Soundtrack Wednesday - Batman Returns

Track: Selina Transforms, part 2

Artist: Danny Elfman

Movie: Batman Returns

Wanderlust

Darlin', we shall shit in the woods!

If there is a movie out there that 1. was a flop at the box office 2. didn't get great reviews 3. stars Jennifer Aniston, I'm probably not going to see it. But if there is a movie out there that while happened to be a flop, didn't get greatest reviews and has Lauren Ambrose you bet your ass I'm going to see it. I loved her in Six Feet Under and she is one of my favorite redheads and actresses that still wait for their big break and truly deserve it. She appeared in a number of tiny indie movies that are hard to find, but each time seeing those was worth it because she was in it. Wanderlust is one of such films, that is worth seeing it. Because it's neither really indie and definetly not subtle.

The film follows married couple of New Yorkers - George and Linda (played by Paul Rudd and Aniston) who recently purchased a "micro loft" which is apparently college talk for tiny, narrow shithole of an apartment. After Linda's documentary about penguins with testicular cancer doesn't get picked up by HBO (not surprising since there is no nudity and no "sexy" violence) and George's company goes under, the two find themselves with a necessity to leave big city and seek help from George's douchebag brother. On their way they stay at B&B called Elysium which is also the home of hippies who believe in freedom, nature and free love. The two leave and after spending some time in crazy town that is George's brother house they decide to relocate to Elysium and join the commune.

Scene of the Week - Se7en

Searching for clues

directed by David Fincher

Rising Stars: Juno Temple

Chances are that even if you don't realize that, you know who Juno Temple is - the girl from Atonement with red curly hair, Selina Kyle's sidekick in The Dark Knight Rises and Cate Blanchett's daughter in Notes on a Scandal. Temple, with her wild hair, innocent face and natural charisma can be in the movie for barely few minutes and you will remember her after the film is over.

Temple was born on July 21, 1989 and she owes her name to butte of Cape Final known as Juno Temple, where her parents went when her mother was pregnant. She is the daughter of a producer Amanda Temple and director Julien Temple.

Born in England, she decided she wanted to be an actress at the age of 4. Her father cast her in his film Vigo but ended up cutting her out of the film. Two years later, age 11, her father cast her in another of his films, Pandaemonium. When she was 15 she won an audition for Notes on a Scandal. That led to her role in Atonement, which went on to win Golden Globe for Best Drama, where Juno played Lola, a girl involved in incident that will change the lives of main characters forever. She also appeared as Anne Boleyn's brother's wife Jane in The Other Boleyn Girl and as Anna in terrific and criminally under seen Mr. Nobody. She is also known for her role in St. Trinian and its sequel and indie movie Dirty Girl.

Movie Questionnaire

Cinemaniac Reviews is hosting a blogathon questionnaire. Here are the questions and my answers:

1. What’s your favorite movie?
Black Swan

2. Least favorite movie?
Kick Ass.

3. Name one movie you loved upon initial viewing but eventually grew to hate (or vice-versa).
I initially hated No Country for old Men. It was slow, it lacked any sympathetic characters and I didn't know what the hell was up with that movie. But upon second viewing I actually liked it.

Why I love Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt. Though I never list this guy among my favorites, he really is and I should start doing that. I claimed for years now that this is a man whose 90% of films are fantastic. He is almost never wrong when choosing films and even if he is (The Mexican, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Troy) he always gives 100% of his talent.

He is one of those actors who do both well in drama and comedy. He was mesmerizing in last year's Moneyball, fascinating in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and heartbreaking in Babel. But it's his comedy efforts that are the closest to my heart - from Mickey through compulsively eating Rusty to Chad, Pitt never ever failed to make me laugh.

Scene of the Week - The Dark Knight

Hit me! 

directed by Christopher Nolan

Amy Adams Appreciation

Amy Lou Adams

(August 20, 1974 in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy)

Saturday TV Special - Breaking Bad

Plot: The series follows Walter White, quiet family man and underachieving chemistry teacher. Walt is brilliant and knows chemistry but he never made a fortune out of it and he is struggling with money problems along with his pregnant wife Skyler and their disabled son Walt Jr. And worst of all - one day Walt gets news that he has stage four terminal lung cancer and at best he has few months to live. Desperate and determined to provide enough money for his family so they could live comfortably after he is gone, Walter decides to use his skills to cook methamphetamine with his former student Jesse Pinkman. Because of Walt's brilliance their meth is the purest product on the market, which soon brings with it not only a lot of money but also a lot of trouble.
Structure: Each episode picks up where the last one ended and we get a little glimpses of the future and the past in the form of clever, teasing scenes that will form the full picture by the time each season is over.
Verdict: The show is absolutely superb, that is disregarding the decline in quality visible in season 5. Not only is it flawlessly acted out - especially by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul - but it manages to be both entertaining and bleak at the same time. The situations the characters are facing are often impossible but there are still many great moments of humour in the show. It's like Pulp Fiction and Se7en mixed together and a fascinating look at a man who had good intentions but those intentions only brought pain, suffering and crossing over to the dark side with them. The progression of Walter's character and his slow descent into darkness is just riveting to watch as with each episode, each season we see him being more and more manipulative and dangerous.

Changeling

Woman's whisper, mother's cry

Soundtrack Wednesday - Michael Clayton

Track: I'm Not the Guy You Kill

Artist: James Newton Howard

Movie: Michael Clayton

Carrie

Fire walk with me

Visual Parallels: Drive + Taxi Driver

Back when Drive was first released in theathres and I was reading the reviews for it I noticed that not many people wrote about the obvious similarities it has to Taxi Driver - enigmatic character who drives his car, frequently during night, has deep issues and is prone to violence, lusts after beautiful blonde and meets a hooker who is in trouble. Both films are not only similar in terms of the story and the protagonist, but they also have many very similar shots and both end in the eruption of violence followed by quiet and memorable ending.

Triangle

Over and over again

(this review contains spoilers)

Soundtrack Wednesday - Black Swan (2)

Track: Opposites Attract

Artist: Clint Mansell

Movie: Black Swan

Charlize Theron Appreciation

Charlize Theron

7 August 1975 (Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa)

"I think that’s a good way to view the quality of life, to realise how valuable and how short it is for all of us. And it doesn’t matter what your occupation is, it’s your choice to live your life well, and make time for the things that are important to you.”

Vera Farmiga Appreciation

Vera Ann Farmiga 

 (6 August 1973, Passaic County, New Jersey, USA)

Screaming Sunday - The Astronaut's Wife

Sati's movie rating - 71/100

Plot:  Jillian and Spencer Armacost are perfect marriage - two loving people, always supporting each other, best friends really. Jillian is sweet kindergarten teacher and Spencer is an astronaut. Everything is fine, until during his last mission, Spencer and another astronaut lose contact with the base. When they come back Jillian starts to suspect something took over her beloved husband. When she gets pregnant her paranoia and fear start to grow rapidly, as she tries to find out if Spencer is still the man she loves or something else entirely.

Movie of the Month - August - Earrings

Alex Withrow who runs one of my favorite - if not my favorite blog - And so it Begins - recently released his debut short film entitled Earrings. Because it's really good and I want as many people as possible to see it it's the movie of the month for August on my blog. Here is my review for the film:

75/100 (2012, 31 min)
Plot: A young woman dives into increasingly destructive behavior after witnessing a traumatic event.
Director: Alex Withrow
Writer: Alex Withrow
Stars: Catherine Warner, Martin McSweeney and Andrew Kirkley

Earrings is directorial debut from Alex Withrow, very good writer and passionate movie fan. You can see many influences here, in his haunting short film, but one that particularly stands out is the influence by Steve McQueen's Shame - we observe a character having a breakdown, the reasons for which are for most part unknown to us. We see their daily routine, we see the camera follow them and ultimately we see them being consumed by despair.And we want to know - why? What could have possibly happened to make them live - or either stay alive without the desire to live - like this?

Blog Award!

Sofia from FilmFlare, Vern from Vern's videovangaurd and Mettel Ray

have awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award.

If you got one here is what you need  to do:

1. Tell us 11 things about yourself

2. Answer 11 questions the blogger who awarded you asked

3. Pass the award to 11 people

4. Give them 11 questions.
5. Tell them about the award
                                6. Don't award people who are recipients already