"Ellen Page stars as Juno (also the film’s title), a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera).
With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), longing to adopt.
Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (JK Simmons and Allison Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs."
An unthinkable situation fifty years ago, when being pregnant out of wedlock was a shame, even more as a teenager.
More an educational movie than a succesful story.
The end is not exactly the one one would love and forecast.
But then, life is unpredictable and the mother of today can be again a teenager tomorrow and it is right: let be a mother the one who wants to be a mother...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Movies Review
Starting tomorrow, 20 years of movie reviews will be searchable by movie title, director or actor.
The website AtTheMoviesTV.com will offer a library of some 5,000 reviews searchable by movie title, director or actor.
With the launch of this new online viewing tool, people can now search for and watch a review before heading down to their local movie theatre, or they can research a classic title before deciding to rent or purchase it on DVD.
So too can users watch a movie review from these celebrated critics before downloading the movie form your favorite P2P or file-sharing network.
"For years this was a dream," said Roger Ebert. "Now I am exhilarated that it is a reality, thanks to the enormous effort of digitizing something like 1,000 programs. It is always fascinating to go back and see what was being said about a film before it opened. The disagreements, between me and Siskel and Roeper, will be fun to revisit, and even more exciting will be our sense of discovery when we find something like 'Boyz N the Hood,' 'Fargo,' 'Hoop Dreams,' or 'Monster.' I may start searching around in this archive and never stop!"
To be honest, "Ebert & Roeper" are the only movie critics that I ever really trusted, that never have a hidden agenda or reason to placate movie studios and producers, and whose I tended to agree with more often than not. Thus, I found it interesting to find out that their entire catalog of reviews is about to became accessible with a few clicks of the mouse, and that it would be easier than ever to see what they had to say about a movie before I invest the time and effort to watch it.
I just wish the site had already been available before I dared to watch "Soul Plane" last night. Let's just say I did a lot of fast-forwarding and probably should've taken heed of my brother's amazement when I told him what I was watching. Dam you Snoop dog, aka "Capt. Mack."I want my 2 hours back!
The website AtTheMoviesTV.com will offer a library of some 5,000 reviews searchable by movie title, director or actor.
With the launch of this new online viewing tool, people can now search for and watch a review before heading down to their local movie theatre, or they can research a classic title before deciding to rent or purchase it on DVD.
So too can users watch a movie review from these celebrated critics before downloading the movie form your favorite P2P or file-sharing network.
"For years this was a dream," said Roger Ebert. "Now I am exhilarated that it is a reality, thanks to the enormous effort of digitizing something like 1,000 programs. It is always fascinating to go back and see what was being said about a film before it opened. The disagreements, between me and Siskel and Roeper, will be fun to revisit, and even more exciting will be our sense of discovery when we find something like 'Boyz N the Hood,' 'Fargo,' 'Hoop Dreams,' or 'Monster.' I may start searching around in this archive and never stop!"
To be honest, "Ebert & Roeper" are the only movie critics that I ever really trusted, that never have a hidden agenda or reason to placate movie studios and producers, and whose I tended to agree with more often than not. Thus, I found it interesting to find out that their entire catalog of reviews is about to became accessible with a few clicks of the mouse, and that it would be easier than ever to see what they had to say about a movie before I invest the time and effort to watch it.
I just wish the site had already been available before I dared to watch "Soul Plane" last night. Let's just say I did a lot of fast-forwarding and probably should've taken heed of my brother's amazement when I told him what I was watching. Dam you Snoop dog, aka "Capt. Mack."I want my 2 hours back!
The Simpsons
"It's been 18 years and 400 episodes since The Simpsons first appeared on Fox, and although the idea of a film has been mooted since round about season three, it's taken until now to materialise. Yet with the TV show generally agreed to be a teensy bit past its best and a weensy bit surpassed in recent years by Family Guy, Baker wasn't all that far off the mark - this has as much potential to go wrong as a ballsed-up Beatles reunion.
Don't worry, though: unless these were literally the only 10 fun minutes out of 90, The Simpsons Movie seems as brilliant as it should be. Where the sublime South Park movie Bigger, Longer and Uncut depicted a gay affair between Saddam Hussein and Satan, Al Jean claimed last night that the theme of their movie was basically "that a man should listen to his wife".
Yet even 10 minutes were enough to tell that The Simpsons Movie riffs on global society's two biggest moral panics: religion and the environment."
We are used to the other way around.
It usually begins with a successful movie and goes on as a more or less successful TV series.
But then: who watches TV now a days?
Easier to go to the movies, better, easier to download the Movie from a P2P and watching it on your computer screen.
This is definitely the victory of the Internet over TV.
Movie on demand, or whatever you want to call it.
Everything but TV.
One thing more: the Internet and Movies Shouldn’t really be a BAD COPY of TV.
Don't worry, though: unless these were literally the only 10 fun minutes out of 90, The Simpsons Movie seems as brilliant as it should be. Where the sublime South Park movie Bigger, Longer and Uncut depicted a gay affair between Saddam Hussein and Satan, Al Jean claimed last night that the theme of their movie was basically "that a man should listen to his wife".
Yet even 10 minutes were enough to tell that The Simpsons Movie riffs on global society's two biggest moral panics: religion and the environment."
We are used to the other way around.
It usually begins with a successful movie and goes on as a more or less successful TV series.
But then: who watches TV now a days?
Easier to go to the movies, better, easier to download the Movie from a P2P and watching it on your computer screen.
This is definitely the victory of the Internet over TV.
Movie on demand, or whatever you want to call it.
Everything but TV.
One thing more: the Internet and Movies Shouldn’t really be a BAD COPY of TV.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Take the lead
Interesting movie.
First: if you think dancing was for sissies, may be you can change your mind.
Second: great men can use anything to teach life. Also dancing lessons. And this proves what I always knew and said: you can be a real "entertainer" and even more, if you know and love what you are supposed to teach.
"Amor che a nullo amato amar perdona" Dante's words, true almost one thousand years ago and true know.
If you really love something you can make others loving it.
Third: this could be the classic example of how commercial will be in the future.
Do you need to promote Ballroom dancing? Don't use a spot, use a movie like this.
There is no commercial product that couldn't be widespread better than entertaining people and suggesting the real value of it.
How many will suddenly realize that there is no better exercise than learning ballroom dancing?
You acquire grace, fitness, you can control and develop your muscles and more than anything: you will enjoy it...
First: if you think dancing was for sissies, may be you can change your mind.
Second: great men can use anything to teach life. Also dancing lessons. And this proves what I always knew and said: you can be a real "entertainer" and even more, if you know and love what you are supposed to teach.
"Amor che a nullo amato amar perdona" Dante's words, true almost one thousand years ago and true know.
If you really love something you can make others loving it.
Third: this could be the classic example of how commercial will be in the future.
Do you need to promote Ballroom dancing? Don't use a spot, use a movie like this.
There is no commercial product that couldn't be widespread better than entertaining people and suggesting the real value of it.
How many will suddenly realize that there is no better exercise than learning ballroom dancing?
You acquire grace, fitness, you can control and develop your muscles and more than anything: you will enjoy it...
Because I said so
At Jane Austen's times a non married woman of three and twenty was a spinster.
Now a days she is a "happy single" where happy can be seen as ironical, because it looks like not so much has changed.
The goal of today's girls is the same: to find a husband.
Not as a feminist, but as a clever woman (as I humbly describe myself) I didn't like it and I hope many won't.
Nevertheless it could anyway make profits.
It could be used as a commercial for those multi usage electronic devices which are mostly real time communication tools: the cell phones.
The whole movie is an eulogy to them, and 90% of the time the people acting spend, is on their portables.
The only thing they should add is some nice and original ringtones, which I found lacking and are a due accessory to them.
The end is too much granted, but most of the people wouldn't like a different way.
And customers are king, since they pay for it.
Nevertheless I made it to the end, and if I did, I guess most would.
Now a days she is a "happy single" where happy can be seen as ironical, because it looks like not so much has changed.
The goal of today's girls is the same: to find a husband.
Not as a feminist, but as a clever woman (as I humbly describe myself) I didn't like it and I hope many won't.
Nevertheless it could anyway make profits.
It could be used as a commercial for those multi usage electronic devices which are mostly real time communication tools: the cell phones.
The whole movie is an eulogy to them, and 90% of the time the people acting spend, is on their portables.
The only thing they should add is some nice and original ringtones, which I found lacking and are a due accessory to them.
The end is too much granted, but most of the people wouldn't like a different way.
And customers are king, since they pay for it.
Nevertheless I made it to the end, and if I did, I guess most would.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Legoland: a mirror of life
I am not a teacher, but I am a mother and I live in the society, so I am interested in education as what will make tomorrow's society where I will (for a part of it) live and my children will live.
I guess the Lego experiment was a very good one, and it could also be very helpful to study children's behavior.
I do not believe in interacting with "worldviews" and I do not believe in the right or duty to "instill the values of equality and democracy" from people who would instill "their" "values of equality and democracy".
I still believe in "free will" and in the possibility of every human being to understand and build its own "values of equality and democracy".
"Children absorb political, social, and economic worldviews from an early age. Those worldviews show up in their play, which is the terrain that young children use to make meaning about their world and to test and solidify their understandings. We believe that educators have a responsibility to pay close attention to the themes, theories, and values that children use to anchor their play. Then we can interact with those worldviews, using play to instill the values of equality and democracy."
Our school-age childcare program — the "Big Kids" — involves 25 children and their families. The children, ages 5 through 9, come to Hilltop after their days in elementary school, arriving around 3:30 and staying until 5:30 or 6:00. Hilltop is located in an affluent Seattle neighborhood, and, with only a few exceptions, the staff and families are white; the families are upper-middle class and socially liberal. Kendra is the lead teacher for the Big Kid program; two additional teachers, Erik and Harmony, staff the program. Ann is the mentor teacher at Hilltop, working closely with teachers to study and plan curriculum from children's play and interactions.
A group of about eight children conceived and launched Legotown. Other children were eager to join the project, but as the city grew — and space and raw materials became more precious — the builders began excluding other children.
Taking the Legos out of the classroom was both a commitment and a risk. We expected that looking frankly at the issues of power and inequity that had shaped Legotown would hold conflict and discomfort for us all. We teachers talked long and hard about the decision. We shared our own perspectives on issues of private ownership, wealth, and limited resources. One teacher described her childhood experience of growing up without much money and her instinctive critical judgments about people who have wealth and financial ease. Another teacher shared her allegiance to the children who had been on the fringes of Legotown, wanting more resources but not sure how to get them without upsetting the power structure. We knew that our personal experiences and beliefs would shape our decision-making and planning for the children, and we wanted to be as aware as we could about them.
We also discussed our beliefs about our role as teachers in raising political issues with young children. We recognized that children are political beings, actively shaping their social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity — whether we interceded or not. We agreed that we want to take part in shaping the children's understandings from a perspective of social justice. So we decided to take the Legos out of the classroom.
We had an initial conversation with the children about our decision. "We're concerned about what was happening in Legotown, with some kids feeling left out and other kids feeling in charge," Kendra explained. "We don't want to rebuild Legotown and go back to how things were. Instead, we want to figure out with you a way to build a Legotown that's fair to all the kids."
This brief exchange raised issues that we would revisit often in the weeks ahead. What is a fair distribution of resources? Does fairness mean that everyone has the same number of pieces? What about special rights: Who might deserve extra resources, and how are those extra resources allotted?
After nearly an hour of passionate exchange, we brought the conversation to a close, reminding the children that we teachers didn't have an answer already figured out about Legotown. We assured them that we were right there with them in this process of getting clearer about what hadn't worked well in Legotown, and understanding how we could create a community of fairness about Legos.
few days after we'd removed the Legos, we turned our attention to the meaning of power. During the boom days of Legotown, we'd suggested to the key Lego players that there was an unequal distribution of power giving rise to conflict and tension. Our suggestions were met with deep resistance. Children denied any explicit or unfair power, making comments like "Some-body's got to be in charge or there would be chaos," and "The little kids ask me because I'm good at Legos." They viewed their power as passive leadership, benignly granted, arising from mastery and long experience with Legos, as well as from their social status in the group.
Now, with Legotown dismantled and the issues of equity and power squarely in front of us, we took up the idea of power and its multiple meanings. We began by inviting the children to draw pictures of power, knowing that when children represent an idea in a range of "languages" or art media, their understandings deepen and expand. "Think about power," said Kendra. "What do you think ‘power' means? What does power look like? Take a few minutes to make a drawing that shows what power is."
As children finished their drawings, we gathered for a meeting to look at the drawings together. The drawings represented a range of understandings of power: a tornado, love spilling over as hearts, forceful and fierce individuals, exclusion, cartoon superheroes, political power.
During our meeting, children gave voice to the thinking behind their drawings.
Marlowe: "If your parents say you have to eat pasta, then that's power."
Lukas: "You can say no."
Carl: "Power is ownership of something."
Drew: "Sometimes I like power and sometimes I don't. I like to be in power because I feel free. Most people like to do it, you can tell people what to do and it feels good."
Full Article
I guess the Lego experiment was a very good one, and it could also be very helpful to study children's behavior.
I do not believe in interacting with "worldviews" and I do not believe in the right or duty to "instill the values of equality and democracy" from people who would instill "their" "values of equality and democracy".
I still believe in "free will" and in the possibility of every human being to understand and build its own "values of equality and democracy".
"Children absorb political, social, and economic worldviews from an early age. Those worldviews show up in their play, which is the terrain that young children use to make meaning about their world and to test and solidify their understandings. We believe that educators have a responsibility to pay close attention to the themes, theories, and values that children use to anchor their play. Then we can interact with those worldviews, using play to instill the values of equality and democracy."
Our school-age childcare program — the "Big Kids" — involves 25 children and their families. The children, ages 5 through 9, come to Hilltop after their days in elementary school, arriving around 3:30 and staying until 5:30 or 6:00. Hilltop is located in an affluent Seattle neighborhood, and, with only a few exceptions, the staff and families are white; the families are upper-middle class and socially liberal. Kendra is the lead teacher for the Big Kid program; two additional teachers, Erik and Harmony, staff the program. Ann is the mentor teacher at Hilltop, working closely with teachers to study and plan curriculum from children's play and interactions.
A group of about eight children conceived and launched Legotown. Other children were eager to join the project, but as the city grew — and space and raw materials became more precious — the builders began excluding other children.
Taking the Legos out of the classroom was both a commitment and a risk. We expected that looking frankly at the issues of power and inequity that had shaped Legotown would hold conflict and discomfort for us all. We teachers talked long and hard about the decision. We shared our own perspectives on issues of private ownership, wealth, and limited resources. One teacher described her childhood experience of growing up without much money and her instinctive critical judgments about people who have wealth and financial ease. Another teacher shared her allegiance to the children who had been on the fringes of Legotown, wanting more resources but not sure how to get them without upsetting the power structure. We knew that our personal experiences and beliefs would shape our decision-making and planning for the children, and we wanted to be as aware as we could about them.
We also discussed our beliefs about our role as teachers in raising political issues with young children. We recognized that children are political beings, actively shaping their social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity — whether we interceded or not. We agreed that we want to take part in shaping the children's understandings from a perspective of social justice. So we decided to take the Legos out of the classroom.
We had an initial conversation with the children about our decision. "We're concerned about what was happening in Legotown, with some kids feeling left out and other kids feeling in charge," Kendra explained. "We don't want to rebuild Legotown and go back to how things were. Instead, we want to figure out with you a way to build a Legotown that's fair to all the kids."
This brief exchange raised issues that we would revisit often in the weeks ahead. What is a fair distribution of resources? Does fairness mean that everyone has the same number of pieces? What about special rights: Who might deserve extra resources, and how are those extra resources allotted?
After nearly an hour of passionate exchange, we brought the conversation to a close, reminding the children that we teachers didn't have an answer already figured out about Legotown. We assured them that we were right there with them in this process of getting clearer about what hadn't worked well in Legotown, and understanding how we could create a community of fairness about Legos.
few days after we'd removed the Legos, we turned our attention to the meaning of power. During the boom days of Legotown, we'd suggested to the key Lego players that there was an unequal distribution of power giving rise to conflict and tension. Our suggestions were met with deep resistance. Children denied any explicit or unfair power, making comments like "Some-body's got to be in charge or there would be chaos," and "The little kids ask me because I'm good at Legos." They viewed their power as passive leadership, benignly granted, arising from mastery and long experience with Legos, as well as from their social status in the group.
Now, with Legotown dismantled and the issues of equity and power squarely in front of us, we took up the idea of power and its multiple meanings. We began by inviting the children to draw pictures of power, knowing that when children represent an idea in a range of "languages" or art media, their understandings deepen and expand. "Think about power," said Kendra. "What do you think ‘power' means? What does power look like? Take a few minutes to make a drawing that shows what power is."
As children finished their drawings, we gathered for a meeting to look at the drawings together. The drawings represented a range of understandings of power: a tornado, love spilling over as hearts, forceful and fierce individuals, exclusion, cartoon superheroes, political power.
During our meeting, children gave voice to the thinking behind their drawings.
Marlowe: "If your parents say you have to eat pasta, then that's power."
Lukas: "You can say no."
Carl: "Power is ownership of something."
Drew: "Sometimes I like power and sometimes I don't. I like to be in power because I feel free. Most people like to do it, you can tell people what to do and it feels good."
Full Article
2009's movies
We haven't seen all 2007 and already talk about 2009.
Why not?
Usually the dream of a reality is much better than the reality of the dream...
"Yeah, yeah, we know - it’s 2008. So why talk about the movies of 2009 so soon?
With the advent of viral marketing and extremely early teaser trailers being leaked eons before a movie is scheduled for release, you can never be too early to start talking about films. Hell, you’re lucky this list isn’t about the most anticipated movies of 2010, which could’ve been done just as easy - and it still would’ve been way behind the internet’s buzz schedule.
Some of these movies will be sure fire hits, while others are doomed to flop.
Brave New World: Ravaged Planet (2009)
Plot Outline: After super-villains obliterate Chicago in 1976, those Americans fortunate enough to have powers must either work for the US government or go underground. Today, the legendary Patriot leads the rebellious Defiance against his former masters, the sanctioned super-powered operatives known collectively as Delta Prime. When the Primers capture Patriot, his friends must find a way to break into the toughest super-prison ever created-or watch him be executed before the entire world.
Coxblocker (2009)
Plot Outline: William Cox (Grace) meets his ideal woman, only to find his advances continually blocked by her ex-boyfriend/current best friend (Scott), who is trying to find a way to win her back.
Cast and Crew: Seann William Scott, Topher Grace
COED’s Take: Being that we’ve all had it happen to us the plot seems catchy, but there is a 99% chance the movie is going to blow. If Sean William Scott can bring the heat and find a way to make this thing work it could be a hot dorm room DVD similar to Just Friends.
Angels & Demons (2009)
Plot Outline: Angels and Demons was the reclusive author’s third novel after he gave up his job as an English teacher. It tells the story of Langdon’s brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the world’s most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered.
Cast and Crew: Tom Hanks, Naomi Watts
COED’s Take: Most people that have read Dan Brown’s books feel Angels and Demons (the book) is better than The Da Vinci Code. If this movie is written and directed well it has the cast, plot and setting to be a legendary adventure film.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Plot Outline: Looking to reopen a camp for special need kids a group of councilors encounter a snag in their plans when an unknown person begins to pick them off one by one.
Cast and Crew: Odette Yustman
COED’s Take: What?! Friday the 13th is included in the list of most anticipated movies of 2009?! We included Friday the 13th because it will be a bust or a classic, nothing in between. Odette Yustman (Cloverfield) is a rising star, and if they choose to make it a traditional roll-em-out slasher film it will end up cheesy and flop… but if they go the direction of Batman Returns and make it a dark introduction to the classic character the movie could do well.
G.I. Joe (2009)
Plot Outline: An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.
Cast and Crew: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dennis Quaid, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Marlon Wayans (rumored)
COED’s Take: I am very, very nervous to see how G.I. Joe, a staple of my young childhood, ends up. Transformers was decent at best (why does every Michael Bay movie resort to Armageddon-esque “the world’s gonna end” type storylines?), and a live action version of the show has me skeptical.
Still, if the powers that be listen to the fans instead of simply rebranding old product, we could have a straight-up killer. Cooooooooobraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Halo (2009)
Plot Outline: After they crash-land on an artificial ring-world called “Halo”, a navy captain, his surviving marines, and a chemically-and-surgically-enhanced supersoldier named John-117 “Master Chief” must find out what the Covenant, the genocidal alien race they are at war with, are looking for on the ring. However, Halo holds more secrets than either side imagined.
Old School Dos (2009)
Plot Outline: Mitch, Beanie and Frank return for more laughs as they open the fraternity doors to a new generation of college students.
Cast and Crew: The original cast is back for more.
COED’s Take: Frank the Tank. There’s nothing more to be said…other than it being a worthy sequel or shameless cash in. Still…Frank the Tank! Here’s hoping that Blue’s ghost makes a cameo.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Plot Outline: Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.
Playboy (2009)
Plot Outline: A biography of the life of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.
Cast and Crew: Leonardo DiCaprio…Hugh Hefner (Rumored), Brett Radner - director
COED’s Take: John Hoffman is writing the scripti and Brett Radner will direct what I feel could be a smash hit in 2009. Hugh Hefner is a living media legend, but not many people know how he got to where he is today. The movie will have its fair share of hardships and inspiring moments but we all know it’s gonna have a $50 million opening weekend because of the boobs.
But seriously - if Leo signs on, it’s a wrap.
The Brazilian Job (2009)
Plot Outline: Charlie Croker and his fellow crew of expert thieves head to Rio de Janeiro to pull off another heist in this follow up to The Italian Job.
Cast and Crew: Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def
Conquistador (2009)
Plot Outline: The story of 16th century explorer Hernan Cortes (Banderas) and his mission to bring about the demise of the Aztec empire.
Cast and Crew: Antonio Banderas
COED’s Take: Historical movies will be a major theme of 2009 and this one should be the best of the breed. The budget will allow it to be shot on location so expect many scenic shots and plenty of Banderas’s patented romantico flare.
Sin City 2 (2009)
Plot Outline: In the dark bowels of Sin City, Dwight plans to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death.
Cast and Crew: Johnny Depp (rumored), Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Weisz, Clive Owen, Dwight McCarthy, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Antonio Banderas (rumored), Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Madsen
1776 (2009)
Plot Outline: A look at how General George Washington led the war of independence against the powerful British army in 1776.
Cast and Crew: Tom Hanks - Producer
COED’s Take: Another historical winner for 2009. Expect 1776 to portrayed the American Revolution in a a way that has yet to be seen. The book by David McCollugh is one of the best I’ve ever read and although its being released through HBO we can expect this one to have a huge following.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Plot Outline: A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.
Cast and Crew: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Jaw.
COED’s Take: Heath Ledger died during the filming of this movie and it’s rumored that Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Jaw will fill in for the fallen actor. Due to its unfortunate circumstance, it should be successful for the right reasons, hopefully.
Inglorious Bastards (2009)
Plot Outline: A band of US soldiers facing death by firing squad for their misdeeds are given a chance to save themselves - by heading into the perilous no-man’s lands of Nazi-occupied France on a suicide mission for the Allies.
Cast and Crew: Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Babe Buchinsky, Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino has been working on Inglorious Bastards since Jackie Brown and Kill Bill were in production, and during his publicity rounds for Grindhouse stated the script is the best he’s ever done. Strong words from a strong personality - but if anybody can deliver inappropriate zingers in a war movie, or (gasp!) hard-hitting dialog that doesn’t let up, it would be Tarantino.
Arrested Development (2009)
Ever since the epilogue of Arrested Development, where Ron Howard, the show’s narrator, revealed a tantalizing pun (did “Maybe a movie” mean Maeby, a Movie?), fans of The Best F***ing Show of All Time Ever have wanted - nay, demanded - more hot Bluth action. And it’s on the way…maybe.
Rumors have been flying about an Arrested Development movie, and it couldn’t start production at a better time: Superbad and Juno have propelled Michael Cera to stardom while many of the shows’ alumni not only remain successful, but enthusiastic about revisiting the project - if it happens. Mitch Hurwitz, creator of Arrested Development, has blown hot and cold on the subject since the show was canceled back in 2006. We can only hope that fans and AD newbies rally up and let it be known that yes, an Arrested Development is wanted. Can you hear us, Mitch? Hello? Annyong?
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (2009)
Plot Outline: After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor (Bale) struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job.
Cast and Crew: Christian Bale, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington; Director - McG.
COED’s Take: Christian Bale in a big budget reassessment of a dying franchise? Say it ain’t so! If it worked for Batman it will work for Terminator.
Full Article, Photos, Poll
Why not?
Usually the dream of a reality is much better than the reality of the dream...
"Yeah, yeah, we know - it’s 2008. So why talk about the movies of 2009 so soon?
With the advent of viral marketing and extremely early teaser trailers being leaked eons before a movie is scheduled for release, you can never be too early to start talking about films. Hell, you’re lucky this list isn’t about the most anticipated movies of 2010, which could’ve been done just as easy - and it still would’ve been way behind the internet’s buzz schedule.
Some of these movies will be sure fire hits, while others are doomed to flop.
Brave New World: Ravaged Planet (2009)
Plot Outline: After super-villains obliterate Chicago in 1976, those Americans fortunate enough to have powers must either work for the US government or go underground. Today, the legendary Patriot leads the rebellious Defiance against his former masters, the sanctioned super-powered operatives known collectively as Delta Prime. When the Primers capture Patriot, his friends must find a way to break into the toughest super-prison ever created-or watch him be executed before the entire world.
Coxblocker (2009)
Plot Outline: William Cox (Grace) meets his ideal woman, only to find his advances continually blocked by her ex-boyfriend/current best friend (Scott), who is trying to find a way to win her back.
Cast and Crew: Seann William Scott, Topher Grace
COED’s Take: Being that we’ve all had it happen to us the plot seems catchy, but there is a 99% chance the movie is going to blow. If Sean William Scott can bring the heat and find a way to make this thing work it could be a hot dorm room DVD similar to Just Friends.
Angels & Demons (2009)
Plot Outline: Angels and Demons was the reclusive author’s third novel after he gave up his job as an English teacher. It tells the story of Langdon’s brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the world’s most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered.
Cast and Crew: Tom Hanks, Naomi Watts
COED’s Take: Most people that have read Dan Brown’s books feel Angels and Demons (the book) is better than The Da Vinci Code. If this movie is written and directed well it has the cast, plot and setting to be a legendary adventure film.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Plot Outline: Looking to reopen a camp for special need kids a group of councilors encounter a snag in their plans when an unknown person begins to pick them off one by one.
Cast and Crew: Odette Yustman
COED’s Take: What?! Friday the 13th is included in the list of most anticipated movies of 2009?! We included Friday the 13th because it will be a bust or a classic, nothing in between. Odette Yustman (Cloverfield) is a rising star, and if they choose to make it a traditional roll-em-out slasher film it will end up cheesy and flop… but if they go the direction of Batman Returns and make it a dark introduction to the classic character the movie could do well.
G.I. Joe (2009)
Plot Outline: An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.
Cast and Crew: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dennis Quaid, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Marlon Wayans (rumored)
COED’s Take: I am very, very nervous to see how G.I. Joe, a staple of my young childhood, ends up. Transformers was decent at best (why does every Michael Bay movie resort to Armageddon-esque “the world’s gonna end” type storylines?), and a live action version of the show has me skeptical.
Still, if the powers that be listen to the fans instead of simply rebranding old product, we could have a straight-up killer. Cooooooooobraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Halo (2009)
Plot Outline: After they crash-land on an artificial ring-world called “Halo”, a navy captain, his surviving marines, and a chemically-and-surgically-enhanced supersoldier named John-117 “Master Chief” must find out what the Covenant, the genocidal alien race they are at war with, are looking for on the ring. However, Halo holds more secrets than either side imagined.
Old School Dos (2009)
Plot Outline: Mitch, Beanie and Frank return for more laughs as they open the fraternity doors to a new generation of college students.
Cast and Crew: The original cast is back for more.
COED’s Take: Frank the Tank. There’s nothing more to be said…other than it being a worthy sequel or shameless cash in. Still…Frank the Tank! Here’s hoping that Blue’s ghost makes a cameo.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Plot Outline: Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.
Playboy (2009)
Plot Outline: A biography of the life of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.
Cast and Crew: Leonardo DiCaprio…Hugh Hefner (Rumored), Brett Radner - director
COED’s Take: John Hoffman is writing the scripti and Brett Radner will direct what I feel could be a smash hit in 2009. Hugh Hefner is a living media legend, but not many people know how he got to where he is today. The movie will have its fair share of hardships and inspiring moments but we all know it’s gonna have a $50 million opening weekend because of the boobs.
But seriously - if Leo signs on, it’s a wrap.
The Brazilian Job (2009)
Plot Outline: Charlie Croker and his fellow crew of expert thieves head to Rio de Janeiro to pull off another heist in this follow up to The Italian Job.
Cast and Crew: Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def
Conquistador (2009)
Plot Outline: The story of 16th century explorer Hernan Cortes (Banderas) and his mission to bring about the demise of the Aztec empire.
Cast and Crew: Antonio Banderas
COED’s Take: Historical movies will be a major theme of 2009 and this one should be the best of the breed. The budget will allow it to be shot on location so expect many scenic shots and plenty of Banderas’s patented romantico flare.
Sin City 2 (2009)
Plot Outline: In the dark bowels of Sin City, Dwight plans to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death.
Cast and Crew: Johnny Depp (rumored), Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Weisz, Clive Owen, Dwight McCarthy, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Antonio Banderas (rumored), Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Madsen
1776 (2009)
Plot Outline: A look at how General George Washington led the war of independence against the powerful British army in 1776.
Cast and Crew: Tom Hanks - Producer
COED’s Take: Another historical winner for 2009. Expect 1776 to portrayed the American Revolution in a a way that has yet to be seen. The book by David McCollugh is one of the best I’ve ever read and although its being released through HBO we can expect this one to have a huge following.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Plot Outline: A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.
Cast and Crew: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Jaw.
COED’s Take: Heath Ledger died during the filming of this movie and it’s rumored that Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Jaw will fill in for the fallen actor. Due to its unfortunate circumstance, it should be successful for the right reasons, hopefully.
Inglorious Bastards (2009)
Plot Outline: A band of US soldiers facing death by firing squad for their misdeeds are given a chance to save themselves - by heading into the perilous no-man’s lands of Nazi-occupied France on a suicide mission for the Allies.
Cast and Crew: Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Babe Buchinsky, Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino has been working on Inglorious Bastards since Jackie Brown and Kill Bill were in production, and during his publicity rounds for Grindhouse stated the script is the best he’s ever done. Strong words from a strong personality - but if anybody can deliver inappropriate zingers in a war movie, or (gasp!) hard-hitting dialog that doesn’t let up, it would be Tarantino.
Arrested Development (2009)
Ever since the epilogue of Arrested Development, where Ron Howard, the show’s narrator, revealed a tantalizing pun (did “Maybe a movie” mean Maeby, a Movie?), fans of The Best F***ing Show of All Time Ever have wanted - nay, demanded - more hot Bluth action. And it’s on the way…maybe.
Rumors have been flying about an Arrested Development movie, and it couldn’t start production at a better time: Superbad and Juno have propelled Michael Cera to stardom while many of the shows’ alumni not only remain successful, but enthusiastic about revisiting the project - if it happens. Mitch Hurwitz, creator of Arrested Development, has blown hot and cold on the subject since the show was canceled back in 2006. We can only hope that fans and AD newbies rally up and let it be known that yes, an Arrested Development is wanted. Can you hear us, Mitch? Hello? Annyong?
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (2009)
Plot Outline: After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor (Bale) struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job.
Cast and Crew: Christian Bale, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington; Director - McG.
COED’s Take: Christian Bale in a big budget reassessment of a dying franchise? Say it ain’t so! If it worked for Batman it will work for Terminator.
Full Article, Photos, Poll
Sleuth
"An old crime writer and the young actor who's having an affair with his wife spar in deadly cat-and-mouse games. A radical remake of the 1970s play and film, starring Michael Caine and Jude Law, directed by Kenneth Branagh and adapted by Harold Pinter"
A movie to see.
It looks like teather, it smells like teather, but it is actually a movie.
The typical example how to make a high level movie out of almost nothing, with two actors, one scene and a lot of suspense.
Of course you need actors like Michael Caine and Jude Law, and some brain...
A movie to see.
It looks like teather, it smells like teather, but it is actually a movie.
The typical example how to make a high level movie out of almost nothing, with two actors, one scene and a lot of suspense.
Of course you need actors like Michael Caine and Jude Law, and some brain...
The World's Fastest Indian
"Herbert J 'Burt' Munro, a plucky pensioner who repeatedly broke the world land-speed record in the 60s on his modified Indian Scout motorbike. As played by Anthony Hopkins, he emerges as a likeable eccentric whose refusal to see out his days quietly will strike a chord with geriatrics everywhere."
A movie to see.
Not because of the story, but for the power and life's lessons of the main character Anthony Hopkins ( 'Burt' ).
How to follow and reach your goals with the strenght of your will.
If you are determined enough people cannot do anything else than following you and liking you.
A breath of youth coming from an old aged person.
Nothing more adrenaline creating than that.
It's the revised "American Dream", where a nobody can create his bright future, providing he wants it enough.
Hopkins is, as usual, at his best.
A movie to see.
Not because of the story, but for the power and life's lessons of the main character Anthony Hopkins ( 'Burt' ).
How to follow and reach your goals with the strenght of your will.
If you are determined enough people cannot do anything else than following you and liking you.
A breath of youth coming from an old aged person.
Nothing more adrenaline creating than that.
It's the revised "American Dream", where a nobody can create his bright future, providing he wants it enough.
Hopkins is, as usual, at his best.
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