It’s been awhile since my last post, and for that I greatly apologize. I’m pretty sure Jane was the only one heartbroken over it to begin with. So, my life lately. Let’s see.

1. My 21st birthday……….was AWESOME. My day started off a little crappily. It was raining a very cold rain and I was really missing my family, but as I got ready for my first class I was listening to the Weepies, and one line in particular stood out to me. It was the line “And what you make of it Let me just say You get what you take From it, so be amazed.” That line made me realize that my birthday would be as good as I was willing to make it, and I was willing to make it a good one! Sure I felt old, wrinkled, and aged, with thoughts about how I had expected my life to be so much different at this age than it actually is, but I had to push all that back and focus on the good in my life and the good things I have to look forward to this year. 

I also had to tell myself several times throughout the day that 21 isn’t that old after all, it’s a nice kind of old. It’s an “I can vote, purchase cigarettes, play the lotto, consume alcohol, but can’t rent a car yet!” age. So maybe once I hit 25 and realize I am of age to rent a car, I’ll REALLY feel old. I think I just spend so much time wondering and worrying about my youth. Worrying that it’s slipping away much too quickly. Wondering if I’m making the most of it. The only way to cure these insecure feelings is to slow down things in my life, take advantage of the little things, and make the most of every opportunity I am given.

But, needless to say, my birthday was pretty awesome. My awesome roommates got me a bag of goodies including a kitten calendar, a toy horse to gallop around on (long story short–I like to gallop around our apartment), tons of chocolate, a giant comb and some movies.

 I got to meet with my mom in Richmond for dinner which was very nice and refreshing. Then I got back to school to receive the most awesome cake ever from Tiffany and Ricci.

Have YOU ever received a Gollum cake? I think not. Be jealous.

Earlier in the day Jeremy and Jared had stopped by to give me some ‘alcohol’ aka sparkling grape juice. So my 21st birthday concluded by me drinking sparkling grape juice with Tiffany, Ricci, Zach and Brennan as we played a How Well Do You Know Aubrey game. It was quite a lovely day if I do say so myself.

2. Shortly after my birthday was Thanksgiving break. I worked at the cinema quite a bit, but not too much. I had forgotten what it’s like to just sleep in with no thought of getting to work or class or some other obligation. That was incredibly refreshing. It was also awesome to spend some time with my mom and sister. My sister and I spent the whole weekend acting like Rachel Zoe and calling everything “Bananas” or “OOC” My mom and I took a nice little walk on Saturday afternoon. It was perfectly breezy and bright out and gave us a good opportunity to talk one-on-one, which I definitely miss when I’m away at school. It was awesome catching up with people at the cinema as well. Despite several pitfalls we also managed to get the Christmas decorating done in the lobby. The result was very beautiful. Jane and I also had a few chances to hang out. There’s nothing quite like staring at creepster old men outside of Wendy’s and laughing at Kristen Stewart’s breathing/acting while watching New Moon.

On Sunday night as I drove home from work I had a bit of a revelation. Maybe not a revelation per se, but definitely a great moment. As I took the long way home in the dark, the rain pelting my windshield and music playing softly out of my speakers I glanced around at all the buildings and landmarks that have meant so much in my life. The cinema getting smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror as I pull away. The cinema that has become my second home the past four plus years. The empty land plot that was once my elementary school with the land lab in the back, where I’m sure my tree, Jane’s tree, and  Taru’s tree still stand next to one another. The Lobby Shoppes where I’ve spent my last two summers drowning in popcorn and growing in my friendships with Laura and Mandy. The reservoir where I used to go tubing and skiing with long lost friends and where I still love to go read on my days off.

As I drove past all these places, the song “No Sound but the Wind” by Editors came on, and the first line “We can never go home, we no longer have one” just made me lose it. That one line reminded me of the idea that, after leaving home, we can never truly return. We will have changed, and home won’t. I remember feeling this way when I first got home for fall break freshman year. I remember returning home and thinking that everything was so different, everyone was so different and things would never be the same. But then I realized that I was the one who had changed. I was the one who was different, not them. I had grown so much in my faith, in my general attitude on life, that what I had left behind in August and returned to in October was exactly the same, I was the one who was different.

While I will always  remember the home of my childhood, where buildings were located in town, where my old schools stood, I am glad for this change. It shows that I am growing up, I am maturing, and though home will always be home, I can make a home for myself anywhere I go. As long as I am surrounded by those who love me and care for me and support me, I can be at peace in any place. I will always return home a changed person, and that’s okay.

3. I feel like God is leading me to witness to a few close friends who desperately need Him. I’ve been praying like crazy for these people and so far have only made a litle bit of progress when it comes to one friend. At least that’s how it feels. Tiffany made me realize that maybe some negativity from one person when it comes to God and Christianity could be a good thing. At least it has them talking and questioning things. Hmm. Some prayer for patience would be greatly appreciated.

4. Tonight I had my first meeting for the Tri-S London trip I am going on in March. It was pretty great getting to meet everyone and seeing who I’ll be going with. It also has me pumped for future traveling opportunities I am considering. I am just so antsy to get out of this country and see the world. I have such a passion for meeting people of other cultures and origins. I know there is so much beyond my little bubbles of Anderson and Springfield and I can’t wait to explore them. Oh, also, we’re staying in a city called Paddington, how cute is that?

5. As the semester comes to a close, I have several things to look forward to. Such as the ClubDux rave this Friday night, Indy with Jacqueline Saturday morning, dinner with Katie and friends on Saturday night. I also have several things to NOT look forward to. Such as a Brit Lit term paper, a Writing for the Media article, a Global Lit paper and an Ethics case study. Oh yea, and those little things called final exams. Don’t hate me too much if I don’t blog too much in the coming week or two. Things WILL be hectic.

6. A couple more exciting/awesome things: (aka video overload)

(this trailer almost looks like the book is suitable for a Lifetime original movie-it’s not)

If you have not read this book, go do so.

And  finally….

I NEED to see this film

I believe that’s all. Until next time old blog o’ mine…..

Shia LaBeouf CAN act

Shia LaBeouf in 'New York, I love you'

GOD, how did Shia perform in New York, I love you! boy, ain’t he the best actor out there? well, I won’t claim he is the best but he is no doubt very good.

no words needed. just enjoy it.

New York, I Love You
Género: Drama
Realização: Mira Nair, Allen Hughes, Jiang Wen, Joshua Marston, Shunji Iwai, Fatih Akin, Natalie Portman, Yvan Attal, Shekhar Kapur, Brett Ratner
Intérpretes: Ethan Hawke, Julie Christie, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Robin Wright Penn, Isabelle Adjani, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon
Sinopse:

Na cidade que nunca dorme, o amor está sempre no ar. Essas paixões ganham vida nesta colaboração entre alguns dos mais imaginativos realizadores da actualidade e um elenco fora de série. Juntos criam uma espiral de relações humanas espontâneas, surpreendentes e electrizantes, acelerando o ritmo da cidade. De Tribeca a Brooklin passando pelo Central Park, New York, I Love You tece uma história de amor tão diversificada quanto a própria malha de Nova Iorque. Uma antologia constituída por vários contos de amor, cada um apresentado por um realizador diferente e protagonizados por grandes actores, situada numa das mais amadas e admiradas cidades do mundo.

Site Oficial: http://www.castellolopesmultimedia.com/nyiloveyou/

Nos cinemas a 5 de Novembro

Trailer :

Salientamos que apenas será aceite uma resposta válida por email, e por favor participem apenas se puderem comparecer.

Para participar neste passatempo basta responder às seguintes perguntas:

1. Como se chama a actriz que participa no filme como actriz e realizadora?
2. Em que cidade decorre a acção do filme?

Boa Sorte!

http://canelaehortela.com/home/passatempo-new-york-i-love-you/5547

Director(s): Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner & Randall Balsmeyer

“New York, I Love You” is the second of five anthologies in a project produced by Emmanuel Benbihy. Using big name actors and prolific directors from across the world, these globe-trotting experiments serve as love-letters to their settings. Each short is about some form of  love, whether it be maternal, sexual, and so forth. The first effort was “Paris, Je T’aime”, and Rio, Jerusalem, and Shangai are the proposed final installments. Like any omnibus film, however, the lesser installments stick out like a sore thumb.

Each short film is completed with the following expectations: they will be shot in two days, edited within a week, and run eight minutes in length. This effort boasts an impressive cast (everyone from Shia LaBeouf to Julie Christie), and has contributions from world-renowned directors like Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”, “Amelia”) and Fatih Akin (“Head-On”, “The Edge of Heaven”).

It’s interesting then, having utilized such a diverse field of talent, that the film is so homogenized. Each effort portrays New York as overwhelmingly white, young, middle class and heterosexual. Each involves a chance encounter and a twist ending. I’ve never been to New York, but having seen films by the likes of Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, this film felt like another planet entirely.

There are a few that work quite well. Yvan Attal’s short, starring Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q, Chris Cooper, and Robin Wright Penn is sharply written and beautifully performed. Allen Hughes’ is a stylish look into the day after a one night stand. Joshua Marston’s short, about a couple that has been married for 63 years, is also charming and quite funny. Compared to “Paris, Je T’aime”, however, the mean quality throughout is significantly lower. None of these shorts comes within an arm’s distance of Alexander Payne’s effort from the first film.

For an effort that promises to introduce wildly new material every ten minutes or so, it’s stunning that such large chunks of “New York, I Love You” are a complete bore. This homogenized New York doesn’t represent any city in the world – the beautiful, young hipsters are more plausible citizens of a film school’s lobby. Hopefully the last three installments make full use of their diverse voices and paint a portrait of the heart of their assigned city, warts and all.

NYC to me is a city glorified by films and music. Many directors have romanced this city on celluloid. Quite a few legendary TV series have had the city as a character by itself and not a mere location. New York. It has cinematic magic glued all over it. So when you happen to be in New York when a film called ‘New York, I love you’ releases, you can’t help but be a little excited.

On a pleasant evening, I coaxed my heavily pregnant friend to come see this rendezvous on celluloid. A rendezvous with a city that I have been much fascinated by. Unfortunately, we came out unimpressed. The stories were predictable, random and sometimes, one couldn’t help but wonder if the stories had anything to do with New York in the first place. I mean how is chatting up a woman over a cigarette, a New York phenomenon?

One would expect to see the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty or Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge weaved into the stories beyond being mere locations or part of some random montage. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the montage, you’d never realise this film was about New York, leave alone be a tribute to the city. Or how is a squabbling old couple walking down a street innately New York like? Distanced couples rediscover each other all over the world and the musician who has to read Dostovesky could have been in Moscow for all I care? Where is New York in these stories?

I feel no New York love in this one, I don’t see anything remotely fascinating or remotely ‘New Yorkish’ about these films made by a bunch of noted filmmakers and written by some very awesome people. I loved Paris Je T’aime. I loved how the soul, the identity of Paris was weaved into each segment with much love. That love, that soul is simply missing in this one.

Btw, my sandals broke and I had to walk home barefoot! Couldn’t help but think about Neil Simon’s play, ‘Barefoot In The Park’. Had he written something for this ‘tribute’, I am sure he’d have created a fiery little story that would do justice to the madness that is New York City. Dad, I am sure you’ll agree!

YAY! Finally, a date has been set for the movie New York, I Love You for Toronto.  I think I have written about this awhile back. And it has already been screened pretty much everywhere…so it’s not even a new movie persay. But check out the trailer below if you haven’t already:

This is a follow up to “Paris, Je T’Aime” which I really enjoyed. I can appreciate that it was a bit hocky at times, as most movies about ‘love’ usually are. I remember my favorite scenes were “Quais de Seine” and “Daubourg Saint-Denis” with Natalie Portman.  

I hope “New York, I Love You” is good. This time around, they have Allen Huges, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner directing some of the shorts. There will also be lots of famous faces- Shia LaBeouf, Bradley Cooper, and Orlando Bloom! If I were judging the film based on the trailer alone, my expectations would be super high. But according to the 43% RT rating, I’m thinking otherwise. TOO BAD!  I think that because this has become somewhat of a ‘fake deep’ franchise film, as they plan to expand the series to other cities. Nonetheless, it was a film on my anticipated movies 2009. So I will naturally HAVE to see it anyway.

Catching a matinee in the middle of the day is a holiday well spent, I always say. Actually, I never say that. It’s true though.

Critics hailed Paris, Je T’aime, a compilation of vignettes about the city offered up by several directors, but I attest New York, I Love You was better. Extrapolate, if you must, taking that as a vote for New York over Paris, but I couldn’t say. Never been to Paris. I’d hazard a guess that Paris may have more twinkly lights, but New Yorkers have better stories.

Of course, these are fictional shorts, but they feel authentically New York: a man and woman hook up after drinks, a bickering octogenarian couple share a tender moment at Coney Island, a pickpocket gets his pocket picked. While many are simple slice-of-life glimpses, several of the pieces surprise with an O. Henry ending, and there’s nothing I like better than being surprised by a movie. Unless it’s a surprise Wes Craven style in which case I’ll take my tidy ending.

So I saw New York, I Love You tonight. I was lookin’ forward to it for a couple reasons. One it’s a bunch of short films, by a bunch of different directors, so I was assuming we’d get to see some directors on their artsy shit. Two, I’m planning on doing an anthology film in a similar format in the very near future, so I figured it’d put me on a little game, as well. And on the whole, I enjoyed it. But there was one thing that really bothered me.

There were no black people.

Now, I’m not usually one of those alarmist, NAACP, black folks that grades the TV networks on the amount of blacks they have on TV. Truthfully, black people are overrepresented in the media. We only, make up like 15% of the population, but get a good amount of screen time. The problem is usually the quality of roles, and I’d rather see no black people than see shitty portrayals or see black people playing what are clearly white roles. (Pete from Smallville is for me the worst example of that. That kid could not have been more out of place. Why were they even friends?)

And I honestly couldn’t give a shit, that there were like never black people on Seinfeld and Friends. I actually thought it was kinda realistic that they wouldn’t know any black people. The fact that there were like rarely blacks in the background was funny, I admit but come on. That’s nitpicky. But there are like New York subcultures where you can slide by not having to actually be cool with any black people, still. And that’s fine. If nothing else, the whole issue just made for some good rap punchlines (40 Cal said “take his dough and send ‘em back broke like his spine frail. I’ll put him in all white cast like Seinfeld.” Dipset!).

But this was different.

It wasn’t just that there were practically no black people, (I’ll explain the practically in a second) but it was the fact that a number of the shorts dealt with ethnic identity, or immigration and assimilation. Like half of ‘em. But someone none of them deal with African-Americans. There’s a piece on the ethnic interaction between the Hasidic jewish population and the (what I might be ignorantly assuming to be) the Indian population. There is a piece about a (I think) Spanish painter’s fascination with an Asian woman he regularly sees at a local shop.  Another piece about an immigrant bellboy, who I believe was eastern European if not explicitly Russian. And a piece about a Latino dancer, and his mixed race daughter, (the dancer is a darker skinned Latino, like Dominican. Read almost black.) It was like they tried to hit every ethnic group except Black people. It felt like conspicuous exclusion.

I was pissed.

I wasn’t pissed. But I was upset. And the thing is, unlike Friends or Seinfeld, there black people in the background. There’s one clear shot of a homeless black guy. There’s a scene where Hayden Christiansen’s character beats a bunch of black guys in basketball (he may have paid them off to impress a girl, which is offensive for completely different reasons). I noticed one other shot that was two black mothers nursing children in the park, which was sweet, but that was it. Like, really… IT. Can’t a nigga get a bucket drummer up in this bitch. There is black culture oozing out of New York just waiting to be captured, and it’s completely ignored.

And the worst part is, one of the directors is black. Allen Hughes, maestro behind the brilliant Menace II Society directed, probably the most visually stunning piece, a recollection of a one night stand between Bradley Cooper and Drea de Matteo. Two white -ass people. And he should be able to do that. His piece had nothing to do with race and that’s fine. That’s his right, and it show progress that he even gets to do a piece that isn’t a “Black” piece. But c’mon dog. Someone’s gotta represent.

I mean seriously, how the hell do you make a movie about New York and not involve Spike Lee in the first place!?!?

But it’s really not that hard to figure out. Watching this movie, it’s clear that despite it’s arthouse wrappings, this is a movie aiming very clearly for the heartstrings of 40-year-old white people. If the VERY cheesy faux-artsy ending doesn’t tell you that, then I don’t know what to tell you. It is an extremely safe film, filled with very attractive people doing very cute things. And even with Barack Obama as president, black people are not safe, so when an arthouse movie needs to make money we get excluded.

Maybe I’m just being cynical, I don’t know.

Paris has more than the Eiffel Tower and Le Louvre. Paris has kissing. Lots of it. And Paris Ile-de-France have launched a new campaign to prove it. A short film by critically-acclaimed film-maker and director, Yvan Attal, has premiered online today as part of a larger campaign to celebrate the vibrant culture of Paris and entice young people to visit the city.

The famous Paris kiss from the 1950s.

The film, titled ‘Kisses from Paris’, was shown at a launch in the Tate Modern’s East Room last night. “It took me a day,” said Attal to the Guardian’s Janine di Giovanni. It follows a young couple’s journey around the unseen and unexpected sides of the city. Being aimed at young travellers who do their booking on the internet, the campaign is a viral one involving a network of selected bloggers and social networking sites.

There has been an emerging fashion for creating short films to promote brands: Dior launched The Lady Noire Affair featuring Marion Cotillard and Viktor and Rolf put out a film for their Spring 2010 collection for Paris fashion week. Now Paris Ile-de-France hope their edgy three minute film can help refresh Paris’ appeal. With Rufus Wainwright providing the soundtrack, coupled with sophisticated snapshots of Parisian life and young love, how can you not be seduced? You decide:

Attal was chosen to direct the film after the Paris Tourist Board saw his five-minute film about New York as part of the New York, I Love You project.

Kisses from Paris is part of a larger online campaign, called ‘You, Me and Paris Makes Three’. One feature of the campaign will allow ssers visiting the Paris Tourist board’s website to declare their love and customise their favourite Parisian scenes with their chosen one’s photograph.

Paris, New York, wherever you may be, a lot of love – and advertising – is spreading online.

Disclaimer: I have never been to New York City.

After seeing New York, I Love You, I’m dying to go. Inspired by Paris, je t’aime, New York, I Love You follows a very similar formula.

11 filmmakers, 11 stories, and a Robert Altman size cast (including Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, Shia Labeouf, Orlando Blooom, Robin Wright Penn, Eli Wallach, and Chris Cooper), bring New York City to life in this anthology film.

Critical praise has been mixed, many agreeing that the film is an inconsistent, plot-less film.

Well there lies the beauty.

The stories (each directed by a different director) intertwine with one another and connections are made from character to character. Remarkably, the fragmented storyline is still able to keep viewers captivated.

The film is simply about fragments of time and how characters interact with one another throughout life.  Although the film is a tiny glimpse into the character’s lives and cultures, New York, I Love You paints a realist world that hasn’t been seen since the Italian neo-realist movement.

The remarkable performances of Ethan Hawke, Natalie Portman, Shia Labeouf (what a shock?!), and Orlando Bloom really bring the film to life.

Bloom’s performance is the centerpiece of director Shunji Iwai’s segment.  Without a doubt my favorite storyline, Iwai’s story of the hopeless, writer romantic (Bloom) and the unlikely girl next door (Christina Ricci) is something every girl would call “cute” and every guy would have to fight off emotion to hide it.

Even hack director Brett Ratner directed a segment that had heart (something he has never done, outside of TV’s Prison Break).

If you are looking for a three act plot with a singular storyline, forget about this film. If you seek a story that is foundationally simple, yet sophisticated in its realism and heart, New York, I Love You would be a wonderful choice. The fragmented storyline won’t give you a singular storyline, but it will paint a vivid picture of life and a small period of time: a period of time so small that if you blink, it could be lost for good in the Big Apple.

(3 out of 4 stars)

I Love You,

-Nolan Wilson Goff

Check out the trailer below:

Galere

Tava fuçando na internet e vi o trailler do “NY, I love you”. Daí descobri que o filme na verdade faz parte de um projeto graça, o “Cities of love” que constrói um longa através de vários curtas, produzidos por diferentes diretores do mundo.

O primeiro longa foi o “Paris, je t´aime” lançado em 2008 e neste ano teremos o “New York, I love you”.  Dizem por aí que o longa français est  melhor, mas mesmo assim deve ser fofo e legal. Adoro estórias paralelas tipo em “Love Actually”

Olha o trailler:

E também o site: www.newyorkiloveyouthemovie.com

é a let

          Ayer tuve la oportunidad de ver  -New York, I Love You-  en el marco de la 51 Muestra Internacional de Cine de la Cineteca, no creo que tenga nada más que decir que… ¡vayan a verla!.

          Por cierto, la 51 Muetsra Internacional de Cine de la Cineteca se lleva a cabo desde el pasado jueves 5 de noviembre y hasta el lunes 30 del mismo mes; exhibirá películas como New York I Love You, Los Abrazos Rotos, Violines En El Cielo, A La Orilla Del Río, etc.

          Esta muestra internacional es un esfuerzo de la Cineteca por traernos cine de calidad que muchas veces no llega a ser exhibido en la cartelera común, asistamos a la 51 Muetsra Internacional de Cine de la Cineteca

http://www.cinetecanacional.net/micrositios/muestra51/

This is a bit of a double-barrelled post. Firstly, I get to talk about movies I really want to see.  And secondly, I encourage you all to make a trip up to New Farm in Brisbane to check out the Moonlight Cinema this Summer!

If you’ve never been before, it is just what the name suggests. New Farm Park screens  five films a week - always either a new release or a cult classic – for anyone to come and watch under the stars. It costs (a little bit) less than going to the traditional cinema, and you can bring your own picnic! The program has been released for up until the end of Summer and you can view and book online. So get in quickly!

I’ve already planned the films I want to see:

5. New Moon

4. Avatar 

3. New York, I Love You

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox

1. Where the Wild Things Are

Hope to see you there!

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU
M12|DRAMA|EUA|110 m

Realização: Jian Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Faith Akin, Joshua Marston, Randy Balsmeyer
Intérpretes: Kevin Bacon, Justin Bartha, Maggie Q, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Blake Lively, Julie Christie, Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Drea de Matteo, Carla Gugino, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Irfan Khan, Shia LaBeouf, Cloris Leachman, Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson, Christina Ricci, Olivia Thirlby, Goran Visnjic, Eli Wallach, Robin Wright Penn, Anton Yelchin, Burt Young
IMDB: 7,4/10 (1 174 votos)

O filme “New York, I Love You”, dos mesmo produtores de “Paris, Je t’aime”, traz-nos um conjunto de histórias de amor tendo como cenário a bela cidade de Nova Iorque. Na cidade que nunca dorme há encontros, desencontros, paixões avassaladoras e amores eternos. São pequenas histórias contadas por vários realizadores e actores, num elenco de luxo: Ethan Hawke, Andy Garcia, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, entre muitos outros.

Apesar de as histórias não se cruzarem, todas assentam num tema comum: o amor e a sua procura. Ao longo do filme, somos apresentados aos vários bairros que compõem a cidade, dos mais aos menos glamourosos, dos mais ou menos conhecidos.

“New York, I Love You”, que teve a sua primeira apresentação pública no Festival Internacional de Cinema de Toronto do ano passado, é, por isso, uma autêntica visita guiada aos mais belos recantos de Nova Iorque.

A MALDIÇÃO DE MOLLY HARTLEY
M16|TERROR|EUA|82 m

Realização: Mickey Liddell
Argumento: John Travis
Intérpretes: Haley Bennett, Jake Weber, Shanna Collins, Chace Crawford, Shannon Woodward, AnnaLynne McCord, Marin Hinkle, Nina Siemaszko, Josh Stewart, Jessica Lowndes, Randy Wayne, Jamie McShane, Kevin Cooney
IMDB: 3,6/10 (3 003 votos)

“The Haunting of Molly Hartley” conta a história da adolescente Molly Hartley. Ela está decidida a deixar para trás todos os problemas do passado assim que começa a estudar numa nova escola. É um óptimo começo, principalmente porque ela inicia um romance com o rapaz mais popular do local.

Mas a tensão e o medo novamente tomam conta de Molly. Ela tem dúvidas se conseguirá manter os seus segredos enterrados, sobretudo quando ela começa a descobrir terríveis acontecimentos que a esperam quando ela está prestes a comemorar os seus 18 anos de idade.

Um filme de terror de péssima realização, de resto bem ao encontro da grande maioria dos filmes do género produzidos nos últimos anos – caso para dizer: “Já não se fazem filmes de terror como antigamente!”

STEP UP 2: THE STREETS
M12|MUSICAL|EUA|92 m

Realização: Jon Chu
Argumento: Toni Ann Johnson, Karen Barna
Intérpretes: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Will Kemp, Cassie Ventura, Adam G. Sevani, Telisha Shaw
IMDB: 5,5/10 (17 432 votos)

“Step Up 2 the Streets” é um filme recheado de música e dança, onde Andie (Briana Evigan) une forças com o dançarino mais sexy da escola (Robert Hoffman) para formar um grupo, com colegas marginalizados, para competir na concurso de dança de rua de Baltimore – The Streets – onde ela encontra, finalmente, uma maneira de viver o seu sonho, criando uma ponte entre os seus dois mundos, tão afastados…

Uma atracção imediata surge entre a rebelde Andie e o talentoso Chase quando se encontram pela primeira vez na Escola de Artes de Maryland, uma escola de elite muito bem conceituada para jovens dançarinos.

Andie, ao mesmo tempo que faz um esforço para se enquadrar nos modelos da nova escola, tenta viver a sua vida como sempre a viveu, não renegando as suas origens humildes nem o lugar onde nasceu. Já Chase pertence à classe alta e é o rapaz mais popular da escola, que aliás é dirigida pelo seu irmão.

Mas, apesar de pertencerem a mundos tão distintos, Andie e Chase decidem formar o The Streets, um grupo “underground” de dança de rua. Agora, vão descobrir como a arte pode esbater todas as diferenças quando em causa está o mesmo sonho e a mesma paixão.

OS IRMÃOS BLOOM
M12|THRILLER|EUA|109 m

Realização: Rian Johnson
Argumento: Rian Johnson
Intérpretes: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane
IMDB: 7,2/10 (6 877 votos)

“The Brothers Bloom” são dois irmãos, interpretados por Adrien Brody e Mark Ruffalo, considerados os melhores vigaristas do mundo, aplicando complexos esquemas fraudulentos de luxúria e intriga.

Agora eles decidem fazer um último “golpe”, que é mostrar a uma bela e excêntrica herdeira verdadeiros momentos de felicidade, numa aventura romântica que os vai levar a dar a volta ao mundo.

“The Brothers Bloom” é realizado e escrito pelo jovem realizador Rian Johnson, o criador do filme independente “Brick”. Sem dúvida, este filme é uma agradável surpresa.

AS RUAS DA AMARGURA
M12|DOCUMENTÁRIO|PORTUGAL

Realização: Rui Simões
Argumento: (nada a assinalar)
Intérpretes: (nada a assinalar)
IMDB: sem votação

“As ruas da Amargura” é um documentário muito interessante que aborda o tema dos sem-abrigo da cidade de Lisboa. “As Ruas da Amargura” são povoadas por homens e mulheres, de todas as idades, com carências afectivas, financeiras, problemas mentais, alcoolismo, toxicodependência, ou simplesmente pessoas que chegaram a Portugal à procura de uma vida um pouco melhor.

“As Ruas da Amargura” são povoadas por homens e mulheres, de todas as idades, com carências afectivas, financeiras, problemas mentais, alcoolismo, toxicodependência, ou simplesmente pessoas que chegaram a Portugal à procura de uma vida um pouco melhor.

Do outro lado das Ruas há um formigueiro de voluntários, assistentes sociais e técnicos diversos que constroem e mantêm estruturas de apoio, uns pensando em dias melhores, outros institucionalizando a ajuda sem acreditar que o fenómeno possa ter cura.

New York has always been a city idealized with the phrase “bright lights, big city.” People move there to fall in love, start a career or begin a new life. Behind the romanticized city made of glass and steel skyscrapers, there is a deeper layer: people, love and relationships.

“New York, I Love You” explores the major complicated theme that is love. The film is described on the official website as: “love in all its varieties, from first love, tough love and momentary love, to love remembered, love denied, love yearned for and love that lasts forever.”Love is a tricky, sticky emotion that makes people act like fools and drives us all crazy.

In “New York, I Love You” there are 11 short vignettes, with 11 different directors, representing a brief glimpse into the lives of every day New Yorkers. The film begins as all excellent stories about New York do – in a cab. Bradley Cooper gets into a cab in a hurry to meet his steamy one-night stand at a bar for a possible round two, while he shares the car with Andy Garcia.

The story shifts to a blonde Rachael Bilson taking photos of herself in a sidewalk photo booth. She drops one photo which is picked up by Hayden Christensen. On a whim he follows her into a bar, which comes off as a bit creepy, and tries to chat her up. He discovers her boyfriend is a married man, who doesn’t treat her with dignity. After leaving the bar, Bilson follows Christensen in hot pursuit – a new beginning?

What about first loves? A teenager is dumped by his girlfriend (Blake Lively) the night before the Prom. Instead, he takes the local drug store owner’s beautiful daughter only to find out she’s in a wheelchair, much to his dismay.

Each story emphasizes a particular situation – what goes right or wrong. There are depressing moments such as in one moment, a young Chinese girl becomes the muse for an elderly alcoholic painter. Before she can sit for him, he does presumably of a heart attack. Everyone can relate to at least one of these small moments in these people’s lives. Or the hilarious parts such as when the old couple walks to the pier to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their story opened with the woman nagging her husband, “don’t walk so fast. I don’t want to have to call an ambulance.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and fast past movement from person to person. You get just enough snippets in their lives to understand their emotions and then you move on. At times the love in a situation can be really confusing to understand because the brief interaction the audience has with the characters. Also, the movie can seem disconnected the way the stories are laid out. In the end, it all becomes connected via a character who is a film maker, documenting all of these moments on tape.

I related most to a brief moment between Bradley Cooper and Drea De Matteo. They have a really steamy night together, meet up at a bar and then ask now what? The hot cab scene at the end of their situation – been there done that. And would gladly do it again.

♥ – Erin

I’ll be honest, the first thing that really got me here was the song playing behind the trailer of this film, “1901” from Phoenix, one of my musical obsessions of 2009.  The second I noticed was the onslaught of A-list actors participating in this film.  Take the concept of Paris, je t’aime, a host of talented actors and directors, and a great U.S. city as the main character, and you’ve got a satisfactory cinematic experience at the very least.

New York, I Love You is a compilation of short films mashed together that more or less sum up why so many believe New York City to be one of the greatest cities in the world.  Set in a variety of different places around The Big Apple, 11 filmmakers take characters from many cultures and walks of life and grant us access to their sometimes exciting and sometimes mundane lives.  Each short film in this project has its own flavor and its own chart.  None of them knock me off my feet per se, but at the end of it all, I can’t help but feel a good feeling inside.  This film reminds us that it’s the little things that make life worth living, be it a run in with a stranger in a cab, the re-igniting of a troubled marriage, or a prom night you’ll never forget.

One thing to note here is that this is probably Brett Ratner’s best work of his career (not that that’s saying much)!  His short film is one of the highlights of this project.

3 out of 5 stars.

Michael Jackson’s This Is It. A surprisingly enjoyable final tribute to the man, to his music and to his talent. In anticipation of a movie about his final concerts in England, the rehearsals were filmed. The camera work is amazing as you feel you are right there with the musicians, dancers and singers as they work tirelessly to create Michael’s vision for the show, and quite a show it would have been. At first the film seems strange, as if watching a ghost; but Michael’s energy begins to shine through and you catch a glimpse of the man as your toes start tapping to the familiar tunes. The behind scenes look at what it takes to design and create a show of this magnitude is interesting enough but when Michael Jackson is in the middle of it, it becomes magic. Michael seems to be enjoying himself and pushing himself to be the best he can. He is thin, but energetic and focused. It just makes the end seem more tragic and even stranger. Rated PG but will bore children.

The Beaches of Agnes. Cinephiles and especially lovers of French New Wave film will get a kick out of this reminiscence by Agnes Varda. Approaching 80 Agnes reviews her life and time on film. She was there in the 1950’s as a young filmmaker when French cinema was launched. She marries director Jacques Demy, raises three children, experiences the culture wars of the 1960’s, works in Hollywood and is always creating. She knew them all; Jim Morrison, Andy Warhol, Fidel Castro, the Black Panthers and a host of others. Her interesting life is told while she enjoys the beaches of the world which have always held a fascination for her. An enjoyable autobiography. Not rated but would be R for language and nudity.

The Damned United. A British football (soccer) film that has little to do with football but a lot to do with character development and what it takes to be a leader. A football manager/coach, Brian Clough(expertly portrayed by Michael Sheen) manages a third rate team and through his drive and skill takes them to the top of their game. His approach goes against conventional wisdom. Leeds United is the team to beat and Clough takes on the task of beating them as a personal crusade. Leeds uses dirty play to win and Clough will not tolerate it. Through a series of circumstances Clough becomes the manager of Leeds United and fails miserably. He is consumed by being right and can never win the players over. His experience at failure teaches him what is important and he reunites with his assistant coach and becomes the most revered and controversial football manager in modern Britain. Rated R for language.

New York, I love You. A collection of short stories that are designed to be love letters to New York City. The stories are interesting but could be anywhere. The connection to New York is just where they happen, nothing special about the Big Apple. The stories are interesting and varied as the people who inhabit New York. The pharmacist whose daughter has special needs; a married couple who goes on dates; traditions that collide but appreciate; unfilled artists; angst filled young lovers; old folks in love; and omniscient cabbies. The film never catches fire but does engage as each new story is well told. Rated R for language and sexual content.

New York, I Love You (2008)
★★ / ★★★★

I’ve been waiting for this movie to be released in theaters for more than a year so I was really excited to see it when it finally was. Unfortunately, out of the ten segments (presented in order of appearances on screen–directed by Jiang Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin and Joshua Marston) only about five worked for me–the second (starring Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan), the third (Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci), the fourth (Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q), the fifth (Anton Yelchin, Olivia Thirlby, James Caan and Blake Lively), and the tenth (Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman).

I really wanted to love this movie as much as “Paris, je t’aime.” What made the first one so great is the fact that even though we encounter so many different genres and tones throughout the picture, it felt cohesive because we truly get a sense of who the characters were in under five to seven minutes. In “New York, I Love You,” it all feels a little bit too commercial. I felt as though it wanted to impress all kinds of people so much to the point where it held back emotionally and avoided taking risks. I’m also astounded by the fact that there were no homosexual storylines, barely any segments consisting of African-American or Latino characters, and most of clips consisted of a person falling in love or lust with another person. There are many dimensions of love (love for the city, love for a pet, love for oneself…) but it didn’t quite think outside the box. Those missing qualities are crucial to me because New York is supposed to be a melting pot of ethnicities, sexualities and mindsets yet we got to see the same kinds of people time and again. With “Paris, je t’aime,” we get diversity and in more than half of them, there was not a happy ending, which I thought was closer to real life than the stories presented in this film.

The five segments that I thought were standouts had a certain passion in every single one of them, whether it’s about a woman who doesn’t quite feel comfortable about getting married; an artist struggling to read one of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s books and whose curiosity of a woman he’s only met through the phone bothered him to the core; a man who thinks one way about a woman turning out to be someone completely different than we all expected; a teenager who goes to prom with a blind date unknowing of the fact that his date is unlike anyone he expected; and a couple celebrating their marriage that lasted for more than sixty years. Those are the kinds of stories I want to tune into and dissect because hidden layers are embedded in them. What I don’t want to see is someone supposedly falling in love unless he or she has something truly significant or different to contribute. The other five segments that I didn’t quite like should have been taken out and replaced by stories from other genres such as horror or science fiction, or they could have had a different mood or perception such as in a black-and-white reality or featuring a person so wasted in drugs–a way in which we could see the world through their eyes. That would have made more sense to me because we are essentially a drug culture. Or it could have featured at least one fashion model or a fashionista because New York is one of the biggest fashion capitals in the world. Instead of really embracing to tackle issues mentioned previously, the movie was way too safe with those other segments.

Having said all of that, I have to admit that I’m particularly hard on this picture. Since I don’t do half-star ratings, it must be said that I consider this a solid two-and-a-half star movie. When I came out of the theater, I was certain that I was going to give it three stars out of four but after thinking about it a little bit, it made me realize how much potential it didn’t use to create a truly magnificent project. For such a fascinating place like New York City, you just can’t play everything safe and get away with it. At least not with me because I’m big on seeing diversity and reality in certain kinds of films, especially in slice-of-life cinema. I’m not saying at all to not see this in theaters. By all means, please do to support a film released only on limited release. But what I want you to take away from this review is the awareness that what’s being presented on this film is not the gritty and dirty New York but the clean, nice New York we see on a prime time television shows.

Hopefully, the next project from this film series would not be as afraid to branch out.