Crune Struck: Review for "Music and Lyrics"

PoP! band mate Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is little hard on his luck. While his ex-partner from the band, who co-wrote the songs, is a huge star, Alex is stuck performing for parties and reunions, etc. When a very Britney Agulaira-esque pop star, Cora, asks him to write a song for her, he knows he can come up with the melody, but all he needs is the lyrics. His flower girl, Sophie (charming Drew Barrymore) is really a nobody, but is an excellent lyricist. Together the create a ditty that's sweet and cute. Sure, it's not exactly Best Picture material, but it's very charming and Grant and Barrymore light the screen with their charisma. The songs are a little cliche, but are altogether fun. Cora, however, is a Buddhist with an overactive sexual imagination for her songs ("Buddha's Delight"? It's far dirtier than it already sounds.) A little risque if you ask me, but no matter. It's cute and frilly, the perfect date movie. Hugh Grant is great as an English pop star, and Drew Barrymore is cute. Her smile just lights up the screen. Though not Best Picture material, it is good for what it is. It has very good songs such has "Love Autopsy" and "A WAt Back Into Love".

Grade: B+

And the Winners Are...: The Golden Globe Winners

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Best Supporting TV Actor
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Best Actress in a TV Drama Series
Glenn Close, Damages

Best Supporting TV Actress
Samantha Morton, Longford

Best Actor in a TV Drama Series
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
Marion Cotilliard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Actress in a Mini Series or TV Movie
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Best Actor in a TV Comedy
David Duchovny, Californication

Best Comedy Series
Extras

Best Actress in a TV Comedy Series
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Best Director
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best TV Drama Series
Mad Men

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Julie Christie, Away From Her

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Motion Picture Drama
Atonement

There are the winners for the 65th Golden Globe Awards.

Surreal Killer: Review for "Mr. Brooks"

This film, Mr. Brooks, is quite similar to American Psycho. Mr. Brooks (a very evil Kevin Costner) is an all American man, with a wife a nice daughter. But he hides something. He is a notorious serial killer, named the Thumb Print Killer, famous for p;utting the thumbprint of his victimes somewhere obvious. His alter ego, Marshall (William Hurt), controlls his urge to kill. He has an unstoppable obsession and arousel from killing. He has not been active until recently, when he kills a young couple. But a man (a misscast Dane Cook) witnesses the murders and blackmails him. He doesn't ask for money...he asks to watch Mr. Brooks kill again. Now, the alter ego thing in this film does not work. He talks with Hurt as if no one were there. He talks out loud to him. Unconvincing, but if he either only imagined him in certain areas or if when he spoke with Marshall and someone looks at him and he says something like "It's nothing.". Dane Cook is really odd and his personality would, at first glace, work perfectly with the character, but just bombs. The cop tracking Mr. Brooks is played by Demi Moore. She is insignificant to the story, other than she's been on the case before. The rest of what she does in the film is have arguments with her ex-husband, who she is divorcing, and get kidnapped by a completely different killer. I wonder why she's in the film at all, or why she's been given such a big credit. Mr. Brooks' daughter (Disney princess Danielle Panabaker) is following in the footsteps of her father. She likes killing. A lot. This is an unconvincing "reality-is-not-really-reality" or "the-killer-next-door" film.

Grade: C

Sautee Mix: Review for "Ratatouille"

Pixar has been taking home rave reviews and awards since their first success, 1994's Toy Story. The animation since then has gotten more precise and intricate. The latest in the Pixar lineup is the story of a rat who can cook. Now, if this were not a talking, friendly rat, I imagine a movie about cooking would be a bit harder to sell than super heroes (The Incredibles), race cars (Cars), or fish (Finding Nemo). But what you will find may surprise you. Remy (voiced wonderfully by The King of Queen's Patton Oswald) is a misfit rat who enjoys the rich and tasty world of fine dining. His problem is that he can't really communicate well with humans. His idol is an Emeril-esque cook, Geustau (Brad Garret, Everybody Loves Raymond), who, now dead, accompanies Remy through his imagination. Linguini is Geustau's unknown son and he needs a job. So, while working at his father's restaurant, he becomes a mistaken celebrity chef, only helped by Remy. He gets "lessons" from Collette (Janine Garfalo). Like all Pixar films, this is mostly kid orientated. Brad Bird, who directed The Incredibles, writes and directs a great animated film. The animation is spectacular, every minute detail is stunning. Though not perfect, this film is a tasty dish.
Grade: B+

Statuette Risks: News on the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes have been cancelled, though there is a conference on tonight to announce the winners, but the worry is: if you took down one award, what about the most important one. The Oscars are in danger of being cancelled. ABC may lose billions of dollars in ad revenue. All fingers are crossed that the Writers Strike will not knock over Oscar. The Academy Awards have never been cancelled, not even during the 1980's strike. The Oscars are scheduled for February 24 on ABC. The nominations, whether or not a ceremony will air, will be announced January 22. The Globe winners will be announced tonight 9/8 c on NBC.

Born to Be Bad: Review for "Ed Wood"

Ed Wood is the biography of writer/director/producer/actor Edward D. Wood, Jr., who is claimed as the worst director of all time, while his films Glen or Glenda, about a man who likes dressing in women's clothes, and Plan 9 from Outer Space, which is about aliens raising corpeses from the dead to attack earth. Plan 9 is said to be the WORST. From it's less-than-convincing special effects to it's outrageous plotline. In reality, Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) was a good hearted young man, who liked to dress in women's clothes (which was his insparation to direct Glen or Glenda), who was a visionary artist with all the wrong ideas and crew. He eventually befriended his idol, Bela Lugosi (excellently portrayed by Martin Landau), who's career since Dracula and others had gone done the drain. He had been addicted to drugs for the last 20 years, but that didn't stop the child like wonder in Wood's eye.The film chronicles the making of some of his films. It is well done, though I think that Tim Burton tried to hard to give the Wood like feel to the film, corny music, bad camera angles, and weird lighting. While Ed Wood remains the worst director, Tim Burton is still great! It's just a matter of overdose.
Grade: B

For more on Ed Wood, click here

Golden Globes CANCELED!

The Golden Globes were scheduled for Sunday, January 13, 2008. Unfortunately, the ceremony has been canceled because the actors are refusing to cross the picket line. Instead, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be holding a meeting to announce the winners. Hopefully, this strike will not interfere with the Oscars.