film did well financially, and this may have been partly because they didn’t use any huge stars.  John Travolta might have generated some buzz, but he wasn’t a huge star until this film and Grease (Klieser 1978).

Our textbook describes the film as a musical that incorporated disco in order to update the genre.  The film doesn’t have a musical like feel to it at all.  True it has perpetual music throughout the film, but watching it is more voyeuristic, unlike the musicals that i have seen which feel like the character’s are performing directly to the audience. It’s like you are looking into another world and the film does a good job in showing the lifestyle of Tony and his friends as well as the challenges they face.

The textbook also points out that the film follows the format of a Classical Hollywood film rather than the art cinema that was experimented with in the Hollywood Renaissance. This was accurate and obvious when watching the films that Saturday Night Fever had more CHC qualities.  However in some ways the film was more of an art film.  The ending was more art house cinema, in that it was ambiguous.  Also the conflict was very complicated and at the end I had to reconsider what the central question of the film was.

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POP PROPHECY is watching the heavens.

The Moon entered the sign of Aquarius on November 21st, 11:03PM EST.

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Moon in Aquarius , November 21-November 24th, 2009

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Her short stay of 3 days will be beneficial. This period starts out as a great time for responsibility, particularly in relationships. This is a great time to emphasize emotional detachment where needed, so don’t be surprised if you need “space” more than usual.

This is a splendid time for communications, you may be on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or texting more than usual!

Now is also a great time to think of radical changes for our lives, though we don’t see many having the “will power” to start right away! Let that idea marinate for a while.

Around November 23rd, we must restrain ourselves from lashing or “acting” out, tempers may flare; don’t be a drama queen.

Friction may happen with women and our significant others, or relationships in general; it is possible that we fall back into the patterns of the past. We also see this as a time of good fortune and higher thinking of our relationships, however, so count the silver linings.

On the 24th, it is possible we become too idealistic, so be careful of disillusionment! Make sure you are opening your eyes wide to the truth.

Enjoy Moon in Aquarius!

vesta @ pop prophecy

Famous Aquarius 

Aaliyah, January 16th, Singer

Geena Davis, January 21st, Actress

Oprah Winfrey, January 29th, TV Host

Yoko Ono, February 18th, Artist

John Travolta, Feburary 18th, Actor

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POP PROPHECY @ TWITTER

This is too good. Thanks to Jezebel for being fucking awesome.

I can’t figure out a way to embed this video, but there’s probably a way. Until then, check out the link. In the immortal words of my cape-wearing, vestalicious sister A-space, “the more times you watch it you would think it gets less funny but it really doesn’t.”

So true, so wise.

Since I can’t find a clip of Tracy Jordan-as-Oprah, or figure out how to embed this effing video, here’s the next best thing.

We went and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs we saw in the theater but chose not do to 3D because my kids hate having the glasses on and in 3D if you take your glasses off the screen is blurry… plus 3D costs more. I was the only person in my family excited to see the movie. I read the book growing up and was thinking it would be cool. I felt it was sort of a let down. Do not get me wrong the movie wasn’t horrible but I do not know that I will buy it.. Only time will tell though. I would give the movie 3 stars. My kids and husband felt pretty much the same way although my kids really loved all the yummy food and scientific stuff. The story was a bit weak though I think the essence of the book still shone through.

I saw both The Kung Fu Panda and WALL·E in the theater. At the time I probably would have said 4 1/2 stars for The Kung Fu Panda and 4 stars for WALL·E. Since I now own them both on Blu-ray and watch them quite often I would now have to say I rate them both 5 stars.

The Kung Fu Panda, is not only likable it is down right adorable. From the witty humor to the fantastic animation it is a solid movie. The story also is a good one with a good moral though I do not know if children grasp that level of it. I know my kids just think a big fat panda bear saying HI-YAH is hilarious.

WALL·E, on the other hand on first viewing was a bit depressing to me even though my kids thought it the most fantastic movie ever I was a bit annoyed. I think because I usually watch animation movies to escape the real world and this movie just made me think more about real things. It is a very deep movie. It delves into our world and how we are as people. Of course most kids won’t get this either. My two love it because there are robots and spaceships. Since it is Pixar you know the movie is Gold anyway.. or at least I do. Now that I have watched it a gazillion times I think my mind has kind of learned not to think on the things and just watch it for the silly parts, making it a more enjoyable experience.

Up, which is also a Pixar movie, is a great film. We saw it in the theater and at that time I would have given it 4 stars but now that we own it on Blu-ray I have to say 5 stars. It has a deep story ( more so for the opening of the film.) But it is a light-hearted, sweet, family friendly movie. I will say that my oldest child got the depth of the beginning in a way.. She wanted to know why the lady couldn’t have a baby.. My son not so much but he is very frightened by the “mean” dogs.  Overall, I give it 5 stars and I think right now it is the family’s # 1 pick.

Bolt, my daughter and I saw in the theater. She loved it I thought it was so-so. At the time I would have given it 2 1/2 to 3 stars.  Since then we have bought it on, can you guess? Yep, Blu-ray. After re-watching it, I think I would give it 3 1/2 to 4 stars. I think the casting of the voice of the lead girl (Miley Cyrus) was a bad choice. Her voice is kinda raspy and deep and for some reason it really annoys me. However, I LOVE the hamster’s voice – I think it goes perfect. The storyline was not too bad but at times a bit cheesy to me. Overall still good enough to watch. FYI – My son is very afraid of the green-eyed man.

Two best friends — one unlucky-in-love divorcee (ROBIN WILLIAMS) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (JOHN TRAVOLTA) — have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins (newcomers ELLA BLEU TRAVOLTA and CONNER RAYBURN), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what’s really important in life

Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard, Bernie Mac, Luis Guzmán, Ella Bleu Travolta, Conner Rayburn, Lori Loughlin, Justin Long
Director: Walt Becker
Screenwriter: David Diamond, David Weissman
Producer: Andrew Panay, Robert L. Levy, Peter Abrams
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Buena Vista Internationa

MOVIE TRAILER :

The Movie Overdose attempts to contain the apocalypse with a review of Roland Emmerich’s 2012. We chat about how we would change Eddie Murphy for the better, what kind of sequel we want for Star Trek and whether we are glad to see Sean Connery coming back, if only in voice form. Tom slightly dampens the praise given to An Education and Sam revels in the madness of Running Scared and the flawed ambition of Dogma. The conclusion involves a discussion of actors that, no matter what, we always look forward to seeing on screen.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 42

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My husband and I like to recast classic movies while relaxing on Friday nights with a bottle of wine. We were trying to think of a good 90s flick to recast with today’s actors, and I think Pulp Fiction would be a good one.  Here’s a little inspiration for your own recast:

Tudo começou assim…

e, então, o agente do FBI Sean Archer (John Travolta) tornou-se o psicopata Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage)…

…e ficou bem menos chato.

And remember: everytime you look in a mirror you’ll see my face.

And now for a little John Travolta trivia from 1979 or possibly very early 1980. An event that no reporters witnessed; fortunately I did.

The location was Sydney, Australia; in particular the domestic airline terminal at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.

In 1979  John Travolta arrived in Sydney (for film promotions I guess). It was rumoured that he was following Olivia Newton-John whom some days before had arrived in Australia via Melbourne. Films around this time, Grease, Xanadu; others will know more than I on the subject of films at that time.

His arrival was very low key (unlike now), expected only by some officials notified accordingly. As such, crowds were not an issue, he was hardly noticed in the International Terminal.  

Myself and another colleague in law enforcement were assigned the task of escorting/safeguarding Mr Travolta until he boarded his connecting flight from the domestic terminal. (A tough job, but someone had to do it. We even had an introduction and handshake thrown in).

After waiting in a lounge there was a short walk to board the plane. It was at this point that he was spotted by 3  teenage girls around 15yrs of age. They appeared kind of speechless; one carried a small camera.

They managed to ask John if he would be okay with photos. He smiled, then as now, and posed with two of the girls, while the third (the owner of the camera) pressed the shutter. Two girls were happy.

The owner of the camera excitedly took her turn to pose with John. No click from the shutter, the last frame had been exposed. Disaster. I wanted to help, we all wanted to help, couldn’t.

Time was gone, the plane boarded and John Travolta winged away.

I often wonder about the young lady, who almost made it on film with John Travolta. I guess she has her own very clear picture of that day; just not in the format she hoped. It would be a great memory just the same.

More to come; perhaps same blog time, but same blog channel.