Movie Review:"Wedding Crashers" (2005)

Expectations can do a lot to the overall appreciation of a movie. Too much heightened expectations usually result in diminished appreciation, whereas lowered expectations usually result in a heightened appreciation for the film. I have seen this happened many, many times.

However, there are movies where no matter how high your expectations are, they manage to surpass them...and then give you more.

Wedding Crashers is the story of two best friends John and Jeremy (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughan), two divorce moderators who crash weddings on a regular basis to pick up women. Commited to their cause, they go through wedding after wedding with a set of rules that guarantee their safety from curious relatives to "Level 5 clingers" or virgins who want to run away with them.
One day they crash the biggest wedding of the year, The nuptial of the daughter of Secretary of Treasury Cleary (Christopher Walken). Here John meets Claire, one of Cleary's daughters and falls for her. Suddenly the rules no longer apply to John, much to Jeremy's chagrin.

Vince Vaughan's comic timing is impeccable. His one-liners are classic and will be immortallized through the lips of college boys all accross the world. "I feel like Jodie Foster in 'The Accused'" he says, a morning after he was assaulted and 'raped' by Cleary's obsessive but red-hot younger daughter Gloria (Isla Fisher).

The chemistry between Owen Wilson and Rachel Mc Adams is very evident and penetrates through the screen. Sure its a Vaughan-Wilson comedy. How much romance can there be? I am man enough to admit that there were a few "kilig" moments that just give me goosebumps.

Part of their appeal is based on the fact that Wilson is a hearthtrob with the boyish "gee, gosh" appeal and that Rachel Mc Adams (whom I've had a major crush on since 'Hot Chick') is just perfect as the idealistic daughter of a bureaucrat, and comes out as the girl who you would like to bring home to meet your parents.



Will Ferrel's cameo as Chaz Reingold, the master of Wedding Crashing was icing to this perfectly screwed up wedding cake.

This movie was said to be this year's "Dodgeball". Which is a pretty accurate description of the movie based on the humor and the laugh-a-minute rate. In terms of the movie's theme and overall feel it can't be more different. One one hand, it is a "college frat house" comedy along the line of "Animal House" or "Porky's" in terms of all the sexual humor and crude language. On another it is an effective romantic comedy that has just about as much girly stuff as your typical romantic comedy.

One of the complaints I have about the movie is not directed towards the actors or the filmmakers. It is towards the freakin' MTRCB. Their methods for classifying and censoring is very questionable. This was given an R in the US without cuts. They cut a lot of very important parts of the story just to fish out a PG 13 rating. Is this their way to increase the film's potential revenue? Why not stick in the R and let the kids out of it. Let them watch "Stealth" or something.

Other than that I highly recommend this movie. It is sure to give you the pheromone high you need for the day.




Rocketboy's Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Pics.

Superman Returns reached a different level of coolness once the casting of Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor was announced. Nobody, in my opinion, fits the part to a T like old Kev. Now we get to see him.

Looks like somebody needs to get some sun.


Click here for the rest of the pics.


Props to the movieblog.

A 'Coraline' Movie

Seems Neil Gaiman's children's book Coraline is going to get film treatment through the stop motion director, Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas). Although this is basically just talk for now, it looks very promising.

I wasn't here when Neil Gaiman came, nor do I own any of his books. I have read Sandman, though, although it was a long time ago. I cannot deny his genius, though (lest I be lynched by his legions of fans, a few of which are close friends of mine).

His very significant following here will definitely draw a crowd and I'm sure that this will be a sure winner in the Philippines. Plus, Selick's a genius.

In the meantime, Im excited to see another Gaiman creation on film, MirrorMask.


Props to Twitch, as always.

I've Been Tagged...

I usually dont participate in these "you've been tagged" things but since this is a great opportunity for me to humiliate myself in a national scale, heck. Why not. Besides, I was told by the tagger Meatmarket that I would suffer 7 years of boils, leprosy and having Kris Aquino's voice as voice the in my head until I eventually keel in.


What are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play?

- Surfing the net (for money).

- Making crunches. I have managed to improve my abdominal section I am now ripped from a keg to a four-pack)

- Looking for cool T-Shirts



What lowers your stress / bloodpressure / anxiety level?

- Making nasty review for a really bad movie.

- A bottle of lemon juice

- A nap

- Listening to my Dream Theater/ Rush CDs

- Hanging out with girls (friends or otherwise)

- Playing Tetris




Tag 5 friends and ask them to post it in theirs. (You are not obligated! Please! Im not gonna put some silly curse or stupid repercussions for not doing it...)

-Sedricke
-Man of Mars
-Go Go Yubari
-Hed Beats
-Pimpstar

Episode III: "The Backstroke Of The West"

This is just too funny to pass off. I got this from the forums of PinoyExchange.com. I introduced the link to my officemates and, sure enough, mayhem ensued. The pirated version of the Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith comes not only in 'grainy pixel-vision' but with Chinese english translations.

I will not go any further..Click on the link.

Props to SoliduS_AlphA of PinoyExchange.com.

Check out winterson.com

Janeane Loves Me!

Just thought I'd like to share this with the rest of you. I found this while searching for my name in Google and Yahoo. Apparently janeanegarofalo.us had found out about my little entry My Favorite Funny + Hot Chicks and , well, posted it on their site. Now, I don't know if this is managed directly by Janeane's management or if it is a fansite. But whoever you are, thanks for the recognition and, for the record, Janeane Rocks!



Click here for the link.

Extreme Superman Returns Spoilers(?)

I just read this this morning. I have to say that i wish I didn't. It seems that there are some spoilers available on line that reveal the plot and twist of the Brian Singer directed Superman Returns. There was a disclaimer written on the article before I clicked. It said that If I clicked on it, bad things would happen and that I would be scarred for life.

If you are looking forward to the new Superman movie like a n 8 year old for Christmas (although it will be a pretty long wait) and you don't want to have even an inkling of what the story is going to be. I advise you not to click it. Although I have to add that this is not an Official storyline and can be completely false.

To Click or not to Click, that is the question.

Thanks a lot movieblog!

Movie Review: "The Island" (2005)

Mr. "USA is Number 1" himself, Michael Bay has once again struck us with another camera-panning fortified, explosion powered, landscape shot enriched summer blockbuster The Island. The story of a clone Lincoln 6 Echo (Ewan McGregor) isolated from society along with thousands like him in an underground containment facility and his quest to know the truth of his existence. He is conditioned from the very start, as is everyone else, to believe that he was saved from a contaminated outside world and 'chosen' to become the propagator of a new generation of human beings to repopulate the earth in a place called "The Island". Every day, each person in the facility looks forward with excitement , the day they are picked and sent to The Island. This is the end-all of their mundane routinary existence composed of chores and white jogging suits. With co-inhabitor Jordan 2 Delta (Scarlett Johannsen) they escape the facility and discover the nature of their existence...that they are mere 'insurance policies', paid forand owned by their clone sponsors.

The movie boasts of the usual Bay staple of wide-angle shots, spin-around-the-actor shots and helicopter-cam landscape pans. It also has one of the most elaborate car chases ever caught on film. The highway scene with the train wheels crashing into the well-conceptualized futuristic cop cars is amazing. The jet-cycle chase was also a great adddition the the mind-blowing 20 minute action sequence, which, I wish, I could say for the rest of the movie.

Here's the rundown. The Island sucks. Here's why.

The movie was marketed heavily with extreme spoilers in its trailers and previews. I went to the theater thinking that the story behind the "cloning" angle was given out upfront in the beginning. Turns out, the revalation of the truth of what the company was laid out by Steve Buscemi's character right in the middle of the movie. And it held it with so much suspense as if the audience was clueless of what was happening.

The dialogue, not surprisingly, was so lame it could have been written by a 12 year old. Considering Michael Bay was never good with dialogue anyway, I think they dumbed it down a notch because they wanted the teenagers to understand it considering that they had to clean it up with a PG 13 rating. One such example is in the final moments of the movie where Sean Bean calls out Mc Gregor's character with "Come here 6 Echo!", to which he replies, "My name is Lincoln!". Gee, I wonder which summer action flick about discovering one's self after a liftime of mental slavery they got that line from?

And aside from the script being dumbed down, Mc Gregor's Lincoln carries himself as if he knew what was happening in key moments of the film, whereas he was supposed to only have the knowledge of a 15 year old, minus the social skills and the general pop culture knowledge. the novice Johannsen did a far better job in that department.



Djimon Honsou was a miscast. He charisma is more effective in period flicks as either an emancipated slave or an arena warrior, but not as a leader of a high end private army. My suggestion? They should have put Michael Clarke Duncan in that role instead.

Lets face it, movie protagonists in action movies ARE supposed to be superhuman and should be able to survive long falls and powerful blows to the head. The director's job, is to make it a tad more convincing so that the audience won't go "That's bull@#$t." In this case, Bay threw everything out the window and had the leads go against (and eventually beat) trained mercenaries (ex Navy SEALS , at that), survive 300 foot falls from dangling building signs and survive what looked like a terribly fatal car crash . It would have been more convincing if they just kept running, at least they had the exercise.

I am appaled at how Michael Bay treats his audience. It's as if he was making this movie with the thought that the audience in the cinemas would be a bunch of Game Boy-toting pre pubescent boys. As before, he continues to insult his audience by turmning a good script into total preach fest for human rights where the main leads aren't even human in the first place. This makes me very, very pessimistic about him helming the next Transformers movie.

The confused morality of the movie is apparent when early on, it preaches that the clones, although artificially produced, deserve to live freely just like us. And then later on as referred in the dialogue between Bean and Honsou that the practice of cloning was akin playing God. One says they deserve to live, the other says they don't.

Am I exaggerrating Michael Bay's lack of cerebral matter? Maybe. Am I over analyzing the movie? Maybe. But the burning question remains. Is this movie FUN?

Let me put it this way. I could have had more fun in the cinema if I had seen it with somebone else instead of watching it alone, so that I could at least have some one bash and make fun of the stupid scenes in the movie along with me.



Rocketboy's Rating; * (1 out of 5)

Preview: "Aeon Flux"

Just saw the Aeon Flux preview footage, and all I can say is, I've never been so underwhelmed by any preview in my life. First of all I don't think Charlize fits the character at all (They could have done better with some skin-and-bones fashion model if you ask me. Acting caliber isn't exactly an Aeon Flux requisite. Plus That could have made it more loyal to the cartoon). The sets don't look at all like what we could call a "post-apocalyptic future" (there were trees everywhere). And lastly, the moves don't look at all sleek. The Aeon Flux character is known for her ability to slither into anything like a cockroach and contort her lanky body into freaky positions.
Well, before I put my foot in my mouth and taste the asphalt as that I could be wrong, just go ahead and take a look at the clip and, as what we all do in the internet quite saavily, judge for yourself.

The video game looks cool, though.

Here's a link to the official Aeon Flux site.

Ptops to the movieblog

40 Things That Only Happen In Movies

Life is perfect...when you live in a movie.


"3. Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at the precise moment it's aired."

"10. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris."


Wanna see them all? Check out 40 Things That Only Happen In Movies.

Props to attu.

The Transformers To Be Released on July 4, 2007

Well, its official. The Transformers will be getting a 4th of July release in the year 2007. No details yet as who will be in it but Michael Bay is sure to direct. I have been closely monitoring the progress of this project since it landed in the hands of DreamWorks. The likes of Steven Speilberg, Bob Zemeckis and finally, Bay have been mentioned to be potential directors. I'm still campaigning for Lance Henriksen to be Optimus Prime's commanding voice. Come on, his voice is perfect for Prime. Just watch episodes of Millenium or Disney's Tarzan, you'll see.

Movie Review: "Pinoy Blonde" (2005)

Philippine Cinema is at a crossroads. Profits have significantly dropped for various different reasons, most notably because of rampant piracy and the general attitude of local moviegoers towards Philippine cinema. Some desparate measures have been taken, such as the decrease in the number of projects per year (most film outfits only make up to five, give or take, per year) and the overall release-hold of Hollywood and foreign films during Christmas season to give way for Philippine productions to thrive in the box office without competition.
Despite all this, Local cinema is still in a virtual life support system. Only a complete overhaul of the cinematic system can get it out of it's imminent demise. I'm not being pessimistic, I'm actually looking forward to reform. Digital cinema is a great way for young pasionate filmmakers to release their ideas long since in incubation because of lack of finances. Once the Phillipine viewing public finds out how good our own filipino filmmakers can be without resorting to the exhibition of their work in international festivals, I believe a renewed interest in more complex, artisitcally significant cinema will awaken in their long jaded movie-going minds.

Now let's talk about Pinoy Blonde.

Peque Gallaga is considered the Philippines equivalent to the early Speilberg. His work in the 80's is a testament of what a familiarity to the pinoy psyche plus Hollywood inspiration can do to degrade his audience into thinking that our movies have to look like Hollywood drivel to be considered "quality" cinema. Obviously that has backfired on the Philippine movie industry and Peque is doin damage control.

Two cousins (Boy 2 and Epy Quizon) are tasked by their dying uncle to deliver an important package in a paper bag the contents of which, are unknown. This leads them to an abandoned hotel where an exchange goes wrong and leads them to circumstances they can't get away from. What sets this movie apart from your "typical pinoy film" is that the scenes are executed in a way that the main characeters' imaginations, which are filled with scenes from Hollywood and pinoy movies, take hold of their realities and view every scene as if they were in a movie themselves.

Pinoy Blonde is obviously an attempt to gain the thinking Flipino's confidence back to Philippine cinema. It is also an attempt to relish on the good-old days of real Filipino cinematic geniuses such as Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. The format is intentionaly similar to Mike De Leon's surreal comedy "Kumakabakaba Ka Ba?" and Joe Gosengfiao's "Temptation Island". A lot of the movie's appeal comes from it's constant dropping of different film references. Quotes from Star Wars, The Matrix, Kill Bill and the Terminator are referenced in almost every situation. Some scenes are also "re-generated" in the minds of the main chartacters to compliment the movies they've seen, such as the gunfight sequence in the hotel lounge where Eddie Garcia and Jaime Fabregas are replaced by younger actors Ian Veneracion and Ryan Eigenmann in a flashier more Matrix-style sequence. One groundbreaking feat worthy of note is the injection of animated sequences in key scenes giving it a Tarantino-esque edge (heheh, Tarantino who, himself, is another copycat).
The best part of the movie was Jaime Fabregas' oddball character as the tradeoff guy and boss to Ricky Davao. He definitely moved the movie a notch in my book. He can turn from funny movie theme song singing, gun toting, samurai wielding smartass one minute to creepy foot fetish pervert the next.

The names involved in this project make it look like a variety noontime show. If I make a list it would just be too long. Apparently a lot of movie luminaries wanted to be involved in this project (seeeing that they actually have nothing else to do except star in Fanta-seryes and Tele-novellas). This can do wonders to a movie with their combined star power. In this case it was just plain suffocating. One other fault I find is the awful editing job. There were a few scenes that just didn't belong and were obviously spliced in.
One thing direk Peque should know, by this time, is that no matter how flamboyant or over the top your actors may be to fit the special two leading roles, they still need to know how to act.

The attempt was made, but fell short. Pinoy Blonde may be a good deal at P80, but it's no "Temptation Island" or "Kumakabakaba Ka Ba?". Now if they'd just release DVDs for those two, I'd happily pay P499 for them.

Rocketboy's Rating: ** (2 out of 5)

'Sigaw' Gets Props Abroad

Yam Laranas' Sigaw was a hit here when it first came out.And, truth be told, it was actually pretty well made. It won some major awards in last year's Metro Manila Film Festival (yeah, like THAT matters). And it received acclaim among local and international critics alike.
Sigaw is now being released internationally under the working title The Echo.





"I found myself jumping at certain scenes and I have seen many other horror movies where that never happens."

-Roy Lee, Executive Producer The Ring & The Grudge


Nice.


Props to Twitch.

My Half Year Round up

The past year in movies have been pretty good (It sure beats watching the Philippine mudslinging bonanza once known as the news). We saw a lot of really great comic book adaptations done right like Batman Begins and Sin City. We have been given previews of really great movies in the Cannes Film Festival for release in the coming months. The summer may not be oficially over, but we have reached the year's hump and are slowly, slowly rolling down the hill. Here's some of the best and worst (and some in between) moments in cinema of the past six months!


Best Movies of the First Half of 2005

Kung Fu Hustle
Batman Begins
War of the Worlds
Sin City


Worst Movies of the First Half of 2005

The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Casshern
Hide and Seek
The Scarlet Letter
My Boyfriend is Type B


Surprises of the First Half of 2005

The Interpreter
Hitch
Nobody Knows

Dissapointments of the First Half of 2005

Casshern
The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy


Best Performances in 2005

Jet Li Unleashed
Dakota Fanning War of the Worlds
Michael Caine Batman Begins
Elijah Wood Sin City
Sean Penn The Assasination of Richard Nixon


Worst Performances

Robert De Niro Hide and Seek
Samuel L. Jackson Revenge of the Sith
Natalie Portman Revenge of the Sith
Julian McMahon Fantastic Four


Coolest Characters of 2005

Marvin The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Senator Palpatine/Emperor Revenge of the Sith
Alfred Batman Begins
Johnny Storm/The Human Torch Fantastic Four


Favorite OMG!! Scenes

War of the Worlds... "Zapping the Humans scene"
Sa aking Pagkagising..."All the bakla scenes"
Revenge of The Sith..."Killing the Younglings"
Kung Fu Hustle..."The Roadrunner and Coyote scene"
The Machinist..."Christian Bale's first appearance"
Sin City..."Elijah getting eaten"


Favorite WTF?? Scenes

Revenge of The Sith... "Darth Vader: 'Noooooooo...' scene"
War of The Worlds... "How the Aliens died"
The Scarlet Letter..."Couple in the Trunk scene"
Pistol Opera..."Almost every scene"

Favorite LOL!! Scenes

Kung Fu Hustle..."The Roadrunner and Coyote scene"
Revenge of The Sith... "Darth Vader: 'Noooooooo...' scene"
Mr and Mrs Smith..."'Are you OK, Baby?' and 'Honey, we need to Talk' scenes".

Movie Review: "Nobody Knows" (2004)

I have noticed that despite making regular movie reviews, I really dont have anything relevant to say about the movies I write about. Given the fact that I work at a call center ant can't give 100% attention to what I am doing, and given the fact that, sometimes...most of the times I'm just plain lazy. Well, now I intend to deviate from tha trend and will attempt to haul my lazy butt out of the lazy chair and give a substantial review worth reading. The subject...Hirokazu Koreeda's Nobody Knows.

Great Japanese films are a rare. You usually see the campy stuff in Quiapo like the Chambara, futuristic Hentai-inspired biker chick staple displayed in the stalls. Then there are the dramas that rarely get any attention because nobody really talks about them.

I first heard about this film from the KFCC forums. Nobody knows won the critical acclaim of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival jury and audience. The young lead actor Yûya Yagira got the best Actor Award that year too.

The plot outline is simple; "Four children are forced to rely on one another after they are abandoned by their mother", according to IMDB. Akira is an intelligent 12 year old boy with a flamboyant mother who bore four children from different fathers.They had just moved in to a new apartment where small children are not allowed , so the smaller kids are smuggled into the apartment (in a very simple but creative way) and told not to make noise or go out of the house lest they be seen by the landlords. The mother Keiko (played by Japanese pop icon YOU) seems to be engrossed in hooking up with a rich man to relieve her family from their current state of relative poverty, so she frequently goes out on dates with this man, sometimes leaving for days. To sustain the kids (who dont go to school and just stay home to do chores), she entrusts Akira to take care of his siblings and gives him money for groceries and utilities. The kids have different character traits. Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura) the oldest sister is reserved and ambitious. Shigeru (Hiei Kimura) who is a little autistic, is mischevous and tends to break the rules. The cute and adorable Yuki (Momoko Shimizu) just stays in one corner and well, acts cute. One day Keiko leaves her kids for a month, tells her kids that it had to do with work. The kids wait, and wait, and wait.

Akira does his best to stretch the budget and take care of the needs of the younger kids. Usually this would be a kid's dream; to be able to play with our own rules now that the grown ups are away. Akira is tempted at times to just break away from the responsibility (he is after all, just 12), but he soon realizes that there are consequences.

What really got me was he degeneration of the lifestyle the kids start to experience when their mother leaves them to the care of their young older brother. Although you have to give the boy credit. He did do a great job taking care of his siblings. His resourcefulness saved them from going hungry for days. The movie was shot within a period of , I believe, one year. The purpose is to show how the kids grow within the extended period since their mother left them. It is most evident in Akira, who is in the brink of puberty. You can see his stature getting thinner and more teen like and and his hair grow longer as the movie progresses.

Nobody Knows is a refreshing change of pace from the usual fast-paced summer blockbusters. It kind of tells you to stop and feel your surroundings for a while. Japanese filmmakers have a knack for giving a movie atmosphere and time to breathe for you to get immersed. Strangely, it really feels like you're in there with them, experiencing their hunger and feeling the heat due to the loss of power service which we who live in the Philippines, can relate to very well.
Give this movie a chance. You will not be sorry you saw it. There I guess that's enough info, now go get it before I spoil the ending.



Rocketboy's Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

My Favorite Funny+Hot Chicks

Funny Girls steal our hearts like candy from a baby. Hot girls just grab 'em and go like a Mongolian Armada. Guys like myself lose either which way. What if you combine the two forces together and what do you get?...a Mongolian Armada stealing candies from babies?... No. You get this list!

Here are my favorite funny/hot girls in showbuisness.


Jeon Ji Hyun

Crazy girls finish first. Aside from being irressistably hot in My Sassy Girl. Jeon Ji Hyun has managed to take the world into the palm of her hand with her lovably role as the unnamed girl who romances with a bored directionless college student. An American remake is underway (surprise surprise), but no actress can surpass or equate the uconventionally cute Jeon Ji Hyun.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Vomiting on a man's toupee in the train in "My Sassy Girl".

Click here for my review of My Sassy Girl.



Tea Leoni

She was hilarious in her old sitcom The Naked Truth and was brilliantly irritating in Spanglish. Tea Leoni has the klutzy older woman type of sexiness that all nerds love. This is probably why he stole David Duchovny's heart.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Her being irrationaly insecure in Spanglish.










Lisa Kudrow

Everyone's favorite funny Friend. I think I speak for everyone when I say that Phoebe gets 75% of the laughs in Friends. Her other movie performances aren't as stellar as that of our dysfunctional New York hippie. Having two of her (twin sister Ursula) helps too.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Everytime Phoebe gets back at Chandler in Friends.






Tina Fey

This Saturday Night Live veteran has the looks that rival her comedic talent. She writes some of the skits in SNL and wrote the critically acclaimed bubblegum movie Mean Girls. Plus she looks extra fiiine with glasses on.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Everytime she's on Weekend Update on SNL.







Jang Nara

Most people know her as the Bright Girl on TV.Most people are put off by her loony facial expressions, but what makes Jang Nara especially adorable is that she doesn't care to be a cutester. Being primarily pop singer in Korea, she has amazingly better comic timing and more star appeal that most Korean actresses I know.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Almost every moment in Oh Happy Day



Toni Gonzaga

Toni recently hasn't been making any real smart career moves lately in ABS-CBN, but she is in her best when she does ad libs in guest show appearances and noon time programs. Wassup, Wassup has been pretty stale but hey, I forgive her.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Whenever she's not scripted.















Shin Eun Kyung
I have only seen her in one film, My Wife is a Gangster but this lady made her mark in my heart as heartless gangster leader forcing herself into a marriage with a dimwitted Public Official to fulfill the wishes of her dying sister.

Favorite Comedic Moment: The finger licking scene in "My Wife is a Gangster".












Molly Shannon

Possibly the funniest in the entire list, Molly Shannon can make any biker dude spill beer out of his nose in laughter. Being an SNL alumni she has made a career out of supporting roles everything from romantic comedies to drama flicks. Her breakout role was in 1999's Superstar where she played an armpit sniffing schoolgirl in a movie where everyone was in high school, supposedly, but all the actors are in their 30s (at least!).

Favorite Comedic Moment: "Practicing Kissing with a tree in Superstar





Maya Rudolph

Equal helpings of hotness + comic genius = Maya Rudolph.

Being an SNL veteran sure helps you get on the list. She's my personal favorite in this list. I always look forward to her skits in SNL, I hope she makes a movie soon.

Favorite Comedic Moment: As Donatella Versace in SNL.









Judy Greer

Most people won't know how funny Judy Greer really is until they see her in her comedic roles. One that comes to mind is her role as a dark brooding basket case of a superhero in The Specials and more recently, as Jennifer Garner's best friend in 30 Going on 30 ( by the way, I forgot to put Jen in here too...)

Favorite Comedic Moment: Don't have one really, Just like looking at her kooky face.











Jennifer Aniston

There are two reasons people watch Friends. One, because the people are funny and Two, because the people are beautiful. Jennifer Aniston has more helpings of pretty than funny but she definitely gets into the list.

Favorite Comedic Moment: Everytime she has to lie to get out of a jam in Friends.












Janeane Garofalo

I've had a long standing crush on Janeane Garofalo. Rocker chick, smart-mouthed and unfriendly, the perfect headache of a girlfriend. But then again that's just me. From her stand up routine to her supporting movie roles she either amazes, appals or just makes people go...'huh'?


Favorite Comedic Moment: Being a smartass in every movie she's in.

Da Vinci Code On Set Pics!!

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon. Nice.

The Da Vinci Code is nigh. Christ is coming.
After the critical and commercial success of A Beautiful Mind, it seemed like Ron Howard was pegged for another commercial and critical tour-de-force for his take on Dan Brown's The Da Vinci code. However, fate was not very good to his last effort The Cinderella Man, which, despite rave reviews still bombed at the box office because some marketing geniuses decided to release it (it was, indeed overdue) in the summer along with the the action and special effects blockbusters. I don't think it will dampen The Da Vinci Code's chances for greatness though. It looks promising being in the hands of Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsmith.

I need to read the book, now.



Props to the movieblog.com.

Click on ComingSoon.net for more pics and an article.

Live 8 Live

I dont know Bob Geldof nor have I heard his music. Bur recently he has
been appearing in news programs and MTV. Not because he's got a new
hit. Not because he's was arrested fro drug possesion, but because he
saw a chance to make a difference.

Live 8 is a concert for justice and to "highlight the ongoing problem
of global poverty and debt".

"This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can
grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from
the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty." Geldof says on the event's
website Live8Live.com. U2, Coldplay, Dido and Keane are among the many
musicians that will be playing in the said event to be held simultaneously in
the 8 nations involved in the G8 summit.

Bob,Bono and Chris, Thank You.

Props to headbeats.

Movie Reviews: "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" (2005), "Casshern" (2003)

I haven't been watching too many movies lately. Just my luck, two of
the last movies I saw sucked monkeyballs.

Dont't you just hate it when you wait for a movie for so long and your
expectations just get blown way larger than the movie can deliver? You
get to see the movie and wish you hadn't heard about it in the first
place, saving you the dissapointment.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was a promising sci fi spoof when
it first came out. Reminiscent of the old Monty Python movies,
Hitchhiker's Guide dabbles on obsurd subjects such as bringing towels with you
in case of an alien plot to destroy your planet while exploringmore
serious introspective themes such as the meaning of life. One thing that I
can say about it is that it may be better read (the original Douglas
Adams book) than seen.

Casshern had all the elements of a great visual feast. The special
effects are groundbreaking and the colors are beautiful...thats just about
it.

Everything else about it reeks of amateurism from the acting to the
unnecessarily slow pacing (in one scene,it took 15 minutes for the mother
of Casshern to know that her son died, a scene that could have been
accomplished in 30 seconds). Casshern could have been a great film, in all
fairness. The director Kazuaki Kiriya is more of a visual director
obviously, but that doesn't mean he can put a little meat in the story.

Zzzzzzzzzz....

Rocketboy's Rating: * (1 out of 5)