Thursday, October 23, 2008

Butterfly on A Wheel

"a good movie coming your way" - E!Online

Review
Neil and Abby Warner have the perfect life and a perfect marriage. With their beautiful young daughter, Sophie, they are living the American dream... until today. When Sophie is suddenly kidnapped, they have no choice but to comply with the abductors demands.

The kidnapped - Ryan (Pierce Brosnan), a cold and calculating sociopath takes over their lives with the brutal efficiency of someone who has nothing to lose. In the blink of an eye Neil and Abby's safe and secure existence is turned upside down.

Butterfly on A Wheel Trailer




My rate &
Comment
* * * *
How come Pierce Brosnan can be a bad guy.. ?
watch it and you will know. So entertaining.
Directed by
Mike Barker
Produced by
William Morrissey, David Valleau,
Beau St. Clair
Written by
William Morrissey
Starring
Pierce Brosnan, Maria Bello, Gerard Butler,
Callum Keith Rennie
Distributed by
Icon Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Release date(s)
August, 2007
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Running time
98 Min.
Country
United Kingdom, Canada
Language
English
Budget$20 million
Gross revenue

Plot
Chicago residents Neil Randall (Gerard Butler) and his wife, Abby Randall (Maria Bello) have the perfect life and a perfect marriage. With their beautiful young daughter, Sophie, they are living the American dream... until today.

When Sophie is suddenly kidnapped, they have no choice but to comply with the abductor's demands. The kidnapper, Tom Ryan (Pierce Brosnan), a cold and calculating sociopath, takes over their lives with the brutal efficiency of someone who has nothing to lose. In the blink of an eye Neil and Abby's safe and secure existence is turned upside down.


Over the next twenty-four hours they are at the mercy of a man who wants only one thing: that they do his bidding. It soon becomes clear that Ryan's demands are all the more terrifying because he doesn't want their money.

What he wants is for Neil and Abby's life, the life that they have built over 10 years, to be systematically dismantled and destroyed, piece by piece.

With time running out on their little girl, Neil and Abby realize their nightmare is just about to begin. They will have to submit to Ryan's challenges over the next 24 hour period.

How far will they go to save the life of their child? - would they kill an innocent man to save their own child? In the far distance a solitary light burns in the window of a lodge as the car glides to a halt - and Neil knows it is a question only he can answer - when Ryan hands him the gun…

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What Happens in Vegas

"Intelligent... Entertaining" - Richard Schickel, TIME

Review
For charismatic party guy Jack Fuller (Ashton Kutcher) and buttoned-up commodities trader Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz), arowdy weekend coincidentally shared in Las Vegas should have, by all rights, ended up being little more than a randomblur. That is, if these two vacationing New Yorkers didn't have a signed marriage license staring them in the face to shockingly remind them.

What Happens in Vegas Trailer




My rate &
Comment
* * * *
I really enjoyed the laugh on this movie.
Light storyline and predictable, that
would makes you feel relax.
Directed by
Tom Vaughan
Produced by
Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris
Written by
Dana Fox
Starring
Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher
Distributed by
20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises
Release date(s)
May 9, 2008
Genre
Romantic comedy
Running time
99 min.
Country
USA
Language
English
Budget$35,000,000
Gross revenue$212,222,646 (worldwide)

Plot
In New York City, high-strung stockbroker Joy (Cameron Diaz) is dumped by her fiancee at his surprise birthday she threw for him in front of all their friends, and easy-going carpenter Jack (Ashton Kutcher) is fired from his job by his father. Both become emotionally distraught and travel to Las Vegas with their best friends. They meet by chance when they are given the same hotel room because of a computer error.

After clearing up the misunderstanding and receiving and upgraded rooms and coupons to various clubs, they party and drink together and Joy and Jack end up getting married. The next morning, they realize it was a mistake and decide to divorce.

Before they do so, Jack uses a quarter Joy gave him in a slot machine. He hits a $3,000,000 USD jackpot and Joy reminds Jack they are married and is entitled to some of the money. The couple returns to New York, where they attempt to divorce.

Their judge (Dennis Miller) declares that the couple cannot divorce until they attempt to co-exist for six months, while attending weekly sessions with a marriage counselor (Queen Latifah). If they work at the marriage but still want to divorce after six months, each will be permitted to keep half the winnings from Las Vegas. If either party does not cooperate, their fortune will be tied up in litigation by the judge.

The newlyweds devise more and more cunning schemes to undermine one another such as, Jack telling Joy that their counseling session is canceled to prove she's not committed, and Joy inviting hot girls to their apartment to try to get Jack to cheat on her. They do this to keep the other's share. At Joy's job retreat, Jack and Joy ironically find themselves developing an unexpected sexual attraction to one another and they soon realize that being with each other has brought out the best in both of them.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Mamma Mia! The Movie


One Bride. Three Possible Fathers. A Trip Down the Aisle You'll Never Forget.

The only missing from Sophie's wedding is the father of the bride... whichever one he is.

"...Here We Go Again" Everybody Is Coming To Sophie's Wedding

Review
In the upcoming musical romantic comedy Mamma Mia!, based on the phenomenally successful stage hit of the same name, a young bride-to-be tries to find her real father — out of three men her mother fooled around with — while much of the cast sings ABBA’s hit songs of the 1970s.

20 year old Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky (Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all - a carefree life, a loving fiance, and happy friends - but one thing has been missing all her life: a father. Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men to the wedding in a desperate bid. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Mamma Mia! Trailer




My rate &
Comment
* * * *
Actually I am not really fans of musical
movie. But this Mamma Mia! is fine.
Very entertaining with its cheerful musical.
Its like you were there and feel the joy
and happiness. I never seen Meryl Streep
acted like that. Made me to think ..
how she could do that lol She is a good one.
Directed by
Phyllida Lloyd
Produced by
Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman,
Executive producers, Benny Andersson,
Björn Ulvaeus, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks
Written by
Catherine Johnson
Starring
Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried,
Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth,
Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper,
Julie Walters, Christine Baranski
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Playtone
Release date(s)
July 2008
Genre
Musical romantic comedy
Running time
108 min
Country
US, UK, Germany
Language
English, Greek, French
Budget$52,000,000
Gross revenue$520,624,064


Plot
20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) lives with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) in her hotel ‘Villa Donna’, on the small Greek island of Kalokairi. She wants her father present at her upcoming wedding to Sky (Dominic Cooper), but does not know his identity (I Have a Dream). Sophie confides in her friends Ali (Ashley Lilley) and Lisa (Rachel McDowall) about her potential fathers.

Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried

After reading her mother's old diary, she has concluded he must be one of three men: Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Harry Bright (Colin Firth), or Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgård) (Honey, Honey). She secretly sends wedding invitations to all three – under Donna’s name and that she expects to recognize her real father instantly, but when she meets all the men at once, she realizes she cannot tell which he is. She hides them from her mother and makes them promise not to reveal she invited them to the wedding.

Meanwhile, Donna bemoans to her newly-arrived friends Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski) the troubles of running and repairing a hotel by herself (Money, Money, Money), although she insists she is happier alone. While making repairs, she accidentally discovers the three men and panics. While trying to get another look at them and fighting a losing battle of desire versus sanity (Mamma Mia!), she falls through the trapdoor in the roof, and the men convince her that their presence there is a coincidence, honoring their promise to Sophie. A horrified Donna asks the three men to leave the island.

Tanya and Rosie try to comfort Donna after seeing her upset (Chiquitita). Donna explains that the three potential fathers are on the island, dubbing it a ‘hideous trick of fate’. Tanya and Rosie, who used to be her backing dancers in ABBA-esque girl group “Donna and the Dynamos”, remind her of her free-spirited past, and they gradually cheer her up spectacularly (Dancing Queen).

Sophie visits the three men as they prepare to leave Kalokairi, persuades them to stay for the wedding, and listens to their memories of her mother (Our Last Summer). She returns to Sky and they talk about their love (Lay All Your Love On Me) on the beach, where he is ambushed by friends from his bachelor party.

That evening, “Donna and the Dynamos” recreate their act for Sophie’s bachelorette party (Super Trouper) to entertain the guests, and Bill, Sam and Harry end up at the party by mistake. The bachelorettes pounce on the unsuspecting men at the bar (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!).

Sophie talks to Bill alone, who realizes he could be her father, (The Name of the Game) and agrees to give her away at the wedding. Meanwhile, the others also conclude that they could be her father. Sky's bachelor party invades the hen party (Voulez-Vous), and in the commotion, each ‘father’ separately tells her that he will give her away at the wedding. In the midst of the party, Sophie faints over her dilemma.

The following day, while Donna’s friends are trying to keep the men away from the wedding, Sophie and Donna argue, as Sophie believes her mother wants her to call off the wedding, while she still resents growing up unaware of her father’s identity.

Harry feels badly for missing Sophie's upbringing, and insists that Donna accept a large monetary gift to cover the “cost of the wedding”. Sam and Donna try to talk but are increasingly frustrated with each other, and they separately lament their lost love (SOS). Tanya rejects the playful advances of younger barman Pepper (Philip Michael) and some of Sky's other friends (Does Your Mother Know).

Sophie confesses to Sky what she has done, and he becomes unsure about their coming wedding, feeling sidelined by her ‘fathers’. A distressed Sophie asks her mother if she will help her dress for the wedding (instead of her bridesmaids) and Donna agrees, thrilled. Donna reminisces about precious times with her now grown-up daughter (Slipping Through My Fingers). Sophie asks her mother to give her away at the wedding.

En route, Donna rebuffs Sam, as she is still deeply hurt that he left her (The Winner Takes It All) because he was engaged to another woman. She then runs away to her daughter’s wedding on the hilltop.

During the ceremony, Donna reveals that Sophie’s father (although she doesn’t know who) is present, and then realizes Sophie had invited them all. The three men declare they are all thrilled to be Sophie’s potential father, and will gladly be ‘a third of a father each’. Sophie cancels the wedding, to Sky’s delight, so that they can go traveling together instead, as they still feel too young to settle down.

Making the most of the surroundings, Sam declares he is still in love with Donna, and proposes, explaining that after leaving her 20 years ago, he went to England to break off his engagement, but returned to Kalokairi to be told she was away dating another man (Bill). He went home and got married anyway, but he is now divorced. Donna eventually says yes after learning the truth (I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do).

While Sam and Donna celebrate with their newfound family and friends (When All Is Said and Done), Rosie pursues her attraction to the (initially reluctant) Bill, (Take a Chance on Me), and it is revealed that Harry is gay. As the crowd dances in the courtyard, a tremor breaks open its central mosaic, and a tall spray rains over the party (Mamma Mia! reprise). Sophie and Sky sail away on their travels (I Have a Dream reprise), leaving Sam and Donna to live happily ever after on the island.

During the end credits, Donna and the Dynamos perform "Dancing Queen", and the main cast join with Waterloo. Amanda Seyfried sings Thank You for the Music over the final credits.

Kiss the Bride (2008)


Guess who's coming out for the wedding!

Review
In high school, Matt (Philipp Karner) and Ryan (James O'Shea) were best friends. More than friends, actually. But in the ensuing ten years, they've lost contacts. So when Matt receives an invitation to Ryan's wedding he's surprised - especially that Ryan's is marrying a woman! Matt interrupts his ideal alternative lifestyle to return to his hometown. He plans to rescue his former love from whatever 'she devil' has trapped him into this huge mistake.

Ryan (James O'Shea)

On the other hand, Ryan's perky fiance Alex takes quite the liking to Matt. Is she very cunning, disarmingly ditsy, completely adorable - or all three? As Matt tries to rekindle the old flame, Ryan is intent on putting out any sparks. Ryan dismisses their old romance as just a high school thing, but Matt realizes Ryan may still be the love of his life. All the while, Matt must deal with 'his new best friend' Alex, the two families, and a hometown he thought he'd left entirely in the past.


As the wedding day fast approaches (like a meteor hurting toward ground zero), old feelings resurface and secrets are revealed. Each of them must balance the past with the present, and make a choice that will determine the rest of their lives: the boundaries of love, sexuality and identity are never constant. Written by Ty Lieberman/C. Jay Cox


My rate &
Comment
* *
Sexy dudes :) but not my kind of movie.
Directed by
C. Jay Cox
Produced by
C. Jay Cox
Written by
Ty Lieberman
Starring
Tori Spelling, Philipp Karner,
James O'Shea
Distributed by
Regent Releasing
Release date(s)
April 18, 2008
Genre
Drama
Running time
115 min
Country
USA
Language
English
Budget$500,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue

Kiss the Bride Trailer


August Rush


An incredible journey moving at the speed of sound

Review
The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.

August Rush Trailer




My rate &
Comment
* * * *
This movie is sweet, sentimental
and also entertaining.
Directed by
Kirsten Sheridan
Produced by
Richard Barton Lewis
Written by

Nick Castle
James V. Hart
Paul Castro
Starring
Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell,
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robin Williams,
Terrence Howard, William Sadler,
Alex O'Loughlin
Distributed by
Warner Bross
Release date(s)
November 21, 2007
Genre
Drama
Running time
113 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget$25 million
Gross revenue$65,278,570 (worldwide)

Plot
A boy named Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) lives in an orphanage, all the while believing that his parents are alive. He believes the music that he hears all around him is his parents communicating with him. He meets a counselor, Richard Jeffries (Terrence Howard), of the New York Child Services Department. Evan tells him he does not want to be adopted, because he believes his parents are still alive and will come to collect him eventually.

Through a series of flashbacks, his parents are revealed to be named Lyla Novacek, (Keri Russell), a famous concert cellist, and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an Irish guitarist and lead singer of a rock band, who spent one romantic night together and never saw each other again. Lyla became pregnant, which her father did not approve of, instead wanting Lyla to have a successful career without the obstacle of a child. After an argument with her father, Lyla ran out of a restaurant and was hit by a car. While in hospital, she gave birth to a son. Afterwards, she was told by her father that her child had died, unaware that he had actually been delivered successfully and then been sent to an orphanage by her father.

Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore)

Evan has a strong faith that as long as he follows the music he hears and reacts to it, he will have a chance to be found by his parents. He makes his way to New York City, where he is taken in by a man known as "Wizard" (Robin Williams), who houses various orphans and runaways, employing them to play music on the streets and taking a large cut of their tips. Evan immediately proves to be a musical child prodigy. Wizard enlists him and gives him the name "August Rush", convincing him he will be sent back to the orphanage if his real name is ever discovered.

Lyla only discovers that her son is alive when her father, knowing that he is dying, confesses what actually happened. Lyla immediately sets out to New York to look for her 11-year-old son.

Louis has never forgotten Lyla and does not know about Evan. Both have since given up music careers.

After a raid by the police, Evan takes refuge in a church, where he again impresses with his natural musical talent and is enrolled at the Juilliard School as "August Rush." A work he composes is chosen to be performed by the New York Philharmonic in Central Park, but Wizard barges into a rehearsal, and Evan reluctantly follows him back to his life of performing music on the streets.

Meanwhile, Lyla has discovered Evan's identity and has decided to stay in New York while searching for her son. While there, she decides to resume her cello career. She is then chosen to play in the same concert, which features Evan's piece. Louis, being wrongly told that Lyla has since married, also returns to New York to resume playing with his former band. He has a chance meeting with Evan in Washington Square Park and they play music together, although neither knows who the other is.

Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell)

The night of the concert, Evan finally chooses to run from Wizard in favor of performing at his concert. In the meantime, Louis races to the park when he sees Evan's pseudonym along with Lyla's name on a sign billing the concert. Evan conducts his piece, and at its conclusion, he turns around to see Lyla and Louis standing hand in hand, and he finally makes the connection that they are his parents.
Source: Wiki

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sex and the City (The Movie)


"Sensational! Beautiful"
And better then ever - Neil Rosen, NY1 News/New York.

"Poignant, incisive and proudly outrageous, Sex and the City is the love letter fans have been waiting for" - Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner.

Review
For too long, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) had been looking for love in all the wrong places... but in all the right shoes. In this much-anticipated movie event, Carrie, Samantha (Kim Cattral), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) are back, four years after the hit TV series ended. As they continue to juggle career, relationships, motherhood and life in Manhattan, the girls realize that more than even, true friendship never goes out of style.

Sex and the City (The Movie) Trailer



My rate &
Comment
* * * * *
Awesome, so chic romantic and funny..
This is really what I have been waiting for
and I like their fashion style :p
and Mr. Big..? hmmm.. Charming as always!!
Directed by
Michael Patrick King
Produced by
Michael Patrick King, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Darren Star
Written by
Michael Patrick King
Starring
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall
Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth
Jennifer Hudson, Candice Bergen
Distributed by
New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.
HBO Films
Release date(s)
May 30, 2008
Genre
Comedy
Running time
Theatrical cut: 145 min.
Extended cut : 151 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget $65,000,000
Gross revenue$400,454,627

Plot
Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattral).

Set four years after the events of the series finale, the film begins with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) viewing apartments with the intention of moving in together. Carrie falls in love with a penthouse suite far from their price range, which Big immediately agrees to pay for. However, Carrie experiences doubts over the sensibility of this arrangement, explaining that they are not married, and as such she would have no legal rights to their home in the event of a separation. Quelling her fears, Big suggests that they get married.

Mr. Big (Chris Noth) - Sex and the City: The Movie finally reveals his full name to be John James Preston. He is the primary on-and-off love interest of the series' protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw, who usually simply refers to him as "Big".

Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is finding balancing her home, work, and social life ever more difficult, and confesses to the girls that she hasn’t had sex with Steve (David Eigenberg) in six months. She is devastated when Steve reveals he has slept with another woman, and immediately separates from him. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is living with Smith (Jason Lewis), who has a successful television career. They live in a seaside beach house in Los Angeles, where Samantha is finding it difficult to take time for herself. She is traveling frequently between L.A. and New York, and grappling with her persistent desire for sex with other men; her handsome and sexually active next-door-neighbor, Dante (Gilles Marini), in particular. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is happy in her marriage to Harry (Evan Handler), with their adopted daughter, Lily.

Carrie's wedding plans escalate into such a lavish event that Big begins to experience doubts. Carrie is given a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown after modeling it for a photo shoot in Vogue. Carrie reads to Big from a book of famous love letters she has borrowed from the New York Public Library. She teases Big for never having sent her a love letter. While returning Love Letters of Great Men, Vol. 1 to the library, Carrie sees a wedding being held there and chooses it for her own venue.


After an argument with Steve at the rehearsal dinner, Miranda, still upset about Steve's indiscretion, tells Big bluntly that he and Carrie are crazy to be getting married, as marriage ruins everything. On the day of the ceremony, he decides he cannot go through with it, leaving Carrie devastated and fleeing from the library, where their wedding was supposed to take place. Big, however, changes his mind and intercepts Carrie as he sees her limousine drive past. Carrie, humiliated and betrayed, proceeds to attack Big with her bouquet, screaming her dismay at him, while he earns furious looks from Miranda and Charlotte. The four women subsequently take the honeymoon that Carrie had booked to Mexico, where they de-stress and collect themselves.

On her return to New York, Carrie hires an assistant, Louise (Jennifer Hudson), to help her move back into her old apartment and manage her administration. Charlotte learns she is pregnant after a visit to her doctor. Miranda eventually confesses to Carrie about what happened during the night of the rehearsal dinner, and the two have a brief falling out. After reflecting on the argument she had with Carrie, Miranda agrees to attend couples counseling with Steve, and they are eventually able to reconcile. Samantha begins overeating to keep from cheating on Smith with Dante, but eventually realizes that their relationship is simply not working, and that she needs to put herself first. The two break up, and she moves back to New York. Charlotte for several months is concerned that something might happen to the baby, as her life seems to be too perfect.

A surprise encounter with Big at a restaurant leaves Charlotte so furious that she goes into labor. Big delivers her to the hospital, and waits until baby Rose is born, hoping to see Carrie. Harry passes on the message that Big would like her to call him, and that he has written to her frequently, but never received a reply. Carrie searches her correspondence, before realizing that Louise has kept his e-mails password-protected from her, after Carrie earlier announced she wished to sever all communication with him. She finds that he has sent her dozens of letters copied from the Love Letters of Great Men book she showed him in the weeks before their wedding, Love Letters of Great Men, Vol. 1, culminating with one of his own where he apologizes for screwing it up and promises to love her forever.

One hour before the locks are due to be changed on their shared penthouse apartment, Carrie travels to the home Big had bought for them to collect a pair of mint condition Manolo Blahnik shoes she had left there. She finds Big in the walk-in closet he had built for her, and the moment she sees him, her anger at his betrayal dissipates. She runs into his arms and they share a passionate kiss. After spending the final hour in their apartment together, talking and apologizing to one another, Big proposes to Carrie properly, using one of her diamond-encrusted shoes in place of a ring. They later marry alone, in a simple wedding in New York City Hall, with Carrie dressed in the original dress she had bought in a vintage shop. They hold a get-together at a local diner with their friends. The film ends with the four women around a table in a restaurant, sipping cosmopolitans, and celebrating Samantha's fiftieth birthday, with Carrie making a toast to the next fifty.
Source: Wiki