Movie of the Week: Red Riding Hood (2011)

Red Riding Hood 2011

PG-13

Were you like me and wondered how they were going to make a film out of a short fairytale. Some of the key pieces of this film that made it attractive are:

1. Catherine Hardwicke is the director.

I've been in love with her work since Thirteen with Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed. I think Hardwicke learned a lot from directing the first Twilight film, but still is able to hold on to the intimacy of indie films. She is able to share teen angst and translate is well on screen.

2. Cast of actors.

The film has a wonderful cast of seasoned actors and a few new comers to keep your eye out for in the future. Gary Oldman was a key factor in getting the Bf to watch this movie. The story centers around young Valerie played by Amanda Seyfried. Billy Burke, Viginia Madsen, Lukas Haas, Max Irons, and Shiloh Fernandez will be familiar faces or soon well be for you. The cast breaths life in this retelling of an old story. 

3. The story.

Do people still read fairy tales and fables to their children? The enjoyment in watching this film stems from the familiarity of the story. It's a wonderful adult interpretation of the story well read or we were read to while growing up. The film is filled with different human dynamics, between young loves, deceitful adults, two-sided friendships, and fearful mob mentality.  

Like all good fairy tales, it isn't for the faint of heart. The film is rated PG-13 and appropriately so. The Bf wasn't surprised that at the end of watching the film, I said that I loved it and can't wait to own it for myself to add to our collection. 

Movie of the Week: UnderWorld Trilogy + One

So, browsing through recent film trailers on Hulu. I came across the new trailer for UnderWorld: Awakening. With all the brew ha ha, about the teen vampire stories it's a nice change to go back to something more basic. A world that we don't forget that besides once being human first and foremost they are "other". The new chapter to the UnderWorld story is set 12 years after Selene and Michael kill the original Lycan and Vampire. It's good to see Kate Beckinsale reprise her role as Selene as she navigates this new world where humans are aware of the "monsters" that walks among them. 

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it might just be high time you caught up. I would start watching the films in the order in which they were originally released. Starting with UnderWorld, UnderWorld: Evolution, UnderWorld: Rise of the Lycans. Even though the third film is a prequel, I enjoyed the story in the order it is told. I'm a huge monster film fan, and this story doesn't disappoint in it's originality and in depth character development. 

UnderWorld: Awakening

UnderWorld

Movie of the Week: Dude Where's My Car

This 2000, PG-13 film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as slackers that wake up one morning with no memory of the events of the night before which includes what happen to their car. Hilarity ensues as they try to piece together the night.

It's a buddy/comedy film that banks on juvenile humor. I watch this film when I need a pick me up or if I catch it on t.v. It's laugh out loud funny, and if my brother is with me we end up quoting the movie for a week.

So it's a good, silly, funny film to catch through your rental provider. Check it out!

'86 Labyrinth

 I caught the last bit of the 1986 film Labyrinth on t.v. Monday night. Thinking back now my childhood  imagination was filled with unicorns, princesses, goblins, floating hearts and rainbows. Films like Labyrinth just fueled the fire.

The film stars a young Jennifer Connolly, and a very "Ziggy Stardust" David Bowie. I think when you star opposite the puppet creations of Jim Henson you tend to get outshine by them through the eyes of a child. The story is about a young girl that goes on a quest to recuse her little brother from the Goblin King. She collects friends that help her navigate the labyrinth and to ultimately reach her goal of getting to the castle at the heart of it. 

If it sounds a little like your favorites such as The Wizard of Oz, or Alice in Wonderland- you're not too far off. What sets this film apart is the vast collection of puppet characters, the some times dark feel of the film and songs sung by Bowie.

Let me tell you, I wasn't the only one that was excited when this film came out. My dad is a Bowie fan and of anything mystical/whimsical. Ha ha, I guess that's where I got it from. I think my next film to be reviewed will be The Man Who Fell to Earth. So enjoy the film for the first time or like me somewhere in the triple digits.

Ringer

I am a self proclaim t.v. addict. I love everything about it. Little stories shown in a fast paced, perfectly packaged and hand delivered entertainment in my very home. There is a story told that a friend of my mom's picked me up after school and I told her of a film I saw the night before. That may not seem unusual, but have you ever heard a little girl tell you about the movie and all the commercials in between? I feel the same way about commercials being 30 seconds shorts to make you feel emotionally invested in a product. Come on, how many times have you surprised yourself in tearing up watching a phone commercial? Do you know how bad I have it? Remember the movie Cable Guy with Jim Carrey? I can totally relate to him :)

With all that being said, I'm looking forward to this new show coming out in the fall on the CW called Ringer. It stars Sarah- Michelle Gellar playing a twin that takes over her sister's life. Twisted, right? Below is the trailer.

Not only was the trailer intriguing I was sold on it because they used the Nine Inch Nails song "Right Where It Belongs". 

Right Where It Belongs Lyrics

See the animal in his cage that you built
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye,
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?

See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart,
And it's all... Right Where it belongs

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?

And if you look at your reflection,
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself...find yourself afraid to see?

What if all the world's inside of your head?
Just creations of your own
Your devils and your gods all the living and the dead
And you really oughta know

You can live in this illusion
You can choose to believe

You keep looking but you can't find the woods,
Are you hiding in the trees?

What if everything around you,
Isn't quite as it seems?

What if all the world you used to know,
Is an elaborate dream?

And if you look at your reflection,
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself...find yourself afraid to see?

I haven't really been excited about a show lately and I think it's showing with me watching past shows on Netflix. As many seasoned actors on Ringer, I have high hopes that this will be one I will look forward to week after week.

Legend

I don't know why I waited so long to share this one with you. This is one of my favorite films growing up. It's a dark fairytale of good verses evil- full of elves, fairies, unicorns, goblins, demons, a princess and a forest dweller. It stars Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry. Released in 1985 by director Ridley Scott. The premise of the story is that the good woodland creatures must save the unicorns because they are the guardians of light and an evil demon wants eternal darkness to reign. Visually beautiful in creating a world we only read about in books.

Will be released in Blu-ray May 31, 2011

Movie Review: THOR

For Mother's Day, my mom wanted to catch the film THOR. She has always like mythical and comic book heroes. So this film for her was a twofer.

I like the idea that they are building the universe of Marvel one film at a time. With this installment we get to learn the origin of Thor and go through the journey with him to become more than what he started out being. There is humor, action, and a ton of relationship dynamics to analyze. The acting was good with each character clearly defined. The special effects were stunning and had the larger then life quality that you expect from a film such as this. FYI, stay well past the credits for an extra scene.

If you like action super hero films, you'll like this one. I think that this film had a lot of information to pack into 2 hours and Kenneth Branagh did a great job delivering in the most entertaining way.

Movie of the Week: 2006 Marie Antoinette

2006 Marie Antoinette directed by Sofia Coppola is visually a beautiful work of art. A blending of sound and color to give you the sense of decadence and the loneliness of one young woman's short life. It's a loose base interpretation to the years leading up to the French Revolution. 

Kristen Dunst plays the lead and does a wonderful job breathing life to a person that we've only read about. I think the most beautiful point of the film happens when both Dunst and Schwartzman's characters realize that they are way in over their heads and find solidarity in each other.

The film won an Academy Award for best costume design. With most of the film shot at the Palace of Versailles how can this film be anything but beautiful. What sets this film apart for me from other period pieces is the soundtrack. Coppola used New Wave and Post- Punk bands to give this film amodern feel that gives the audience more of a connection to the characters.

Funny that this is the second film in a row that I'm recommending that features the life of a queen. This of course is not historically accurate, it is not a documentary. This is an entertaining interpretation to events in a young woman's life. I've enjoyed this film from the moment I first saw the trailer. I hope that you will find enjoyment in it too.

*Don't forget to enter in my GiveAway happening now!

90's Fashion: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

For the past few weeks to get my vampire fix, I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix. The show debuted in 1997 and ran till 2003. That was one show that my mom and I could agree on watching together. It was fun with the quick, humorous, and heart-felt dialogue. It dealt with teen angst to the extreme. I think that a lot of young people related to the dynamics of friendships and of falling in love for the first time. 

I've noticed that watching it today is it is still addicting. I'm glued to my seat and still laugh at the little self depreciating jokes. I'm on the 4th or 5th season now and have been paying attention to what they were wearing. I remember that it use to be a fountain of inspiration for me. Buffy wore her 60's inspired coats, knee high boots with minis, and floral ankle length dresses. Willow wore the 70's skater/beach look. Boy size sweaters, tights, and tennis shoes. Kind of reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins video of 1979. Alternative clothing for the time, rated PG. Then you have the popular girl, Cordelia in brights and tight fitted clothing. It's also an echo of the movie Clueless. I think that the designers also saw it has another avenue to show case their clothes. Buffy is wearing a gorgeous Vera Wang wedding dress in the prom episode.

What really caught my eye, which was a trend that I loved was the stretchy pencil skirts that had a lace trim at the bottom. I had a burgundy one with black lace on the hem. Oh, how I loved it with my black knee high boots and sweater. I also had a cream floral one with matching lace, that I wore with cork wedges and a dreamy pale yellow tank. I wish I had photos to show you. It has really inspired me to dress up my current satin pencil skirts with lace. Wouldn't this skirt look cute with lace peeking out the bottom?

I just love going back to old shows or watching old films to see what was fashionably popular at the time. With Buffy I'm getting my monster fill and finding inspirational looks, killing two birds and all that.

Movie of the Week: 1998 Elizabeth

1998 Elizabeth that stars Cate Blanchett is such a remarkable story told in a very beautiful way. This is not a documentary, but an entertaining introduction to Queen Elizabeth I reign of England. What I like most is that it's about a woman that is pretty much thrown to the wolves and comes out a lion. They selected the best actor in Cate Blanchett to portray the innocence and the naivete in the beginning of the film to transform into a strong confident woman at the end.The role won her the Best Actress Golden Globe award.

Not only is the acting remarkable with Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes and the rest of the supporting cast. There is beauty to be found in the scenery and colors. How do they find locations that are still a pristine countryside is a wonder to me. Make-up and hair was stunning and really brought together the sense of period. The costumes are gorgeous pieces of art that look like they were painstakingly made and loved.

In 2007 there was a sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age that was just as wonderfully spectacular as the first film. If you have the time to sit down and watch, this film is one of my favorites that is set in this time period. 

Movie Review: Paul

It's spring break for all the high schoolers! My brother has the week off and he wanted to see Paul. I just returned home from the theater and had to share my impression of the film. It was full of adult humor and pop culture references. I found myself giggling through out the film, and I wasn't the only one in the theater. If you have a love of pop culture alien films then I highly recommend you watch this film.

Movie of the Week: Which Isn't a Movie

One of my favorite shows that only lasted two seasons is Pushing Daisies. It is a comedy- drama that first aired on ABC in 2007. It stars Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristen Chenowith, Ellen Green, Swoosie Kurtz. It is a story about a man that is a pie maker with the ability to bring back the dead for only a minute, without any consequences. He uses his ability to bring back his childhood sweetheart and together with a P.I., they solve murder mysteries. The plot is complicated by a love triangle, and long held secrets. It's witty, creative, fun and colorful.

Visually it's like a technicolored fairytale. The costume design was amazing with 50's and 60's inspired fashion. 

Movie of the Week: Young Frankenstein

When it comes to comedy I just love the 1974 film Young Frankenstein. With the sight gags, and the play on words I find that it's a laugh out loud, quotable film. It's a Mel Brooks spoof on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The film follows the grandson of Frankenstein and his journey in fulfilling the legacy of reanimating the dead. It has a fantastic cast composed of Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman. As funny as it is, it still has heart in capturing the misunderstood monster's predicament and how easily it is for people to fall into a mob mentality fueled by fear. Hands down this is one of my all time favorite comedies. Not only do I own it on blu-ray, I always watch it on t.v. when it airs. If you want to watch something classically funny, this film I highly recommend.

Here is a clip of the famous scene of Frankenstein and his monster performance to introduce him to the scientific community. 

Movie of the Week: The Fifth Element

This week I am featuring the 1997 film,"The Fifth Element". It's a science fiction film set in the future. An impending doom is befalling on all life on earth and there is only one hope for the survival, which is the titled fifth element. It's filled with humor, action, and a thoughtful look at humanity from an outside perspective (that kind of gets lost, but it's there). The film stars Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and directed by  Luc Besson. 

Not only is the film fun, thought provoking, and action packed- take a look at the cinematography. It's a beautiful concept of what our future can look like. Film design was created by French comics Jean Giraud and Jean-Claude Mézières. We as humans take things that are familiar that we have an emotional attachment to and turn it around, inside out to make it more "modern".

Costume design was another aspect of the film that I adore. You can just tell the signature look of Jean-Paul Gaultier. 954 costumes were designed for this film, I don't think another designer has performed a  comparable feat. It fits wonderfully with the futuristic French aesthetic. The film also host a barrage of late 90's super models. It was during a time when our idea of beauty was changing once again and freckles, tattoos and shaved heads were accepted in a celebration of individualism.

I love this movie and I always get, "You're watching this again?" every time I have it playing. I think this is a film worth watching and appreciating.

Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life ft. Pink Floyd

I'm sure everyone has heard that you can play Dark side of the Moon along with The Wizard of Oz. If you are a fan of Floyd you've seen it or tried it yourself at one time or another. To this day I don't think I've watched Oz without Floyd playing. Well, through my BF understanding and logic he said if they did it once why wouldn't they have done it to every album? He did a bit of research and came up with a list of films and albums to try out together. Some are more believable than others.

My favorite so far is It's a Wonderful Life with Wish You Were Here. It's a Wonderful Life is a classic that get's T.V. time during the holidays. It's a beautiful film that shows everyone leaves impressions on other people's lives. No matter how small the act of grace the repercussions go on infinitely. When you have grown up with the film it just slowly turns into background noise as you're celebrating the holiday at home. You know what the plot is and pretty much recite the lines word for word. Watching the film with Wish You Were Here playing made me fall in love all over again with the film. It immerses you into the feelings of the main character and you take the journey with George Bailey. You experience the highs and lows and the eventual jubilation. I am a crier when it comes to films but I haven't done that with this film in ages. With the accompaniment of Floyd, the waterworks were flowing ( I wasn't the only one). So if you are a fan of the film or album I suggest trying it out for yourself.

It's a Wonderful Life

Wish You Were Here

Movie of the Week: Shopgirl

I just watched this trailer and kind of got misty eyed. That's just me though, I'm a crier. It doesn't hurt that it has a Death Cab song playing in the background. Have you ever found your self in a relationship that was almost or could have been the one? This is a fantastic story of one young woman and the choices she makes in relationships. It shows that life experience really does mold who we are.  Claire Danes plays the main character trying to find a connection with someone in a town that's (portrayed as) superficial. Not only does she find one person, but two that she feels that there could be something between them. I love that Steve Martin and Jason Schwartzman play her opposite and how different these characters are compared to each other. It's based off of a novella written by Steve Martin (to my chagrin I have yet to read). 

Aesthetically the film is beautiful. It captures L.A. with the art nouveau history, and each characters personality reflected in their homes. I wish my place has a little more mid-century design influence like Claire Danes character.

The film is rated R for adult content. It's more of a girl flick, but like me I'm sure you can relate. It is one of the most favorite and beloved films in my collection.

Movie To Look Forward To: "Sucker Punch"

It seems like I have been waiting forever for this film to be released. Things I love- film is set in the 50's, main character is a woman, imaginative scenery, tons of action with the director of 300 and Watchmen. Emily Browning headlines the cast, and I've been looking forward to see her perform. I predict that she will be some one to keep an eye out for.

Movie of the Week: Meet the Robinsons

I had promised a film that you can share with the kiddies. I was looking through my library of movies and realized that they are too scary or I cry in every film. Disney certainly has a knack with making me cry. I noticed that it's a formula of theirs. Main character has to over come a loss, and blossom into a better person because of it. One film that I do like more than others is Meet the Robinsons. I think it's a great story line of staying true to yourself, family is what you make of it and that you are in control of your own destiny. The CG visuals are vibrant and engaging. The story beautifully written with humor and warmth. O.k., I also like the fact that it has futuristic scenes and that family value is projected in the wholesome 50's kind of way. If you haven't seen it before, it's a good story and one of the better Disney CG that does connect with all generations.

Movie of the Week: I Sell the Dead

For awhile there were zombie movies coming out every month. Why do we find that so fascinating? It's a twisted view of eternal life. Maybe they are training films on how to survive a zombie outbreak. My younger brother said that we should meet up at our local warehouse store that sells things in bulk. We would have everything we need till rescue comes. I guess it's always a good idea to have a plan ;)

This film is a zombie/dark comedy/ twisted ending type of flick. The story is centered around a young man that is captured and sentenced to death for grave robbing. He tells his story that involves vampires, zombies, and the local criminals. I thought that is was a refreshing take on the normal mass zombie attack and the humans that just run to survive. The cast is fantastic with Dominic Monaghan, and Ron Perlman. I think the story and the performance is solid. There really isn't that many zombie films that I enjoyed and would like to see again. The rating on the film is rated R, and I would have to agree with the MPAA on that one. There is blood and gore which is to be expected in a film such as this. If you have any questions about my recommendation, go ahead and leave a comment. I promise that the next movie and book recommendations will be kid friendly and you'll be able to share time with the whole family. - Albee

Movie of the Week: 1997 Gattaca

Gattaca is one of my favorite sci-fi films. I tend to enjoy films with the same story line of socially engineered humans for the strive of perfection. I always root for the underdog that tries ways to cheat the system and be true to themselves. It's a great story of perseverance and the lengths you may have to go through to follow your dreams. The film is set in the future and like most sci-fi films they incorporate mid-century modern design. There is beauty to be hold in the sets and costumes. If you haven't seen it already the cast if star filled with Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, and Jude Law. They each give good performances and one character does not blend into another. So I hope you enjoy the picture. I truly recommend it. It being one of the films that I repurchased to own on blu-ray.

I would like to read your comments, feed back is always good. xoxo-AlbeeLucky