Archive for the ‘Film/Television’ Category
Top 6 movies to see in 2011
Posted on: May 3, 2011
Well, it’s another exciting year of movies – so far we’ve seen a range of films hit our screens, including Thor, Tron: Legacy, Your Highness, Scream 4, Rango, Paul, Rio, Arthur and World Invasion: Battle LA. Although it’s already May, there is still plenty to look forward to in 2011.
Here are my top six films to check out in the rest of this year:
Harry Potter theme park opens
Posted on: July 24, 2010
- In: Film/Television | News
- 2 Comments
"Hogsmeade". Photo by Flickr user Jeff Kern
It was the moment fans around the world had been waiting for – the opening of ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter‘ theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Based on the immensely popular series of books, the theme park aims to bring alive the magic of J K Rowling’s creations.
Visitors can walk through Hogwarts, have a sip of Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks tavern or even buy themselves a wand or broomstick – it’s pretty much a dream come true for fans (and you can read about that here). But I’m sure that even people who haven’t read the book will enjoy the experience.
One of the main reasons why I enjoyed J K Rowling’s Harry Potter books is because she provided so much detail – the people and places she described were so lifelike and animated. So guess the only thing better than feeling like you’re there, is actually being there and experiencing this magical world for yourself.
Next time I’m planning a trip to the USA, I’ll definitely be stopping over for a visit.
Tim Burton in Melbourne!
Posted on: June 22, 2010
(From my cinema blog:)
Tonight I had the fantastic opportunity to attend my favourite director, Tim Burton’s Castaway session at ACMI ahead of the opening of his exhibition on Thursday.
He revealed the top five films he would take on a desert island, which were an interesting mix of horror, monsters and… well, they weren’t exactly Oscar-winning films!
But I’m not surprised with his choices, as you can see how his eclectic selection has had an impact on his own personal style and appreciation of films.
Can’t wait to see the exhibition!
Iron Man 2 strong as steel
Posted on: May 11, 2010
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in Iron Man 2. Picture: scifiwire.com
Don’t get caught up in the hype about box-office records…
Yes, it may not have surpassed The Dark Knight‘s record of $158 million, but Iron Man 2 is still a huge box-office success, fetching a whopping $133.6 million in its opening weekend (and that’s just in the USA). Read the rest of this entry »
Top 6 movies to see in 2010
Posted on: April 15, 2010
Well, 2010 is looking to be a year of films to look forward to.
There are the familiar franchises, plenty of remakes and adaptations and some real interesting projects lined up. Burton’s Alice In Wonderland certainly lived up to its expectations and has set the tone for what looks like an year full of goodies.
So here are my top 6 movies for 2010 (in no particular order) – there’s something for all tastes:
Photo: MTV
“Curiouser and curiouser.”
That’s exactly how I’d describe Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland.
Photo: Insidefoto/PR photos
Whether or not you’ve seen his latest film, Sherlock Holmes (see previous post for my review), one thing for certain is that Robert Downey Jr is the man of the moment.
From his role in the TV series Ally McBeal, to the hugely successful blockbuster Iron Man, Downey Jr has always been a big acting talent.
But that’s not the only reason to like him. In fact, here I countdown the top 6 reasons why we like Robert Downey Jr:
Well, Happy New Year everyone! Once again, I’ve been away from this blog for a while. But nevermind, I’m back now – this time with a film review.
Now, my favourite actor is Johnny Depp but I have to say recently I’ve been quite interested in another, extremely talented man – Robert Downey Jr. (On a sidenote – I’ve been thinking: wouldn’t it be fantastic to see Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr in a film together – that would become my favourite film, no doubt!)
Photo by shutterblog.
With the Academy Awards now only days away, it’s shaping up to be an another exciting night in film history.
Here are the nominees for the main categories (the whole list can be found here):
Performance by an actor in a leading role
– Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
– Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
– Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
– Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
– Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
This is the first nomination for Richard Jenkins, Frank Langella and Mickey Rourke. Brad Pitt has been nominated once before for Twelve Monkeys (1996) and Sean Penn has now been nominated four times, winning most recently in 2003 for Mystic River.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
– Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
– Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
– Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
– Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
– Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Both Josh Brolin and Michael Shannon have never been nominated for an Oscar. However, Robert Downey Jnr has been nominated for Chaplin (1993) and Philip Seymour Hoffman has now been nominated three times, winning an Oscar in 2006 for Capote. Heath Ledger is the sixth performer ever to receive a posthumous nod (only Peter Finch has won) and this is his second nomination after Brokeback Mountain in 2006.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
– Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
– Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
– Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
– Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
– Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Anne Hathaway and Melissa Leo are both being nominated for an Academy Award for the first time. Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted in 2000, while Meryl Streep increases her lead as the most nominated performer in Oscars history (Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson are second with 12 each) with 15 nominations and two wins (in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer and 1983 for Sophie’s Choice) while screen star Kate Winslet is making history of her own, becoming the youngest ever performer to receive six Oscar nominations although she is yet to take home the statue.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
– Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
– Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
– Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
– Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
– Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
This is Amy Adam’s second nomination, after receiving an Oscar’s nod for Junebug in 2006. Penélope Cruz also has her second, having been nominated in 2007 for Volver. Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis both have their first Oscar nominations while Marisa Tomei has been given the nod for a total of three times now, walking away with the Oscar in 1993 for My Cousin Vinny.
Best animated feature film of the year
– “Bolt” (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard
– “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
– “WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
– “Changeling” (Universal) Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
– “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
– “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
– “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
– “Changeling” (Universal) Tom Stern
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio Miranda
– “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
– “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
– “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
– “Australia” (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Jacqueline West
– “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O’Connor
– “Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Glicker
– “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
– “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Ron Howard
– “Milk” (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
– “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
– “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
– “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild) A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
– “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
– “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
– “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
– “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films) An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best foreign language film of the year
– “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production – Germany
– “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production – France
– “Departures” (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production – Japan
– “Revanche” (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production – Austria
– “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production – Israel
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Alexandre Desplat
– “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage) James Newton Howard
– “Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Elfman
– “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
– “WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Thomas Newman
Best motion picture of the year
– “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
– “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
– “Milk” (Focus Features) A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
– “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
– “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads the Oscar nominations tally at the 81st Academy Awards with a total of 13, just one less than the all time record set by both Titanic (1997) and All About Eve (1950), which both went on to win Best Picture.
Eight other films have also earned 13 Oscar nominations though only five of them ended up best picture winners.
In the acting categories, nine of this year’s 20 nominees have been nominated for the first time.
So who will walk away with the coveted golden man named Oscar this year- one of the Hollywood veterans or a shining new talent?
Top 6 Myths About Australia
Posted on: November 28, 2008
- In: Film/Television | General
- 2 Comments
Photo: travellingtamas
Well, Baz Luhrmann’s Australia grossed over $1.3 million on its opening day at the domestic box office. That’s pretty good and actually is more than Luhrmann’s previous film Moulin Rouge reeled in on it’s opening day.
Nevertheless, I think it’s going to take a while before we can start making judgements on whether this is the greatest Australian film ever released.
In the spirit of well- known Australian films, looks like there’s going to be a Crocodile Dundee film marathon on television tonight.
Funny how ‘Crocodile’ Dundee (Paul Hogan) became such a hit both nationally and worldwide. Although many locals laugh at the main character’s amusing antics, it’s not surprising that for many foreigners, films such as these are what make up their impression of both Australia and the people who live there.
That’s why I’ve finally decided to set the record straight and dispel some of these myths and stereotypes:
1. Aussies have koalas and kangaroos in our backyards. As much as I wish this were in fact true, usually the only time you’ll see a kangaroo is after you hit one with your four-wheel drive while travelling in the country, where many native wildlife are considered as pests. Nevertheless, it’s not a bad myth considering the popularity of TV shows like Skippy. Oh, and another thing, unfortunately we don’t ride in their pouches either!
2. Our country is full of spiders, snakes and other creepy crawlies, not to mention man-eating sharks and poisonous jellyfish in our seas. Well, I can’t dispute the fact that yes, these animals do exist but really I think this seems to be one of the most concerning things for many visitors. You’re more likely to encounter these creatures when you go looking for them (i.e. hiking in the bush) and the sharks, well if you take the necessary precautions like swimming between the flags, then you should be right. Afterall, only eleven people have been killed by sharks in the last 50 years, so they are a rare and usually defensive action. Shark attacks are actually more common in the USA than in Australia, so enjoy the swim!
3. Australia is just an empty hot, dry desert. Although yes, we are making an effort to curb our water use, contrary to popular belief, Australia is not only made up of sand and strange rocks (i.e. Ayer’s Rock/Uluru). Ok, in the middle of the country there is just desert but well, it’s not like it’s a surprise. Besides that however, in the north-east we have nice, tropical weather and pristine beaches, coral reefs (ideal for surfing) and forests, while in the south (on our little isolated state Tasmania) you can find a much cooler climate and snowy mountains. The point is, Australia has some of the most diverse landscape in the world. We also have cities with towers! 🙂 But just because you’re leaving the city, doesn’t automatically mean you’re stepping into the over 40’C outback!
4. Australian slang is the main form of communication. Yes, there’s the “g’day mate” which seems to be our catchphrase but step into cities such as Melbourne or Sydney and I doubt you’ll hear these words uttered very frequently. Most people do have some sort of an Aussie accent but the real ocker Aussie stereotypes are more likely to be found miles away from any major city. It seems everyday Aussies like to save these homegrown phrases for special occasions, i.e. sporting events, where all you can hear are chants of “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”
5. Everyone in Australia loves Neighbours. A stop at “Ramsay Street” is a highlight for many overseas visitors who come to our shores. However, I don’t think all locals are as enthusiastic. I’m pretty sure many people could name a character or two, or know that Kylie Minogue was in it, as well as Natalie Imbruglia and a whole list of other people who have now turned to a singing career. However, Australians like their (fairly large) dose of American and British dramas and sitcoms so flicking on the TV, you’re likely to find a whole heap of imports instead.
6. We are an isolated bunch, cut off from the world. While physically, we are indeed an island far away from the main chunk of the world in the northern hemisphere, Australians very much like to keep up-to-date and involved with our neighbours and foreign friends. It’s hard living so far away from a lot of the “action” and being quite a long plane trip away (for many people). Nevertheless, it’s seems Australia is quickly gaining attention as one of the world’s hot spots, and who knows, maybe with all this climate change we will eventually drift closer to the rest of the world!
So there you go, just because you saw it in the movies, ain’t mean it’s a fact, mate!
(Nevertheless, looks like we still get the odd crocodile in our backyard pool!)
A Day in the Life... 