"Black Swan" Review

Here is the Synopsis: BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

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This film absolutely kept me in a trace the entire time.   Director Darren Aronofsky has told yet another tale of the price we pay for what we love.   He's done it before with "The Wrestler" and even within "Requiem for a Dream" the price of ones desire to have what one wants is put to the limit.  "Black Swan" showcases Natalie Protman's true talents.  She has exercised her abilities many times before, but here we are able to follow her transformation closely.  

There is absolute perfect casting having Mila Kunis opposite the prima ballerina Portman.  They are such stark contrasts yet they physically resemble each other in such a way you get lost in who is who at times.  Absolutely brilliant. 

Guaranteed to be nominated time and time again over the course of the Awards season, Expect Portman and possibly Aronofsky to walk away with a few trophies in hand. 

Beautifully Acted.  Absolutely insane storyline.  Amazing moments of direction. 

See this film if you want to witness true cinema storytelling.

2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES

"Boardwalk Empire"

"Dexter"

"The Good Wife"

"Mad Men"

"The Closer"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

"30 Rock"

"The Office"

"Glee"

"Modern Family"

"Hot in Cleveland"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Hugh Laurie, "House"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Glenn Close, "Damages"

Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Steve Carell, "The Office"

Chris Colfer, "Glee"

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland"

Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Edie Falco "Nurse Jackie"

Jane Lynch, "Glee"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

John Goodman, "You Don't Know Jack"

Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"

Dennis Quaid, "You Don't Know Jack"

Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos"

Patrick Stewart, "MacBeth"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"

Catherine O'Hara, "Temple Grandin"

Julia Ormond, "Temple Grandin"

Winona Ryder, "When Love Is Not Enough"

Susan Sarandon, "You Don't Know Jack"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

"Black Swan"

"The Fighter"

"The Kids Are Alright"

"The King's Speech"

"The Social Network"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

James Franco, "127 Hours"

Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

Robert Duvall, "Get Low"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Benning, "The Kids Are Alright"

Nicole Kidman, "The Rabbit Hole"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Hilary Swank, "Conviction"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are Alright"

John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"

Jeremy Renner, "The Town"

Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams, "The Fighter"

Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"

Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"

Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"

Holiday Films Worth Watching: LOVE ACTUALLY

It's that time of year.  My second favorite next to the month of October, of course.

Here is my first choice for a Holiday Film Worth Watching.

LOVE ACTUALLY

Starring: Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Laura Linny, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightly, Alan Rickman, Rodrigo Santoro, Colin Firth and many more!

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Written by: Richard Curtis

 via IMDb.com : Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Pick this one up and enjoy with your loved ones!

Watch the Trailer!

BURLESQUE review

It takes a legend to make a star.  The Burlesque tagline on the poster tells you what the film wants to be, though I think the tagline is more an obvious play on who the two of these women are at this point in their life.  


The Good: 
 Cher is great in this role.  She owns the role of Tess, a struggling and aging club owner who possibly never got her 'shot' at fame but has managed to create an amazing place for people to develop their talents and perform!   

 Christina Aguilera does a great job in the role of the overwhelmed and wide eyed would be star.  She's surprisingly great with her first real acting role since "The Micky Mouse Club".  Most of the time she just appears on tv as herself.

 The Music is pretty terrific.  Though mostly new music, there are a few standards in there that are great to hear.  Cher has a terrific solo tune called "Last of Me".  It's really a throwback to Cher of the 80's.  It's a strong ballad and it really is intense.

 Aguilera has many songs, of course, no one can deny her talent.  Her vocals are amazing.  Loved the pop songs with the dance numbers.  Very must a music video feel but still captured the intensity in a live performance.  
 
 Stanley Tucci, Kristin Bell, Cam Gigandet and Julianne Hough are all good in their roles.
 Great Cameo's from James Brolin, Dianna Agron (TV's GLEE) and Alan Cumming.




The Bad:
The plot.  It's been done, time and time again.  Small town girl seeks big city dreams, doesn't get what she wants at first and then ends up the star.  Kind of lame but you can look past it because you're blinded by the glitz and glamor of the performances.

 I honestly can't stress the storyline enough.  I know this film was a reason to have a few terrific people get together to do a musical, but I wish they would have just made an attempt to do some original things in the film with the story.

 The minute the would be boyfriend (Cam Gigandet) tells Ali (Aguilera) that he isn't gay but he's engaged, you know exactly where this story is going.  Then she leaves his apt. in a hell of a rain storm, in LA, come on now, it barely rains in LA.  Then he picks her up from the sidewalk and carries her back to his apartment, tells her to stay for a while and they become roommates and eventually a couple with a bit of trouble.  Predictable. 




 That's truly the issues with the film, the predictability of the entire film.  Though that's not going to be a surprise or deter any of the people seeing this film.  It's really for the fans.


Overall.  If you're a Cher or Christina Aguilera fan, you will love this film.  If you enjoy Musicals, you'll enjoy this film.
This is not a think piece, it's just a fun night at the theatre.  Enjoy it.  They don't come around all that often.

Audition with help from Paula Abdul

 

Paula Abdul has stepped into the world of Internet Castings!  With her new joint venture AuditionBooth.com  is supposed to be a quick and easy way to show your talents to the leading casting directors in the world.  

 Paula gives tips on how not to audition through a few videos in her blog section.  She has years of experience in this business, so any help she can offer is a good thing.

 

 I'm always skeptical of things like this, but you never know, maybe it will work out for some actors out there.  I wish them luck on their hunt for the next job and I hope AuditionBooth.com will give them an opportunity they wouldn't normally have gotten in small town America.

 

Short Film shot on NOKIA Cell Phone!

"The Commuter" directed by the McHenry Brothers (Jackboots on Whitehall) stars Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Pamela Anderson (Baywatch), Charles Dance (Gosford Park) and Ed Westwick (TV's Gossip Girl).

 This comidic/action film was shot entirely on Nokia's new N8 cell phone.

 No Kidding. 
 The asking price for one of these phones is about $550.00.

Watch "The Commuter" Now!

Sony Lunches Online Casting Website

You're a fan of huge Hollywood films put out by Sony and you want to be in one?  Well looks like Sony is giving you the opportunity.  They've created their own online casting website for their films.

Face of the Fan is the way Sony is going to be casting many of their upcoming films.  They've started out with a big one, the next film in the "Underworld" series.   The first casting is for a  female 18 or older to play a Teenager.

"The Face of the Fan program enables us to source people from all over the country to find unknown talent and give them a shot at something they may not have otherwise been able to do," said Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper in a written statement. 
 

I don't know if they are struggling to get the numbers they believe films need or if they are trying to give struggling actors a chance, either way, it's interesting for a studio to do this.  I just feel horrible for the poor intern that's going to get stuck sifting through the castings coming in for these films.

I'm sure Sony will be more successful at this then many of the past companies who have tried this.   But as far as I know, there has not been a studio who has tried to cast this way.

 Have you heard of anything like this before?  Let me know?

 

IMDb without the clutter

Thanks to screenwriter John August for having this info over on his website.

Introducing LESS IMDb!  

If you use SAFARI as your internet widow option, and you go to IMDb.com often, then this might be for you!

I hate the clutter over there, and Mr. August agrees.  All you want to do is see a persons credits and now their buried underneath a ton of junk.  Now, with this plug-in for Safari, you can get rid of the clutter & move the credits to the top!

So instead of this:

You get this:

Enjoy this option if you use Safari!

http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb

MGM Declairs Chapter 11

via TheMovieBlog.com:

Looks as though Metro Goldwyn Mayer was forced to file Chapter 11 this past week.  The studio was forced by a private investor and now, looks like the entire library of films will be up for auction.  There are some great titles on the MGM label.  It will be interesting to see what the other studios try and buy up when the bidding starts.

Spooky Empire Orlando 2010

Pretty damn amazing.
Not gonna lie.
Everything from the amazing Dealer Room to the great Celebs that came out to do panels and meet & greets.  Where else can you get a tropical climate, woman in bikinis by the pool and Jake Busey drinking it up at the bar while Elvia poses with a Troll!

Spooky Empire does know how to throw a convention and I know it just keeps getting bigger & bigger every year. 
 Really great to hang out with so many wonderful friends & co-workers and just have a fun time wondering around and meeting people!  So many talented individuals making great t-shirts & films out there!  I love the atmosphere!


 Terrific Q&A with Kane Hodder & Danielle Harris about Hatchet 2 and the bullshit about the film being pulled from the theatre! 

 
 I suggest checking Spooky Empire's upcoming convention in May 2011 called MAYHEM.  Bruce Campbell will be there and that's pretty much a great reason to go!!!

 

JAMES FRANCO Drag's it up for CANDY magazine

OK.
NO, I had no idea there was a Magazine named Candy for the Transgendered, cross-dressing community.

James Franco is barely recognizable here.

Apparently this is the Second issue of Candy, but I have no idea when the first issue was released.

Candy is ... 'The first fashion magazine ever completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuality, cross dressing and androgyny, in all its manifestations.'
I swear our film 'Candy.' has absolutely nothing in common with this magazine other then the title and similar font style.  Damn it!

No, I think it's great that there is a fashion magazine out there catering to this community of creative individuals.  I'm just mildly pissed I didn't know about this before going forward with naming the short film 'Candy.'  -_-

CANDY 2 from Luis Venegas on Vimeo.

'Candy.' at SAC HORROR

One of the best things to happen to this film yet was having the SAC HORROR/SCI-FI convention believe in what we are doing.

Not only did the amazing Richard Zerga and his daughter Kristi Zerga at Legends of Heroes & Villians sponsor our appearance but they really took care of us at the event.  THANK YOU.

The people were wonderful and Sage, Jenny, Grady & I were overwhelmed by the audience at our screening.  I was not expecting to have a 30 minute Q&A for a movie that is just over 8 minutes.  But we all appreciated the questions and the amazing enthusiasm from so many of the audience members!

 Abnorml Injustice (composer), Sage Hall (director), Jenny Beres (writer) & me.

Everyone involved with the SAC HORROR/SCI-FI Convention should be commended on their 3 successful year and really they should be happy with the amazing crowd they had turn out.

 Jenny Beres & Sage Hall try their hand at Defending the Galaxy!

Again, we really appreciate Everyone who came to watch our first public screening of 'Candy.' and we appreciate all the feedback.  Thank you.

Check out SAC HORROR next year!
http://www.SacHorror.com

As Always, Learn more about 'Candy.' via any of the links below:


StarFruitProductions.com
BloodyUnique.com
FACEBOOK

POLL: Most Anticipated October 2010 Relese

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Tony Curtis dies at 85

Best known for his role opposite Jack Lemon and Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot".  Curtis is also known for having a relationship with the original Scream Queen Janet Lee and having an equally famous daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis.

He was nominated for an Academy Award for :"The Defiant Ones".  Curtis passed away at his home in Henderson, Nevada of cardiopulmonary arrest, said a spokeswoman for the Clark County coroner.

"My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages," his daughter actress Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement. "He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world."

In 2000, the American Film Institute named "Some Like It Hot" the best comedy of the 20th century.

Remember that One Movie? 'batteries not included'

This week I want to take you back to 1987.

'batteries not included' is the story of some down on their luck apartment building tenants and their unlikely bonding with aliens from outer space.

 It's a feel good film, but I still feel that it holds up today.  Yes some of the graphics and CGI work are not so great, but who really cares?  It's a classic from the 80's and I think it's still a tremendously fun film to watch.

Director: Matthew Robbins (the Legend of Billie Jean)

Starring: Academy Award Winner Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy), Hume Cronyn (her real life husband) and Elizabeth Peña (Rush Hour).

Betty White Hot!

This is the best thing I've seen in a while!

If anyone is looking for Christmas or Birthday presents... I'll take one of each. thanks! :)

SHOP BETTY WHITE

 image copyrighted by HoodieBuddy.com

Hatchet 2 Unrated Redband Trailer

For the first time in decades a Horror film is getting a theatrical release and it will be UNRATED.  I bet the MPAA is just hoping that no one will show up, but I think they're going to be absolutely fucking shocked when the numbers come in the Monday after.  You watch!

More Hatchet 2 Videos

Universal's HHN Twenty Years of Fear Trailer!

It's that time again kids.  Time to pee your pants as you wander around Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios!   

check out Jeffrey Fong's "The Cut"

Check out writer/director Jeffrey Fong's submission for the Interpretations film competition online sponsored by Toyota.

http://interpretationsfilm.com/members/chocamilkstudios/

Tyler Perry's 'Four Colored Girls' looks powerful

Thanks to Sherrice for sending this trailer my way.

Writer/Director/Actor Tyler Perry has a hit on his hands.  Look at this amazing trailer and bask in the radience of the amazing cast of "Four Colored Girls"




Cast: Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Loretta Devine, Kerry Washington, Thandie Newton
Director: Tyler Perry
Releasing Studio: Lionsgate

Body Snatchers actor Kevin McCarthy dies at 96

Golden Globe winning Actor, Kevin McCarthy passed away Saturday at a Cape Cod hospital.

McCarthy's career began on the stage. His 1938 Broadway debut in Abe Lincoln in Illinois earned him membership in the Actors Studio. McCarthy was chosen to play Willy Loman's son, Biff, in the London production of Death of a Salesman, a role which McCarthy also played in the 1951 film, earning a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. He was named New Star of the Year by the Golden Globes in 1952. 

McCarthy's best-known role, however, was that of the frantic doctor who tried in vain to warn his neighbors that pod people from space were taking over the people of Earth in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978). The film was a box-office flop, but it has earned cult status since.

McCarthy's other film roles included  Gathering of Eagles, The Best Man, Mirage, Hotel, The Howling, and Twilight Zone: The Movie, He also appeared as Marilyn Monroe's estranged husband in the 1961 classic The Misfits, Monroe's last film.

Check it out! "G33k & G4M3R Girls" by Team Unicorn

starring Milynn Sarley as Psylocke, Clare Grant as Lara Croft, Rileah Vanderbilt as The Baroness and Michele Boyd as Han Solo

Geek and Gamer Girls Song - Watch more Funny Videos

This works for me! Check out TEAM UNICORN & "LIKE" them on FACEBOOK 

Glenn Shadix, "Beetlejuice" actor dies.

It's a sad day.  Glenn Shadix, best known for his work in the film "Beetlejuice" has passed away today in his home in Birmingham, Alabama.  He was 58.

He's a character actor that always made an impression in the films he was in.  Even as a voice in Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas" he sticks out and is impressive.
He will be missed.

could Zombieland 2 be a Prequel?

Looks like it's possible. 

 I absolutely loved Zombieland.  It was FUN.  That's all it needed to be.  The perfect blend of action, comedy & horror. 
 I'd love to see Woody Harrelson back in action as Tallahassee and I really think Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone were fantastically cast in the film.  Bringing them together for a Prequel or a Sequel would be a fantastic move.


Movies Online had a quote from Director Rubin Fleischer

"One of the fun things about 'Zombieland' is it jumps all over the place in terms of the storyline," Fleischer said. "It'll go to before zombies to after zombies and all around those worlds.

What's fun about the sequel is we have freedom and flexibility to show different periods. We might have scenes before the zombies, or we might have some months after, or potentially stuff further down the road. Through the voice-over and the way the movie is structured, we can really explore all different sides of it."

 I'm eager to see the follow up.  How about you? 

Remeber that movie? "Death Becomes Her"

I've decided to start a new post regarding films you might have forgotten.

My first selection is the Robert Zemeckis film "Death Becomes Her". In 1992 this film hit the summer box office and I remember running to see it. Yeah, I was a weird kid.

Starring Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis & Goldie Hawn, the film takes you on a journey as these women discover a way to stop the aging process. But with such a gift comes a certain amount of responsibility.

 It also stars the amazing Isabella Rossellini as a temptress of fate. 

Check out the trailer below and put this film in your Netflix cue or pick up a copy online, you won't regret the purchase!

Ryan Reynolds is 'Buried'.

 There has been talk about this film since it premiered a while back at Sundance.  Now it's got a distribution deal and will be causing panic attacks soon!

 I'll see it, not sure if I'm jumping up and down to do so, but I enjoy the concept.

Check out the trailer:

Gordon-Levitt & Johansson might be in Zombie Love?

We're all looking for a good zombie love story, aren't we? 

Looks like Diablo Cody ("Juno", "Jennifer's Body") will be producing the book to screen adaptation of S.G. Browne's novel 'Breathers: A Zombie's Lament' for Fox Searchlight.

Though the interesting news is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("500 Days of Summer) and Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2) are apparently "loosely" attached.

 I'm intrigued.   These are two of my favorite actors working today and seeing them together in a zombie film could be freakin awesome.

Here is a Synopsis of the story:

"Andy Warner reanimates after the car accident that kills his wife, but is too mangled from his injuries to talk. He lives in his parents' wine cellar, occasionally attending a zombie support group and struggling to rejoin a society that offers the undead no rights, bans them from working and doesn't even punish those who destroy them. When Andy and his fellow zombies—notably Rita, a sexy suicide victim with a lipstick fetish, and Jerry, a Playboy-obsessed stoner—learn why they're so driven to consume human flesh, the repercussions are both tragic and hilarious. Browne neatly mixes humor and extreme violence with a surprisingly tender love story, some witty social satire and an extremely strong narrative voice."
 

South Park Duo are Broadway Bound

Looks like Broadway is in for a hell of a shock come March 2011 when "The Book of Morman" opens at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

If you're not familiar with Trey Parker & Matt Stone then you've been under a rock for the last 10 years.  They're the creator of "South Park" the long running Comedy Central cartoon geared towards an adult audience.

Parker & Stone are not unfamiliar to musicals as their film "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" was driven by song.  Even garnered the duo an Academy Award nomination for "Blame Canada", though they didn't win, they definitely made an impact on the uptight ceremony. 

Now they're set to give the Morman religion the musical treatment and The Great White Way may never be the same.  I'm extremely excited to see how this plays out.  I'm sure it will upset many but it will undoubtedly bring in a ton of money next year.

I'm sure the Tony Awards will be a better place when this gets a few nominations, which I'm sure it will. 

Check out the article at the NEW YORK POST