Sex and the City: The Movie

Now on DVD.

Jacket: "For too long, Carrie Bradshaw had been looking for love in all the wrong places ... but in all the right shoes ... Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are back, four years after the hit series ended.  As they continue to juggle career, relationships, motherhood and life in Manhattan the girls realize that more than ever, true friendship never goes out of style."

The Forbidden Kingdom

IMDb: "An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King."

Mildly amusing and has great fight scenes.

True Blood: Episode 1

This new HBO series premiered September 7th and you can currently rent the first episode at Blockbuster for free (for a limited time). Thank goodness for that. Maybe I need to watch another episode to be convinced, this first one only does set up the situation, but I wasn't really engaged by it. Time will tell ... maybe.

Airs Sundays at 9 EST.

Jacket: "TRUE BLOOD chronicles the backwoods Louisiana town of Bon Temps ... where vampires have emerged from the coffin, and no longer need humans for their fix.

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) works as a waitress at the rural bar Merlotte's. Though outwardly a typical young woman, she keeps a dangerous secret: she has the ability to hear the thoughts of others. Her situation is further complicated when the bar gets its first vampire - 173-year-old Bill Compton - and the two outsiders are immediately drawn to each other.

... TRUE BLOOD is a dark and sexy tale that boldly delves into the heart - and the neck - of the deep south."

Married Life

Jacket: "Harry (Chris Cooper) and Pat (Patricia Clarkson) have a nice, respectable marriage. But when Harry falls in love with a beautiful young lady, he decides he must kill his wife, because divorce would cause her too much pain. Richard (Pierce Bronson) is Harry's caddish best friend who realizes he must have Harry's lovely mistress for himself.

Love and friendship are contemplated with noir-style suspense and wry humor in this sly comedy that reveals there's nothing quite as devastating, or as divine, as married life."

Never Back Down

Jacket: "Jake is the new kid in school. When a beautiful girl befriends him, Jake thinks he's set. But instead, her fight-club boyfriend Ryan, smacks Jake a bloody, black-eyed welcome. Humiliated, Jake then turns to a mixed martial arts master (Djimon Hounsou), who teaches him how to fight ... and how to walk away. But it becomes obvious that a brutal re-match is inevitable if Jake wants to stop Ryan and his bullying once and for all."

Spot-on quote: "It's a little Karate Kid, a smidge of Fight Club ... a lot of The O.C." - Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune.

Wikipedia: "Richard Roeper, host of At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, gave the film a marginal "thumbs up" saying "I laughed so much at the litany of clichés that I finally had to admit I was entertained from start to finish by this cheesy knock-off." Michael Philips, guest critic for that week gave the film thumbs down and felt the film was "not worth recommending for any reason".^[3]"

I may have lost a lotta brain cells watching this, but it was almost worth the eye-candy.

JetBlue to auction flights on eBay

Discount airline will offer flights to more than 20 destinations with bids starting between five and ten cents.

NEW YORK (AP) -- JetBlue Airways Corp. is auctioning off more than 300 roundtrip flights and six vacation packages this week on eBay, with opening bids set between 5 and 10 cents.

The flights are to more than 20 destinations, including four "mystery" JetBlue Getaways Vacation packages to undisclosed locations.

The three-, five- and seven-day auctions include one- and two-person roundtrip, weekend flights in September from cities including Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Fort Lauderdale and Southern California.

Click post for full article.

Redbelt

This kicked a$$!!! Maybe because it's David Mamet, maybe because it's a great cast, but this is the thinking man's martial arts film! Yes, it's an action film, but the layers keep peeling in every scene and has a surprising yet lukewarm ending. I may have to go out and buy this one.

Jacket: "Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code.

An accident on a dark, rainy night at Terry's studio between an off-duty office and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically, introducing him to a world of promoters and movie star Chet Frank. Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life."

Wikipedia: "Los Angeles Times film critic Carina Chocano described the film as "tricky and engrossing" and "a contemporary noir with a samurai movie interior." Chocano wrote, "Ejiofor brings a calm magnetism and a beatific serenity to his roles that have the effect of knocking you flat -- there's something about this guy that's messianic." Chocano said Tim Allen's performance was restrained. Chocano wrote "the noir puzzle element is central to the story" and "suffice it to say things get complicated", saying "much of the pleasure is in the surprises."^[18]

In The Weekly Standard, Sonny Bunch wrote that the film's "heart is not in the twists and turns [...] but a careful character study of a man who lives a life based on honor, and the corrupting influence of money." Bunch said it "takes lack of exposition to a new extreme [...] How does Mamet tell us about Terry's character? Very subtly. Throughout the film we get hints about Terry's life [...] Mamet challenges us to figure out for ourselves what's going on in Terry's head."^[20]"

Don LaFontaine, Voice of Trailers and TV Spots, Is Dead at 68

By DENNIS HEVESI
Published: September 2, 2008

Don LaFontaine, who brought his sonorous, ominous, melodramatic baritone to so many thousands of movie trailers, commercials and television promos that he became known in the industry as “the voice of God,” or just “the V.O.G.,” died Monday near his home in Los Angeles. He was 68.

Move Aside, Frozen Custard, and Make Room for Gelato

By GLENN RIFKIN
Published: September 3, 2008

Though gelato, that smooth and flavorful Italian ice cream, is not a novelty in the United States, it has struggled to gain a foothold. Many consumers were turned off by too many bad Americanized versions and that, in turn, turned off many would-be entrepreneurs.

Lately, however, gelato seems to be catching on, joining artisanal coffee, cheese and wine in catching the fancy of food lovers. With less than half the butterfat of regular ice cream, gelato is less fattening and healthier, and its dense, rich flavor and smooth texture can be highly addictive.

Click post for full article.

See you at Baladoche!

Free Music Downloads Without the Legal Peril

By ROY FURCHGOTT
Published: September 3, 2008

EVERYBODY likes free music but nobody likes to be sued. For people seeking free music online, therein lies the rub.

interesting article, click post for full article.

Mad Money

Jacket: " ... Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes are all in for the crime of their lives! Deep inside the most secure bank in America, three desperate women from very different worlds cook up the most unlikely heist of the century: Smuggle out millions of dollars in worn-out currency headed for a Federal Reserve shredder every day. Taking the cash is going to be easy ... but getting away with it will be insane!"

Um, wait for it to hit cable. It had a few funny moments, but not enough to carry the whole film, which is very surprising for this cast.

Son of Rambow

Make believe. Not War.

Jacket: "Imagination, fantasy and the irreplaceable bonds of childhood friendship highlight this 'comedy full of heart.' Will Proudfoot is looking for an escape from his family's stifling home life when he encounters Lee Carter, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of Rambo: First Blood, Lee plans on making cinematic history by filming his own action-packed video epic. Together, these two new found friends-turned-budding-filmmakers quickly discover that their imaginative - and sometimes mishap-filled - cinematic adventure has begun to take a life of its own!"

U.S. poster

This was awesome! You will laugh, reminisce and bop around to the 80's soundtrack. Buy this DVD!