A burglar on the run kidnaps a couple and holds them hostage in their home unaware that he’s become a guest at the most dysfunctional family Christmas ever.

Directed by – Ted Demme

Written by – Marie Weiss, Richard LaGravenese

Starring – Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Glynis Johns, Raymond J. Barry, Christine Baranski, Adam LeFevre, Phillip Nicoll, Ellie Raab, Bill Raymond, John Scurti, Jim Turner, Kenneth Utt, Robert Ridgely, J.K. Simmons, Rutanay Alda

With so few days left until Christmas I’ve been running out of time and holiday movies to watch but I came across this one in my search. I hadn’t seen this movie since it came out but I’ve always been a fan of Denis Leary and remembered enjoying this one. Dysfunctional families seem to be a theme in Christmas comedies but this family wins the prize. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are the couple kidnapped by Denis Leary and they just happened to be on the way home from their marriage counsellors office. Even their therapist can barely deal with them but it all becomes Denis Leary’s problem.

While Leary is trying to hide out in their home, he soon realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Even tied up together, Spacey and Davis trade insults back and forth, slowly wearing on Leary’s patience. Not only must he deal with the deranged couple but their son is on the way home from military school where he’s made an artform of blackmail and of course the rest of the family is coming for Christmas dinner.

Denis Leary becomes therapist to the dysfunctional couple.

Now with Denis Leary in one of the main roles, this isn’t one that the kiddies can enjoy as well. His brand of comedy is rapid fire and full of vulgarity which is how I like it and although his pace is a little slowed down in this one, he still finds time to inject his brand of humour into the proceedings. Still, the best delivery comes courtesy of Kevin Spacey towards the end of the film when he finally stands up for himself against his wife, mother and the rest of the family who looks down on him.

There’s plenty of laughs in this one, not only from the family but also from the smaller players in the film. There’s a neighbour who makes the yearly rounds as Santa Claus except this year he’s been getting into the liquor a bit too much, the local cops who aren’t used to any crime in their small town and couldn’t catch a cold and the sheriff of the town who may be capable of catching Leary if he wasn’t held back by his inept police force.

Can Leary skip town before the family drives him crazy?

Eventually everything is wrapped up in a nice, big, Christmasy bow and everyone rides off into the sunset. It is a holiday movie ya know! It’s a hilarious ride and watching Kevin Spacey slowly grow a pair throughout the film is one of the highlights. Just when I thought no family could beat the dysfunction that was National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, along came The Ref to remind me of the disaster that can be the family holiday dinner. Now that I’ve rediscovered this one, it will become a part of my holiday viewing for years to come. Besides, it makes me feel better about my family! HAHA!

Under the mistletoe – Will

Variety’s BFDealmemo is reporting that Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to the first of a five-part book series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl entitled “Beautiful Creatures”.

The book revolves around high schooler Ethan Wate who despises his boring, small town. That is, until he meets 16-year old witch Lena Duchanne (no word on how to say that name yet). Duchanne’s family has moved back to town for the exact reason Wate dislikes it- it’s mundane.

Duchanne’s family is haunted by a curse and it is up to her and Wate to unravel the mystery while their relationship blossoms.

The first of the books was released yesterday.

This appears to be more of a love story compared to the currently popular “Harry Potter” series that WB is behind. Even the upcoming fantasy epic “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010) appears to be similar only in the fantasy elements.

I won’t go as far to claim it is the next “Twilight”, but who knows what is to come right now. “Creatures” certainly is a romance based fantasy series.

LaGravenese

Scripting and directing duties have been given to Richard LaGravenese of “P.S. I Love You” fame. LaGravenese also has a number of other writing credits to his name, including “The Bridges of Madison County”, “The Horse Whisperer”, and the upcoming Narnia film “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”.

“I love supernatural stories that have well drawn mythologies, and I liked that this book has all the basic elements of a classic first love story with a supernatural layer over it,” LaGravanese said. Hit the jump for more plot details that might also be spoilers.

*POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT*

“So the first time they hear the words boyfriend and girlfriend, they accidentally overhear each other telepathically. Their first kiss comes after he saves her life and their first date is part of a bigger adventure that leads to the unraveling of the mysterious curse that haunts her family.”

Escritores de la Libertad

Como suele pasar, me encontré sin querer con una película interesante en algún canal del cable. Al principio, muy típica. Historia de la vida real, profesora blanca llega a trabajar a colegio público de California y se encuentra con estudiantes rebeldes pertenecientes a minorías étnicas que no le hacen caso. ¿Nada que no nos hayan contado antes, cierto?

Es luego de un enfrentamiento entre pandillas y de la circulación en el salón de clase de una caricatura racista que la historia da un giro. Mientras la profesora les da una charla sobre el odio interracial, les menciona el Holocausto y con gran sorpresa descubre que los chicos no tienen idea del tema. – ¿Qué es eso del Holocausto? – le pregunta uno de ellos.

Entonces la profesora diseña un curriculum de estudios donde incluye una visita al Museo de Tolerancia de Los Ángeles continuado por la lectura de “El Diario de Ana Frank”. Los chicos se sienten identificados con Ana, encerrados en una vida de prejuicios y violencia. Uno de los estudiantes va más allá del diario y lee biografías de Miep Gies, la valiente secretaria que ayudó desinteresadamente a los Frank a mantenerse escondidos durante años. Los chicos le proponen a la profesora recaudar fondos para que Miep Gies pueda viajar a contarles su historia. Y así lo hacen. También conocen en una cena a sobrevivientes de Auschwitz quienes comparten su dolorosa experiencia con los jóvenes.

A partir de esto la profesora motiva a los chicos a escribir sus propios diarios y ellos lo hacen a manera de catarsis ante la violencia que los rodea. La iniciativa del diario de los estudiantes es todo un éxito y tiempo después publican un libro con una recopilación de sus historias: “El Diario de los Escritores de la Libertad” ( The Freedom Writers Diary)

Lo que más me gustó de haberme encontrado con esta película, es comprobar una vez más como el deseo de Ana Frank se cumplió. Ella quería ser recordada y marcar una diferencia con su vida, y si que lo logró. Ella sigue y seguirá inspirando por siempre a muchas personas con su historia. Me pregunto si no sería una buena idea incluir la lectura de su Diario en el plan de estudios de los colegios de nuestro país. A lo mejor ayudaría a dejarnos de tanto regionalismo y clasismo que nos impide avanzar. Yo leí el Diario a los 14 años y pregunté a mis padres que era lo que exactamente había ocurrido en esos tiempos. Ellos me lo contaron muy por encima, no sé si porque tampoco lo sabían bien o para evitarme el impacto de conocer algo tan terrible. Pero pienso que está bien que los adolescentes conozcan esa historia y que se horroricen. Tal vez eso les daría una visión distinta del mundo y las personas que los rodean y quizás crecerían con un poco menos de prejuicios que nosotros.

Por Dorothy, en Mi Viaje por el Camino Amarillo

Poster de la película

Escritores de la Libertad

FREEDOM WRITERS av Richard LaGravenese (2007)
Med Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, April Lee Hernandez, Kristin Herrera, Deance Wyatt, Vanetta Smith, Jason Finn, Mario, Antonio Garcia

Jag vet faktiskt inte hur många det finns, bara att de är väldigt många. Och att de bygger på en sann historia, allihop. När man sett ett antal kan man i själva verket börja misstänka att de alla bygger på samma sanna historia, eftersom de är nästan lika identiska varandra som en kopia av en datorfil och originalet. Med undantag av att huvudrollen som den kämpande läraren ibland spelas av en man, ibland av en kvinna. Eleverna, däremot, får man lätt en känsla av drar likt en nomadstam från film till film, för de går sällan att skilja åt mellan filmerna över huvud taget. Möjligen rör det sig faktiskt om ett gäng skådespelare i relativt ung ålder (och, får man förmoda, så småningom plastikopererade á la bästa Hollywoodmanér när de blivit lite äldre) som hamnat i det eviga facket att spela våldsamma, knarkande skolelever från ghettot i drypsentimentala må bra-filmer om modiga lärare och lärarinnor som på egen hand och i strid mot det tröga skolsystemets alla byråkrater lyckas förvandla eleverna till rosenkindade änglabarn av äkta, amerikanskt helyllesnitt.

Freedom Writers är en så arketypisk film i facket att det räcker alldeles förträffligt att se bara den och ingen av de andra. Absolut varenda må bra-kliché, den ena osannolikare och mer magvändande sentimentalgullig än den andra, finns här. Som allra gräddmosigast blir det när den före detta så bråkiga klassen under sin Pollyannakäcka lärarinna Hilary Swanks ledning anordnar matbasar för att samla in pengar i syfte att till USA bjuda över Miep Gies, kvinnan som under andra världskriget gömde Anne Frank, så att hon kan hålla föredrag i klassrummet. Det mest häpnadsväckande är inte att Miep Gies kommer, det mest häpnadsväckande är att hon håller sitt föredrag för endast eleverna i klassen i stället för hela skolan eller för den delen i stadshuset inför tusentals åhörare.

Fast vid närmare eftertanke finns det förstås något ännu mer häpnadsväckande med den här filmen, för det är i alla fall för mig nästan obegripligt hur man lyckats klämma in ganska exakt 512 klyschiga klichéer på bara 1 timme och 58 minuter. Det kan möjligen vara något slags rekord. Och med tanke på att Freedom Writers liksom alla sina föregångare bygger på en sann historia, kan man bara dra slutsatsen att amerikaner alldeles på riktigt framlever sin tillvaro i dramaturgiskt korrekta segment fyllda av det slags tårskvättande klichéer som får merparten av en biopublik att dra upp näsdukarna.

Jag tror faktiskt att jag föredrar vår mindre sentimentala men mer handfast jordnära tillvaro här i Europa. Jag skulle nog inte klara av att behöva skvätta tårar ungefär var tionde minut för att någon ny, hjärtevärmande må bra-grej inträffat.

Kör hårt,
Bellis

FAN favorite James Marsters has been cast in The Syfy Channel’s upcoming series Caprica as the dangerous terrorist leader Barnabus Greeley. Driven by moralistic and yet carnal desires, this unpredictable villain is constantly torn by his conflicting motivations.

Marsters may best be known around the world for his ever-popular cult character Spike, the punk-goth vampire he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel for seven years. After working six years on Buffy, the actor made the move to Angel for the last season that it aired. Marsters has received and been nominated for numerous awards worldwide. The actor recently had recurring roles on three TV series: Without A Trace, Smallville and the UK hit Torchwood. When he joined the cast of Smallville as Brainiac in 2005, his appearance saw the ratings rise by an estimated 50%. Initially hired for just one episode of Torchwood, the creators immediately recognized a good thing and signed him up for two more. On the big screen, Marsters was last seen as the co-lead opposite Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler in the Richard LeGravenese film P.S. I Love You, based on the best-selling novel by Cecilia Ahem, as well as this year’s Dragon Ball Evolution for 20th Century Fox opposite Emily Rossum and Justin Chatwin.

Richard LaGravenese

Richard LaGravenese escribirá y dirigirá la historia de amor que lleva por título “Man and Wife” (Esposo y mujer) para la Universal Pictures según nos cuenta el Variety.

Este drama tiene como plano principal el amor de los inmigrantes dentro de los Estados Unidos. La cinta será producida por Michael Shamberg y Stacey Sher con su compañía Double Feature.

Aún no hay una fecha de producción.

Wendy Mitchell – ScreenDaily.com

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, the third film in the franchise, started shooting today (July 27) on location in Queensland, Australia.

The film will shoot entirely in Queensland, primarily at the Warner Roadshow Studio in Gold Coast, which boasts the Southern Hemisphere’s largest water tank.

Filming is expected to wrap in November, and the film will then go into post-production for a year to be readied for a global release in December 2010.

Michael Apted is directing, with previous cast members Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes and Ben Barnes reprising their roles.

This production is a joint venture between 20th Century Fox and Walden Media (Fox takes over from Walden’s previous partner Disney).
Andrew Adamson, who directed the first two films, is one of Voyage’s producers, along with Mark Johnson and Philip Steur. Returning executive producers are Perry Moore and CS Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham.

The third film’s plot sees Edmund and Lucy and cousin Eustace (played by Son Of Rambow’s Will Poulter) swallowed into a painting, onto a Narnian ship for a journey to the edges of the world. They join forces with Prince Caspian and warrior mouse Reepicheep as they face Dufflepuds, dragons and merfolk. Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay with Richard LaGravenese and Michael Petroni.

Supporting cast members include Australian actors such as Gary Sweet, Bruce Spence, Arthur Angel and New Zealander Shane Rangi. Liam Neeson again voices Aslan the Lion.

Apted is working with Oscar-nominated DoP Dante Spinotti and film editor Rick Shaine.

CS Lewis published The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader in 1952, the third of his seven Narnia books.

The previous two Narnia films have taken a combined $1.2 billion at the global box office.

I’ve not tried to discuss 18 movies in one blog post before; so luckily there was a single movie made that contained 18 smaller ones and they’re all even about the same subject matter. The place is Paris, and  the movie is PARIS, JE T’AIME. The concept behind having a groups of writers/directors come together to tell stories – in what was originally supposed be each district (or, in francais, arrondissement) – was conceived by Tristan Carne and Emmanuel Benbihy. From there we get some fantastic, international filmmakers from The Coen Brothers to Alfonso Cuaron, Gurinder Chadha to Gerard Depardieu and of course, Wes Craven to Walter Salles.

The first part is titles “Montrmartre” by writer/director Bruno Podalydes (who also acts as the lead actor in this part), and the story features a man driving around trying to find a parking spot. When he does, he questions himself in the mirror on why he’s not with someone. He’s funny and can laugh at himself. Then he notices a woman walking past the car, but when he sees that she doesn’t continue past the car – him looking through the side-view mirror. He gets out and sees that she has passed out on the sidewalk beside his car. From there, it seems to be a love connection and off we go to the next segment.

“Montmartre” is pretty funny and is a great kick-off to the movie in its entirety. There’s a little bit of the universal real life in this movie – the search for a parking spot – and the fantastical – where the girl that catches your eye, almost literally falls into your lap. Of course, as this movie goes to length in showing, this is not a promise of a happy ending; but at least a happy and sweet beginning to a relationship.

The second section is “Quais de Seine” by writer/director team (and married couple) Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha, and involves a trio of boys who each take their turn trying to score with the mademoiselles. The only one that kind of has a clue is the one who gets up to help a muslim girl that trips in front of them. The boy, Francois, helps the girl put the hair cover back on, with silly results and then later meets her – and her grandfather – outside of their mosque.

The segment is funny, for the many and varied ways that the young boys keep addressing the girls that walk by. There’s never any sign that they have a chance, and Francois sees the muslim girl smirking at their hijinks. It’s sweet and unlike the previous – or other segments – doesn’t offer up the promise of a “true love” moment, as much as just two people meeting and striking up a friendship. With, ok, the possibility of other things.

Next is “Le Marais”, by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in a print shop, where one boy sees another and instantly feels a kindred spirit. He goes on and on about how he just feels like he has to keep talking to this guy, only problem is, the other – American - kid doesn’t really speak french. It’s only after the printshop owner tells him that he ought to call the other guy, that the American kid takes off down the street trying to find the other.

You almost know the twist to this story, before it’s revealed – although, I initially thought that it was going to that the non-speaking kid was going to be deaf, but then he was responding a little. The only part that kind of seemed off – was the ending where it seemed like all of sudden the American kid felt like he so desperately he needed to find the other.

“Tuileries” takes place in a subway station, and features Steve Buscemi – written and directed by The Coen Brothers – and it’s our first straight-up slapstick segment of the movie. Granted it features the Coen’s trademark dark-humor, and Buscemi’s character doesn’t say a word in the entire segment. Even when he’s being attacked by a guy who he caught Buscemi’s tourist looking at his girlfriend.

The next segment is titled, “Loin du 16e” and features a young spanish woman dropping off her infant at a daycare so she can head to work. Before leaving and to soothe her child, she sings a lovely lullaby and then we get a fairly long segment showing the commute the girl has to go through to get to her job. Where we learn, is to take care of another infant – by a rich white woman – and this time when she tries to soothe the infant with the same song, it doesn’t seem to really work. So, she seems to spend her day looking out the window.

This segment is by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, and they do a good job of showing us the variety of denizens of Paris. If I did read the story correctly – with the differing responses of the two babies, then it’s an interesting story of love over your own family over “strangers”. But, the young Spanish girl is well played by Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Next we have “Port de Choisy” by Christopher Doyle, where we are introduced to a man who is trying to get directions to a salon. Whereupon once he arrives, he is attacked through a glass door and then the whole story kind of gets confusing in an array of sort of a music number and surrealistic hair-styling with a group of Asian women who take on the hairstyles of famous actresses – like Audrey Tautou in AMELIE.

I found this one to be one of my least favorite segments. It’s well made and I like the beginning part with the man trying to find his way to the salon, but then I guess I didn’t really “get” what it was trying to do.

“Bastille” is the next part and is made by Isabel Coixet and features a man who is meeting his wife at the same cafe where he first realized that he no longer loves her, to call off their marriage. The wife is played by Miranda Richardson, and she drops in with some news of her own. Which leads to him staying with her after all, and still winding up alone at the end; whereas he had had a mistress initially that he was looking forward to being with after his divorce.

The story, like many of these, is done without much dialogue and is narrated by revealing things about the wife, which he started off thinking were wonderful traits, but now drive him crazy. Like her red trenchcoat, or the song she sings when she makes dumplings. I liked this segment a lot, and it brought the movie back up to the level of the first few segments.

“Place des Victoires” is by Japanese writer-director Nobuhiro Suwa, and stars Juliette Binoche as a mother mourning the loss of her son. She then dreams that she can get him back, via following an American cowboy, played by Willem Dafoe. It’s a sad and yet kind of fun segment.

Next we get the story of young Jean-Claude, and how his parents met. The segment “Tour Eiffel” is by Sylvain Chomet. The boys parents, of course wind up being mimes, and we get a day in the life of the father and he eventually winds up in jail, only to be placed next to another mime – a female one – and they fall in love.

I know that there’s the stigma against mimes, but I found this segment endearing and pretty funny. Especially the male mime, who we see the most of. The most hilarious part is the fact that he uses his feet as his car – as all good mimes would – but he is able to still move at incredible speed and moves his feet almost like the Road Runner. And the giant book that young Jean-Claude wears on his back is pretty funny too.

“Parc Monceau” by Alfonso Cuaron, is done all in one long, continuous take and features Ludivine Sagnier and Nick Nolte walking and talking. We see Nolte’s character meet up with the young woman and we think that the conversation is heading one direction – and by the end, the story reveals itself to be about something else entirely. It’s all very well done – and carrying on the long takes Cuaron used in (one of my favorite movies) CHILDREN OF MEN – and it was good to Nick Nolte acting.

The next section called “Quartier des Enfants Rouges” by Olivier Assayas, features a guy riding up to a building on his scooter, only to reveal that he’s a drug dealer, and he’s there to sell his wares to an American actress – played by Maggie Gyllenhaal – who seems to develop a crush on the guy and calls him up for another hit, but is really just wanting to see the guy again.

There are some good bits in this segment, mostly having to do with the movie set that Maggie’s character is shooting on. And then there’s the unfortunate ending, that sends us into the next segment. But, for the most part, I wasn’t too thrilled with this one either. The beginning is cute, where Maggie has to go to an ATM to get cash, and then to a bar to break her bills into something smaller. This is where she possibly makes the mistake/misinterpretation of the drug dealer asking for her number.

“Place de Fetes” by Oliver Schmitz is about a man who is face to face with a woman he’s seemingly remembered her from a chance encounter where he was cleaning a parking garage. She’s currently attending to him, after he says he must have gotten stung by a bee and asks her to have a cup of coffee with him. It’s revealed that she’s actually a paramedic and he’s wounded. We then see some flashbacks to what this man’s life has been. Getting fired from a number of jobs, taking up playing a guitar and singing. We then see how the man wound up in the position that he’s in.

It’s a heart-breaking segment and the final shot of the woman holding two cups of coffee, is especially profound.

“Pigalle” starts with us seeing Bob Hoskins going into a bar, and getting a drink. He looks at and is spoken to by a woman who asks for a song to be played that was played the first and only time she fell in love. Then Hoskins walks back into a what is essentially a peepshow booth, where the woman from the bar then bursts in and tries to seduce Hoskin’s character.

It’s then revealed that they’re doing some kind of role-playing and actually are a couple. They leave the bar argue as they seem to be heading home. The writer/director Richard LaGrevanese, gives us a short view into a long relationship that has seemed to have gone through their ups and downs, and by the end we know that they’re used to performing.

“Quartier de la Madeleine” by Vincenzo Natali is about a young backpacker (Elijah Wood) who encounters a vampiress who is chewing on her latest victim – both a lucky and unfortunate Wes Craven. She then jumps at Wood, but sniffs him and then decides to leave him alive. It’s only when Wood’s character cuts himself, and then slips and falls down a flight of stairs that the vampire (played by Olga Kurylengo), with her white eyes and flowing hair and clothes, decides to save him by turning him into a vampire.

This was another segment that I didn’t really care for. I understand the history involved with things like vampires and grand guignol. But, this segment is kind of ridiculous with how Olga’s character’s hair and clothes seems to be running in reverse. The stylization of the blood and how the vampire looks is great though.

Continuing on with the macabre, sort of, we move on to “Pere-Lachaise” which has us following an engaged, British couple who are walking through the cemetery, and come upon Oscar Wilde’s tombstone. The story is really about the couple still kind of getting to know each other, while on their pre-marriage honeymoon (it’s the only time they could fit it into their schedules) and realizing that one’s too serious and doesn’t enjoy the fun things in life (as portrayed by the always fun Rufus Sewell) and well, the other joins the multitudes who have visited Wilde’s grave and left their mark by covering it with kisses (Emily Mortimer).

The fun part of this segment, which despite Sewell’s repeating saying that he’s never made anyone laugh, is when he falls down; bumps his head and sees a vision of Oscar Wilde, himself (as portrayed by Alexander Payne), who tells him to go after that girl. The fact that this segment is by previous vampire victim, Wes Craven, is a fresh outing from a director whose last real good movie was probably SCREAM and this is probably one of my favorite parts of the movie.

“Faubourg Saint-Denis” is about a young blind kid who while out walking one day hears a girl screaming that she’s locked in someplace and needs help. Of course, this is revealed that she’s just an actress practicing for a part. The girl played by Natalie Portman, is then shown a shortcut to the place of her audition, by the blind kid running through the streets. (amazingly he seemed to know a shortcut, that made the hall where she needed to go, right around the corner. This segment by Tom Tykwer, then follows these two as they seem to go through the motions of an entire relationship – which might actually have mostly all occurred through one phone call.

It’s a fun segment, that harkens back to Tykwer’s movie RUN LOLA RUN. And the revelation at the end could have a few meanings.

“Quartier Latin” was a magical portion of this movie, written and directed by Gerard Depardieu and Frederic Auburtin and features the onscreen reteaming of Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara. The couple used to work on movies with Rowlands’ husband – John Cassavetes – and was great to see them together playing a couple who are both in the twilight years of their lives, but starting over with younger partners, so they need to finalize their divorce.

There’s some wonderful and witty banter between the two, and really the saddest part to me was seeing these two aged so. Gazzarra apparently had a stroke a couple of years ago, and therefore his characteristic strong growl of a voice is muffled and weaker here. Also, Depardieu as Maitre’d was a nice touch.

The final part of the movie, is called “14e Arrondissement” and is by Alexander Payne – or Oscar Wilde – is about a mail-carrier from Denver who is in Paris alone and seeing the sights on her own. The story is told seemingly from a report that Carol (Margo Martidale) has written for some kind of (I’d assume French speaking) class. The narration is told in a choppy, not well, mannered french (as opposed to the other American performers in the movie, who all do pretty well with their speech) and winds up ruminating on her own life. How miserable she is being alone, how she thinks that her last boyfriend would enjoy this trip – except they last talked 11 years ago.

It’s a great and touching segment and Margo does a fantastic job in playing this part, and in her final moments, while looking around the park and finally falling in love with Paris, and knowing that it loves her.

The movie’s finale are short bursts of seeing how some of these characters have mild interactions. But, it’s not forced or anything. The whole package comes together to form a uniform vision of this city, that outsiders to the city might not see. There’s an idealized version of what Paris is, and none of that is really shown in this movie, other than as transitions between segments.

The interesting thing to me is that this is a concept that is seemingly going to be expanded to other cities, including Tokyo, New York and Rio.

Direção: Richard LaGravenese (de P. S.: Eu te amo)

Título Original: Freedon Writers

País: EUA

Ano de Lançamento: 2007

Duração: 122’

Atriz que interpreta a professora: Hilary Swank

Um dos filmes mais recentes do gênero, Escritores da Liberdade, filme de 2006, dirigido por Richard Lagravenese, passado em 1994, trata da jovem professora Erin Gruwell (Hillary Swank), contratada para lecionar Inglês na Escola Woodrow Wilson, instituição que vive um momento de crise em decorrência da implementação recente do sistema de integração voluntária, processo que uniu num mesmo espaço alunos de mérito escolar indiscutível e outros, desinteressados, de pouca instrução e, na maioria das vezes, delinqüentes e violentos.

Nesse bojo, Erin depara-se com um duplo conflito: de um lado tem de se esforçar para despertar o interesse de seus alunos pelo estudo e ganhar a confiança e autoridade dentro da “sala 203”; de outro, seu intenso idealismo que a inspira choca-se com a intransigência de uma instituição de ensino que não se importa com a educação oferecida aos jovens provenientes do sistema de integração, relegando-os às margens do ensino da escola e tachando-os de culpados pela decadência do nível educacional por que passa a Woodrow Wilson. O ambiente de tensão e a esperança de mudanças dão o tom a esse filme baseado no livro Diário dos Escritores da Liberdade, feito a partir dos diários dos alunos da “sala 203”.

A narrativa feita do ponto de vista dos alunos, autores desses textos, além de ser usada como artifício de aproximação entre ficção e realidade, traz à tona as diversas histórias da vida de cada um e funciona como importante arma de dramaticidade na economia do filme. Para além, o caminho percorrido por Erin Gruwell, de dedicação integral e intensa à docência – o que leva ao fim de seu casamento – aliado ao seu idealismo inerente e a luta travada com o aparelho institucional e contra a realidade social da época, atribuem o caráter “heróico” à protagonista, construída, pois, como ponto de partida das mudanças sociais e pessoais levadas a cabo ao seu redor.

Tuesday, April 21st, is NATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY.  I am asking you to get comfortable, grab a drink and a snack, and sit down and watch this 10-minute Freedom Writers video below IN ITS ENTIRETY.  I apologize in advance for the violence and language contained therein.

If you haven’t already seen this courageous young lady, I will start by introducing Erin Gruwell to you.  Erin is a teacher, writer, and public speaker whose start began as a young teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, where her first-year classroom in Room 203 was comprised of students racially divided, and some dealing with heartbreaking violence in their own lives. 

The story of Erin and The Freedom Writers begins in 1992, and is one in which Erin Gruwell transforms this hardened and invective classroom through an unconventional approach — one which gets me thinking, ”Why hasn’t anybody else thought of this?!” — into a group of students who ultimately understands and believes that racism and intolerance are repulsive and unacceptable.

Erin’s interception of a racist drawing in her classroom, the classroom reading of A Diary Of Ann Frank, and Erin’s ingenious idea of having these young teenagers write about their lives in their own journals are the three keys to opening the hearts and minds of these deemed “unteachable” students.  And thus we have a classroom who calls themselves The Freedom Writers.

Her amazing transformation of and influence on these young souls, who ultimately become acutely aware of the horrific intolerance that has occurred around the world, are what make The Freedom Writers movie and book, The Freedom Writers Foundation, and Erin Gruwell so inspiring and just downright awesome.  One of my favorite reads is her memoir, Teach With Your Heart.

I also must tell you that I know Erin Gruwell personally; she is the life-long and best friend of Mike’s sister, Nikki.  And therefore, in my own personal opinion, she is nothing short of spectacular.

Thank you, Erin and the Freedom Writers, for the truth you have given to the children and adults you continue to influence, who then aspire to make this world a better world to live in.

Hi folks,

I am a quite a big lover of serious drama movies and as well as movies which are high on creativity dose, but this time might have been the first time i have fallen in love with a romantic movie!!!!  

And the honour goes to Paris I Love You.

Paris, je t’aime

Stories of Love. From the City of Love.

There are 20 directors in this movie ( yes 20, and all are among the top most…) who all are given 5 minutes each to tell a story of love related to Paris. The best part is each film begins with ending shot of the previous film and ends with the first short of the next film, thus leaving the viewers with a cohesive atmosphere.

This film i tell you is a cinematic experience. One can never think of love in so many ways and in so different ways.

I can’t wait to watch its next part ” New York, I Love You”.

Directors:

lights, camera, action

eskapeartist

Résumé de la scène de l’holocaust:

Freedom writers racconte l’histoire; tirée d’un roman; d’une institutrice souhaitant faire sortir les jeunes « difficiles » à qui elle enseigne la littérature anglaise des gangs dans lesquels ils sont membres ou victimes.

Cette institutrice, par différent moyen de communication, va réussir à renouer le dialogue entre ces jeunes en colère; notament grâce à l’oeuvre du journal d’Anne Franck .

L’enseignante va leur montrer le rapport qu’il existe entre la vie de cette jeune juive durant la seconde guerre mondiale, et ces jeunes victimes des gangs américains. Elle réussit donc à instaurer une tolérence puis une amitié, entre les élèves de différentes origines éthniques.

Cette scène se déroule dans leur salle de classe, l’enseignante intercèpte un dessin caricatural représentant un noir destiné à un jeune de cette origine, fait par un autre élève d’origine hispanique.

Ainsi commence le discour moralisateur de l’institutrice rapprochant ce dessin aux caricatures destinées aux juifs durant la deuxième guerre mondiale, et va leur apprendre ce qu’est un holocaust. A travers son argumentation, le professeur va réussir à créer un dialogue avec les élèves jusqu’à lors inexistant.

Ainsi, elle va, au fur et à mesure, comprendre le malaise de ces jeunes vivant dans l’ignorance et l’intolérence des uns envers les autres, et pourquoi ils sont si violent et méprisant entre eux.

Cette scène montre donc bien le début d’un apprentissage, possible grâce au dialogue. Ainsi l’enseignante va s’investir, durant tout le film, pour faire grandir ces jeunes et les rendres heureux et tolérant.

Por Alessandra Marcondes

Se observado como comédia romântica, se destaca por fazer chorar… Já se for incluído na categoria ‘drama’, é diferente por fazer sorrir… P.S. Eu Te Amo mistura esses dois gêneros usando uma fórmula saudável que rende as mais diferentes sensações durante o filme. A parte triste é garantida pela história em si: uma doença coloca o ponto final na vida de um casal apaixonado antes do que se espera. Enquanto isso, a diversão fica por conta da personalidade única de Gerry (Gerard Butler) – que prepara uma urna para colocar suas cinzas recheada de doses de bebida para seus amigos -, e pela ironia de Denise (Lisa Kudrow) – nota: a atriz repete no filme trejeitos já bem conhecidos entre o público por sua atuação na série Friends, interpretando Phoebe.

Quanto à Hilary Swank, cuja personagem, Holly, é a grande sofredora pela perda do marido, sou suspeita pra falar, pois sou sua fã de carteirinha. Mas é impossível não notar uma diferença gritante entre suas atuações em tramas fortes como Meninos Não Choram, que lhe rendeu o Oscar de Melhor Atriz, e o papel desempenhado em P.S., pois este último não explorou tudo o que ela tinha a oferecer.

O longa incomoda um pouco porque se dedica demais a passar a lição de ‘aproveite a vida enquanto há tempo’, já batida por tantos, mas tantos outros, que nem vale a pena citar exemplos. Porém, observando de forma um pouquinho mais atenta, dá pra perceber que a questão da morte no filme vai além da pura exploração sentimental, para entrar na análise do porquê é tão difícil se desfazer de coisas que remetem à pessoa falecida. Assim, ao invés do diretor Richard LaGravanese tentar a qualquer custo arrancar lágrimas das menininhas – não que isso não acabe acontecendo, que fique claro -, ele pretende mostrar ao espectador personagens secundários tão trabalhados psicologicamente quanto os principais.

Eu indicaria P.S. Eu Te Amo principalmente para os casais apaixonados… mas também é um bom programa para pessoas que pretendem ver um filme água-com-açúcar e se identificar com o cara divertido da turma que vive cantando por aí, a mulher neurótica que não sabe direito o que quer da vida, a mãe carrancuda que não gosta do genro, o barman que não faz idéia de como conquistar mulheres… e por aí vai.

Resumo da ópera: o problema de um filme que mistura drama com comédia é que ele acaba sendo nem um, nem outro. Pelo menos a fotografia e a trilha sonora são bárbaras.

Nothing else to tell you, dear,
Except, each day feels like a year.
Every night I’m dreamin’ of you.
P.S. I love you…

Direção: Richard LaGravenese
Gênero: Drama/Romance
Duração: 126 minutos
Elenco: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Jeffrey Dean Morgan e Gina Gershon.

Película de Tom Tykwer que forma parte del macroproyecto Paris, Je t’aime, homenaje a la ciudad de la luz por parte del cine que consiste en minipelículas encadenadas de apenas unos minutos, dirigidas por cineastas de todo el mundo: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gérard Depardieu, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer y Gus Van Sant, y con una extensa y variopinta nómina de intérpretes: Natalie Portman, Fanny Ardant, Elijah Wood, Nick Nolte, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Bob Hoskins, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Gérard Depardieu, Steve Buscemi, Rufus Sewell, Emily Mortimer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Leonor Watling, Miranda Richardson, Sergio Castellito Juliette Binoche, Sergio Castellitto, Olga Kurylenko, Li Xin, Javier Cámara, Margo Martindale, Yolande Moreau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ludivine Sagnier, Barbet Schroeder, Gaspard Ulliel… (duración: 7 minutos, aproximadamente).

• New Line Cinema is developing and will produce a big-screen account of professional hockey player Sean Avery’s experiences in the fashion world, including his stint as a summer intern at a fashion magazine. Avery, who considers himself something of a fashion jock, in May began a summer internship at Vogue, where, among other duties, he served as guest editor of MensVogue.com. The movie will be a romantic comedy. New Line execs Richard Brener and David Neustatder will oversee.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

• Producer-director Barry Sonnenfeld is kind of a big deal. And really busy. Here’s what he’s working on:
  • an adaptation of the Argentinean drama series “The Pretenders” for Fox, with writer Jorge Zamacona, about a team of con artists solving ordinary people’s problems; brought to the U.S. in June by Argentine network Telefe
  • a superhero family show for ABC with feature writer Peter Steinfeld and Dee Steinfeld; tentatively titled “The Nelsons,” is a live-action one-hour in the vein of the Disney/Pixar animated feature “The Incredibles”; co-produced by Sarah Timberman’s Sony TV-based 25C Prods
  • “My World, and Welcome to It,” a comedy at CBS with “Frasier” writer Jay Kogen; a period family comedy set in the 1960’s based on humorist James Thurber’s collection of essays; “about what it is to be a dad when you’re surrounded by a family where you feel like an outsider”
  • developing projects based on the books “Things a Man Should Never Do Past 30” and “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea“
  • prepping and directing the HBO pilot “Suburban Shootout“
  • serves as an exec producer on the ABC/Warner Bros. TV series “Pushing Daisies,” for which he won a DGA Award
  • recently produced the Disney feature “Enchanted“

[via Hollywood Reporter]

• Fox 2000 has emerged from a competitive bidding situation with the rights to “Water for Elephants,” Sara Gruen’s best-selling historical love story. Fox 2000 beat out Warner Bros., Universal and Paramount for the project, in part because the producing team and director were won over by the company’s passion and track record with literary adaptations and the attention it gives them. The book centers on a 90-year-old man reminiscing about his life and is set during the Depression, when he found work at a B-level circus taking care of the animals. He sees the brutality of circus life while falling for the wife of an abusive animal trainer. The book was on the 2006 New York Times best-seller list for 12 weeks and made the list again last year when it was released in paperback. More than 2 million paperbacks have been sold. Francis Lawrence is attached to direct (“I Am Legend”), and Richard LaGravenese repped by CAA, is one of the town’s most in-demand adapters. He wrote the recent book-to-film translations of “P.S. I Love You” and “Freedom Writers.” Pic will be produced by Andrew Tennenbaum, Gil Netter and Erwin Stoff. Fox 2000 president Elizabeth Gabler is overseeing the project, along with SVP of production Rodney Ferrell.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

• Fox is developing a contemporary take on the classic Walt Disney tale of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” from producers Chris Brancato and Bert Salke, feature writers David Weissman and David Diamond and director Ken Kwapis, who most recently directed the upcoming feature comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Kwapis also helmed the pilot for NBC’s “The Office.” Tentatively titled “Georgia and the Seven Associates,” the hourlong dramedy, produced by ABC Studios, is tonally described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets “Taxi” set in Los Angeles’ legal circles. It centers on Georgia Burnett, a young lawyer who is banished from a top law firm run by her stepmother and forced to team up with seven quirky lawyers at a storefront legal office. Some of the legal cases will be modernized fairy tales, like one about three people whose homes were taken away by Wolf Corp. ABC Studios-based Brancato and Salke got the inspiration for the project from the view from their offices on the Disney lot, which oversee the Team Disney executive building that features a fascia of the seven dwarfs holding up the roof. “Georgia” has a put pilot commitment from Fox.

[via Hollywood Reporter]