Superbad

Totally superbadass! This is laugh out-loud-truly-tasteless-teenage humor at its best.

La Vie en Rose

Wikipedia: "The film presents a fractured and largely non-linear series of key events from the life of Édith Piaf. Although scenes often jump back and forth across decades, parts of her childhood take up much of the first part, and the movie ends with her death, and the performance of what is perhaps her signature song, Non, je ne regrette rien."

Slant Magazine: "Edith Piaf's tidal emotional vulgarity and brutish commitment to the most sentimental chansons is captured accurately and even irresistibly in La Vie En Rose, an epic, intuitive exploration of her hard life and times. In recent years, audiences have endured a deadening heap of biopics that have either betrayed or exploited their subjects. The rare good biopic, like Alan Rudolph's Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, generally tried to give us a sense of lives as they might have been lived. La Vie En Rose goes in the opposite direction, treating Piaf's life and art as a heartfelt, theatrical spectacle. Director Olivier Dahan has said he wanted to make a "tragic, romantic blockbuster," and he has done so: this is bravura popular filmmaking, marked by both precision and gusto. The use of Piaf's music is so impressionistic throughout that it almost has a Terence Davies flavor to it; song is treated as memory."

The Nanny Diaries

IMDb: "A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge."

Wikipedia:

Differences between novel and film

There are three major areas of difference between the novel and film: the protagonist's background, the timeframe of the story and the ending. The location of the Xes' building was moved two blocks from the nonexistent 721 Park Avenue to East 70th Street near Fifth Avenue, the Frick and the park.

The Bourne Ultimatum

IMDb: "After being recovered from the sea, and after losing the one he loves, Jason Bourne (Damon) is one more step closer to finding out how David Webb became Jason Bourne. Whilst Pamela Landy (Allen) has decided to leave Bourne alone, CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) has other plans. He believes that Bourne is still dangerous and must be eliminated, before he finds out his true identity and takes the CIA down with him."

This was well-worth checking out, even if you only wanted to see how Bourne discovers his true identity. And true to franchise form, they leave a few set-ups for a fourth film.

3:10 to Yuma

I haven't watched many Westerns, but this one can make me a convert. It was that good!

New York Times: "Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are the main reasons to see 3:10 to Yuma, a serviceable addition to the current western revival."

Wikipedia: "Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer said "There is more greed-driven corruption in the remake than there was in the original" and that the film is less a remake "than a resurrection of both the film and its now unfashionable genre." Sarris said Peter Fonda and Ben Foster "are especially memorable" and said "the performances of Mr. Crowe and Mr. Bale alone are worth the price of admission."[17] The New Yorker film critic David Denby wrote that the film "is faster, more cynical, and more brutal" than the 1957 film. Denby wrote that Peter Fonda "gives an amazingly fierce performance" and that Russell Crowe "gives a fascinating, self-amused performance", saying "Crowe is an acting genius." Denby said "this is by far [director James Mangold's] most sustained and evocative work." Denby wrote that one action scene looks fake, but "much of this Western is tense and intricately wrought."[18] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe called the film "lean, almost absurdly satisfying." Burr wrote that the actors Russell Crowe and Christian Bale "are among the best, most intuitively creative we have, and whatever transpires offscreen in Crowe’s case, onscreen they only serve their characters. Neither man showboats here, and it’s a thrill to watch them work." Burr said that the character of Ben Wade is "a snake and a snake charmer in one irresistible package" and said Ben Foster as Charlie Prince is "mesmerizing." Burr said "Bale and Crowe never once misstep."

Rescue Dawn

IMDb: "Rescue Dawn ... is a dramatized version of the true story of Vietnam POW Dieter Dengler that Herzog previously filmed as a documentary in 1997 entitled "Little Dieter Needs to Fly." Masterfully realized, "Rescue Dawn" emerges as Herzog's most accessible film. After over 30 years of film-making, he's gone "Hollywood" but has done it on his own terms.

Rescue Dawn features classical and feverishly transcendent direction from Herzog, breathtaking cinematography of Laos and Vietnam from Peter Zeitlinger, a triumphant and evocative music score from Klaus Bedelt, and Oscar-worthy performances from an amazing cast. In the lead role of Dieter, Christian Bale once again puts his whole body into the character (as he did in The Machinist). Bale has become one of those rare actors whose every role seems to be the performance of his career. Also noteworthy are Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, and Ravenous) as Eugene from Eugene, Oregon, who seems to always get cast as the most emotionally unstable soldier, and a shockingly good and sympathetic Steve Zahn as Duane. Herzog puts the cast through the ringer in artistically rendered depictions of torture, horror, and survival in the harshest of conditions. Even in some of the most cringe-worthy scenes, Herzog turns what could've been wallowing on its head--witness the fantastic transition from Bale eating live worms and one crawling in his beard to a beautiful caterpillar leisurely making its way across a leaf in the peaceful jungle.

Essentially what we have here is the war-movie version of Milos Foreman's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest as Herzog depicts a group of average men who were slightly crazy already becoming increasingly more mad through involuntary imprisonment. While Bale's character refuses to be held down and is constantly trying to keep his brain and skills sharp through plotting an escape, some of his fellow prisoners are rendered hopeless as they have turned their own minds into the most impenetrable walls. Herzog does a great job of depicting tiny bits of humanity and dignity shining through in the most inhumane conditions, and how the will to survive can triumph over death. He's somehow crafted a movie that is both boldly anti-establishment and unapologetically pro-soldier and patriotism. Being based on a true story where the ending is known to the viewer doesn't take away from the white-knuckle suspense and human drama."

I agree with this review completely. Bale gives an amazing performance, as usual, and shows that there is nothing that he can't do.

The facts behind the story of the motion picture:

Rescue Dawn: The Truth

City of Violence

IMDb: “Tae-su, a detective fighting organized crime, returns to his hometown for his high school friend Wang-jae's funeral. At the funeral, he meets his old friends Pil-ho, Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan and they reminisce. Suspecting something fishy about Wang-jae's death, Tae-su and Seok-hwan start investigating it each in his own way. Both of their investigations lead to a land development project that Pil-ho is directing and the two embark on a difficult battle."

www.cityofviolence.co.uk

Angel-A

A man meets a woman in Paris.

Official Site: "Andre is in trouble. He has just returned to Paris in the hopes of making some easy money, give up his life pf petty crime and start his life over as an honest man in America. In Paris for only a few hours, Andre suddenly finds himself dangling over the edge of the Eiffel Tower, high above Paris, begging for his life from a man he hoped never to see again. With his underworld dealing catching up to him, Andre is given twenty-four hoursto find 20,000 Euros to pay for his debts and save his life.

... Andre is left with nowhere to turn and with his deadline fast approaching, he despairingly climbs onto the ledge of a bridge and gathers the resolve to jump into the river.

But, he is not alone. Beside him, a beautiful and mysterious woman is a moment away from throwing herself into the Seine. Andre pleads with the woman to stop ... [but] despite his efforts to save her, ... she jumps into the water. Without thinking, he too jumps into the water.

About to give up on the mysterious woman, he is relieved when she finally opens her eyes. His trouble though has only just begun."

This film is beautiful to watch. Every scene looks like a photograph. Jamel Debbouze, as Andre, gives such an endearing/comedic/pathetic performance of a man hanging on for dear life, literally.

I'm a fan of Luc Besson's works and productions which include:

• The Big Blue


• Leon: The Professional


• La Femme Nikita


• The Fifth Element


• Arthur and the Invisibles (sequel currently in the works)


• The Transporter


• District B-13

Waitress

waitressmovie.net:

Jenna (Keri Russell) is trapped in an unhappy marriage with a controlling, jealous husband and the last thing she wants is a baby, so when she discovers she has fallen pregnant, she’s terrified of what the future holds.

In an effort to escape her husband, Jenna saves what money she can by working at Joe’s Diner where she creates amazing pies which she names after circumstances in her life like “I-Don’t-Want-Earl’s-Baby Pie”; “I-Hate-My-Husband Pie”; and “Falling-in-Love Pie”.

Things seem hopeless for Jenna and dreams of a better life lost until she meets gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion),

a good looking man who treats her with love, generosity and simple kindness. He’s handsome. He’s kind. He’s neurotic. He’s married.

Waitress was inspired by writer/director Adrienne Shelly’s own feelings while she was pregnant with daughter Sophie. Adrienne shared with an on-set videographer, “I was about eight months pregnant, and I was really scared about the idea of having a baby. I couldn’t imagine how my life was going to be, that it would change so drastically that I wasn’t even going to recognize myself anymore. I was terrified and I really had never seen that reflected in anything, not in a book or in a movie.” Adrienne went on to express that Waitress is a “love letter to Sophie”.

Wikipedia: The acceptance of Waitress into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival was bittersweet because writer/director Adrienne Shelly was murdered before learning the news. The film opened to glowing critical reviews summarizing it as a well-made, good-hearted comedy, brimming with quality star wattage.

www.foxsearchlight.com/waitress/

This is a cute and funny chick flick. Sit back and enjoy a small slice of this waitress' life.

Resident Evil: Extinction

Official Site: "Resident Evil:Extinction is based on the wildly popular video game series and picks up where the last film left off. Alice, now in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again joins forces with Carlos and L.J., along with new survivors to try to eliminate the deadly virus taht threatens to make every human being undead and to seek justice. Since being captured by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice has been subjected to biogenic experimentation and becomes genetically altered, with superhuman strengths, senses and dexterity. These skills, and more, will be needed if anyone is to remain alive."

This wasn't bad for a video game-inspired action flick. Of course, anything is better than Doom. It is as entertaining as the second film, so maybe we'll see a fourth in the future.

Shoot 'Em Up

Uh, death by carrot? And that was in the first two minutes of the film! Then came an incredulous birthing amidst a storm of gunfire. C'mon Clive!

This was almost painful to watch. Just consider it as someone's trippy, shooter-game dream and it'll make the time pass. This played better as background noise as I was doing something else.

Wikipedia: "The film follows Smith (Clive Owen), a down-and-out squatter with both an extensive military background and a fondness for carrots, who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Smith finds himself embroiled in a complex political conspiracy once he aids a pregnant woman who is being chased by a hitman. He takes the baby and goes on the run with a prostitute (Monica Bellucci). The unlikely family is trailed by the intelligent and ruthless Hertz (played by Paul Giamatti) and his army of thugs."

www.shootemupmovie.com

Saoirse Ronan a young actress to watch

Mon Dec 31, 6:31 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Her role in "Atonement" earned Saoirse Ronan a Golden Globe nomination, but she hasn't read the Ian McEwan novel the movie is based on. Ronan is only 13, and the book deals with sexual themes.

"Atonement" is Ronan's third film, but the Irish actress (whose first name is pronounced "SUR'-shuh") is already getting attention for her role as the young Briony Tallis.

In 2008, she'll appear with Bill Murray in the action-fantasy "City of Ember" and star as a con artist in "Death Defying Acts" alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones. She also has the lead role in Peter Jackson's film version of "The Lovely Bones" — another book she hasn't read because of the mature content.

Based on the Alice Sebold best-seller, "The Lovely Bones" is the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon, who's raped and killed. She narrates her story from heaven as she looks down on her family as they try to cope with the tragedy.