It has been known that Nayantara, Priyamani and Trisha were forced and pressured to from The Tamilandu Artistes Association to be their member. Now they have focused on Genelia. Genelia D’Souza is acting for 5 years, but never joined the Tamilnadu Artistes’ Association. She received an official letter from the TAA that she will be banned from it if she doesn’t become a member soon. Same letter went to Trisha, Nayantara and Priyamani recently and they quickly become a member. They have sent letters to many actors from the movie Chennai 600028 as well.
Rajnikanth starrer "Robo" shooting begins on August 15th in US
Tamil superstar Rajnikant is likely to leave for the US shortly to join the US-based production team of his Rs.1.5 billion (approximately $35.5 million) venture 'Robot', said publicists. 'Robot' will be a sci-fi movie and stars Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in the female lead. She has already reported for the photo-shoot schedule. It is being directed by Shankar whose last offering with Rajnikant 'Sivaji - The Boss' broke all box-office records, publicists added.The movie will be simultaneously produced in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and two other Indian languages besides being later dubbed into English, Japanese and Malay. After Rajnikant agrees to the final script, shooting will commence from August 15. The extravaganza is being jointly produced by London-based Ayngaran International and Eros Entertainment, said a statement. While Rajnikant's 'Kuselan' is schedule for July 31 release, he has almost completed his daughter Saundarya's Ocher Studios' Rs.2 billion (approximately $50 million) animated production which has live shots of the superstar.
"X-Files" - Film Review
An unjustified, unnecessary and frankly uninteresting coda to one of the great sci-fi franchises of modern times, the new 'X-Files' movie doesn't rekindle interest in a once loved property so much as punctuate the fact it ran out of steam long before it expired. Despite a disjointed and mythology-heavy storyline making it impenetrable for newcomers, the first "X-Files" film ten years ago was still a decent piece of work. Coming off five seasons of brilliantly produced and always entertaining television which cleverly mixed serial sci-fi pathos with stand alone monster stories, the film was cinematic, well-paced, and engaging in all the ways any fan could demand. Yet it also proved a watershed moment as subsequent seasons of the show grew increasingly derivative, convoluted and tedious until it limped off the air six years ago with an unsatisfying finale.
Displaying many of the same problems that plague the most reviled of the odd-numbered "Star Trek" films (Insurrection or Final Frontier - take your pick), this second film plays like one of the weaker standalone episodes of the last few seasons stretched out to feature length. Cheaply shot, discernibly under-written, decently acted, unimaginatively directed, and ultimately pointless - it simply adds nothing to the franchise or characters in any way. When the most memorable moment of the film is a cheap George W. Bush joke, many fans will be shaking their fists with rage that even with six years and a lot of freedom on the filmmakers part - so little visible effort has been put into it.
Deliberately avoiding falling back on the show's mythology where possible (their fugitive status at the end of the series is just briefly dealt with), the story focuses on the setup that a female FBI agent has been kidnapped by a possible serial killer in North Virginia who is leaving body parts strewn around the region. Not only are Mulder and Scully brought in to consult by the new FBI kids on the block, so is a convicted pedophile priest with psychic visions (comedian Billy Connolly in the film's only decent supporting role). In spite of a comically strange twist that would have Mary Shelley rolling in her grave, the main plot adheres to all the banal formulaic hallmarks of a bad Ashley Judd thriller.
This predictable tomfoolery is still better than the secondary storyline dealing with Scully's attempts to save a kid stricken with a terminal illness. As she attempts radical treatment, the priest in charge of the hospital wants to kick him out which of course leads to some unenlightening verbal sparring more suited for a Lifetime Channel movie. Its cloying, redundant, and often awkwardly jammed together with the rest of the film which charges forward with its heavy-handed message of persistence despite the odds. That trite jingoism causes the more interesting topics of the abused becoming the abusers and even the black market in medical trafficking to be barely touched upon.
The blunt metaphor of Mulder and Scully's stubborn quests to save the agent and the kid compensating for the sister and child they respectively lost seems oddly crude for the generally more creative writer/director Chris Carter. It's not helped by the trademark long-winded monologues he gets Mulder and Scully to spout which ponders the usual issue of faith and science co-existing and clashing, though ultimately does little to resolve or even explore the issue.
More damning is the astonishingly flat direction. Carter makes decent use of his wintry outdoor Vancouver locations, but drops the ball on the film's reveals and big moments with uneven editing. Scenes of affection between our characters, always a key moment in the show and first film, are treated with no weight - making it feel almost disrespectful. The kidnapping scene which opens the film would have been tense without all the jarring intercutting.
An action chase through Vancouver streets and abandoned buildings is confusingly shot, as is the almost torture porn style scenes of female victims harassed by men resembling both a Cylon and former New Line chief Bob Shaye. The score is also nicely off-kilter at times, but the film looks decidedly cheaper than its reported $35 million production budget and there's an oddly nasty homophobic streak to it as well that will upset the slash fic writers.
The reunion of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson is a selling point here and it is good to see them together again, but the chemistry has visibly cooled - the once brooding and then loving energy between the two has gone. Instead we see something more along the lines of a long divorced couple - a touch affectionate, a lot of resentment, and reluctantly adjusted to the fact that they'll never be entirely rid of each other. Duchovny himself often seems bored and never invested in his various scenes.
Anderson on the other hand, though there's a tinge in her voice betraying obvious reluctance to return to a role she has moved on from, is the shining light here and does strong work in spite of her often arduous subplot. Xzibit and Amanda Peet are useless as the FBI agents in charge of the case, both given no personality or character other than serving as expository mouthpieces. Mitch Pileggi as Skinner pops up out of nowhere for ten minutes of the final act, but only to serve as Scully's 'muscle'.
The series remains amongst the most defining and influential genre shows of the past two decades, in spite of ending on a whimper. 'I Want to Believe' doesn't change that assessment - only extending that whimper into a longer and painful howl. It's neither good enough to rekindle interest nor so horrible as to foul memory of the show's strengths which is a shame as even then it would at least encourage opinion and passion about the franchise again. I want to believe they were trying with this, but like the series itself - I felt cheated out of a real answer in the end by this stale, lethargic and massively disappointing footnote.
Selma Blair in Hell Boy - 2
Selma Blair walks in to our interview with a half smile, short-cropped Audrey Hepburn-style hairdo, as she busily promotes Hellboy II, in which she once again reprises her fiery role Liz Sherman in the comic book sequel.For Selma, it was important to develop her relationship with the Red heroic Hellboy in part 2 of director Guillermo del Toro's proposed trilogy. "I knew that when we left Hellboy I, Liz obviously had taken some control of her power. I mean after all, she saved the day at the end of Hellboy I, and did embrace Red at the end of that movie, so there was only one way to go, which was to move forward and leave her sad sack of a life behind her, and become a more functioning, stable woman," Blair explains in a Beverly Hills hotel conference room. "So it was interesting to go and move forward with Liz, and play her differently and I kept wanting to play her as the Liz I knew. It was difficult for me to play her as a more stable girl, because the Liz I thought I knew was really so much more hesitant and afraid. But it was great to play her as a more engaged woman in life."Throughout the film, Blair confronts an array of mythical creatures, but was gratified when she realized she would be working less with CGI than in most fantasy films of this type. "The thing about Guillermo that's so wonderful, is, these are real monsters that were created. I mean, they were puppets that were there, everything in the troll market was really there, so you don't have to deal with very much CGI. I mean, just the Golden Army was the main CGI thing, so that was the only thing that wasn't really there. And thank God, because once you create the Golden Army, you're doomed," she adds laughingly. As for a Hellboy III, "Guillermo will be very busy with The Hobbit, but Hellboy II does set up Hellboy III as a very, very sad piece of material."The 36-year old actress says that it's challenging to find the kind of work that interests you, especially having worked for the likes of Guillermo del Toro. "Guillermo spoils you so much, so everything is going to seem pretty mundane after you walk off a Guillermo Del Toro set. I mean how do you then go to, like, sitting in a living room, reciting regular lines, after you've been on the set of The Golden Army, or walking through Bethmora, or something." But her next project is different: the US TV series remake of the hit Australian satiric sitcom, Kath and Kim, which she says will have marked differences from its Aussie counterpart. "We're actually adapting it to a US version. I play Kim the daughter and Molly Shannon plays the mother and no, it doesn't have to make sense mathematically. In the original version, Gina and Jane are the same age. It's like a satire, they're comedians and it doesn't have to be accurate."As with the original Kim, "I play this very self-absorbed daughter who is obsessed with tabloids and celebrities, and it takes place in Florida. I'm married to a great actor, Mikey Day who works at the Best Buy. I think I'm a trophy wife. I still wear my clothes from when I was 13, I think I'm a really big deal which I'm not. everything is too tight on me, I think I'm gorgeous and I'm not, so it's similar to the Australian one, but definitely just middle class America."Though Blair just shot the pilot, she describes the tone of the new Kath and Kim as "like almost documentary style and kind of shot like The Office, or Arrested Development. But it's funny and strange and I think it'll take a couple episodes for people to catch on to the tone. I don't know if you're going to get it the first episode, because it's a little dry and a little weird." And she insists it's as satiric as the Australian original. "It's like the Australian one. It's not sitcom-y which is why I think it might take a minute for people to get it and it's not so in your face, but there's a lot of love. The mother and daughter really love each other, they're really close, but my character's a bit demented, I have to say, not to mention very whiny very loud and based on two people that I know very well."Blair says she was looking for a different direction in her career. "I was in Budapest shooting Hellboy II, and I kind of thought, 'You know, I think I've had it with locations for a while.' It was pretty lonely being away, even though I loved everyone on the movie so much, but it's like, 'God. I'd like to kind of lay some roots down in one place for a while.' I've been traveling so much, I feel like such a gypsy, and kind of just wanted to get settled, so I was kind of looking for a TV show."And she says that she is comfortable doing comedy. "I really love comedy, though ironically I'm not very good with sitcoms, because I get really nervous in front of big crowds, I'm always a bit uncensored, and I say the wrong things too often. I'm just going to get in trouble on a sitcom. Things are going to end very badly, so it's best I just don't put myself out there every week in that way, which means this, was perfect. I had heard about it, and I really fought for it. I really had wanted to do it, they didn't want me for it and no one thought I was right for it."The actress recalls that the show's producers "had a different idea of what Kim was going to be. I don't know exactly, but I just don't think I was anyone's idea of it, so I just really fought for it. I thought it was amazing writing and I think Ben Silverman picks amazing projects that he adapts. There are so few roles that are amazing women character-driven pieces that I just wanted to grab that one. This was kind of the first time that I really went after something, because I just don't usually have that kind of drive," the actress says, laughingly. "But it paid off. I was really happy to get it, I kind of made myself a little sloppier, because it was important that Kim thinks that she's such a big deal and has the confidence, but she's not, really." Blair even put on weight to land the role. "I don't want to make this such a weight issue thing, but it was an issue that a lot of people had. 'Oh, God, Selma can't play this, because she's a skinny Hollywood girl, and it's so important that Kim doesn't have those qualities, because middle America's not like that.' So, we just played it a little more middle of the road, but now I'm back at the gym, and the weight's not coming off," she says amidst peels of laughter.
Kandaswamy film roles damaged
Almost 30 out of 120 Kanthaswamy film rolls shoot in the exotic locations of Mexico have been found damaged. According to director Susi Ganesan and the cameraman Eka accusing the airport staffs for the damage. They say have mishandling the rolls at the airport scanner caused it. The whole Kandaswamy movie crew is in a great shock.
Kuselan Bus ready for journey
The makers of the movie Kuselan starring Rainikanth has created a new kind of advertisement. They have painted a bus with Kuselan movie images that will be seen across Chennai. This bus is specially designed for this purpose. Actress Nayantara also was there to see the Bus on Monday, which was also a commercial activity. This bus will stop for all Rajini’s fans out there. The Regional Censor Board in Chennai has given the movie Kuselan a U certificate. This movie with Rajinkanth, Nayanthara, Meena, Pasupathy and Vadivelu will be releasing worldwide on July 31st. Cheran harsh on Priyamani
Actor and director Cheran stated that actress Priyamani did not deserve the National Award because she is not a committed actress. At first Cheran wanted to rope Priyamani for his movie Pokkisham but she has turned it down. In return she has said that it wasn’t Cheran who came with the offer it was his assistant and the reason she turned it down is because simply she was over booked. This is why she couldn’t give him any dates
Imran gets BMW
Aamir Khan gifted his nephew Imran Khan a white BMW, which is amongst the latest models in the market costing close to Rs. 50 lakh. Uncle Aamir is so much so pleased with his nephew s performance in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na that he decided to appreciate Imran in his style.Imran is extremely fond of cars and Aamir was well aware of this.. By the way , who is not fond of BMW?????
"Nicolas Cage" to give voice for "Astro Boy"
The voice cast of Summit Entertainment and Imagi Studios CG-animated feature film of the classic anime "Astro Boy" has been announced. Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Bill Nighy, Nathan Lane and Eugene Levy will lend their talents to various roles, and Freddie Highmore will voice the title role.Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist. Our hero embarks on a journey in search of adventure in a netherworld of robot gladiators before he returns to save Metro City. The iconic character has since found wide popularity around the world as the hero of three acclaimed animated television series spanning over four decades, besides being one of the top licensed properties for merchandising. David Bowers ("Shark Tale") is directing from a screenplay written by Timothy Harris.Captain Blood to be remake by Noyce
Phillip Noyce ("Catch a Fire," "Clear and Present Danger") will develop a remake of the 1935 Errol Flynn pirate feature "Captain Blood" for Warner Bros. Pictures. Flynn starred as a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, where he and his comrades become avenging pirates.The potential U.K./Australian co-production could be helmed by Noyce who's already linked to two other thrillers - "25th Amendment" and most likely Sony's "Edwin A. Salt".
SRK feared of Rajnikanth's Kuselan
Rajnikant starrer KUSELAN is all set to release world over on August 15th. Looking at the unexpectedly crazy response, Rajni's last film SIVAJI, got at the box office all over India, the makers of KUSELAN had decided upon releasing it in its Hindi dubbed version simultaneously too. But now it seems like the Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan is afraid of the Emperor Rajnikant!
Both KUSELAN and SRK starrer BILLOO BARBER are remakes of Malayalam hit film, KATHA PARAYUMBOL which had Mammootty in the lead. The story lines of both are exactly the same to that of the original. Both the Hindi and Tamil remakes feature a song where in the lead stars (Rajni and SRK) appear in 20 various looks. If KUSELAN releases in Hindi first, there will be no novelty left for BILLOO BARBER at all amongst the audiences. A source tells us, "While SRK was confident that he would be able to wrap up his film before Rajnikant's Tamil version, but the actor received an unpleasant surprise when he learnt that the Rajni's film is not only over but it is due for a release in August and that too with its Hindi dubbed version. SRK had already planned a grand Diwali release for his film. But now with the Rajni film coming up much before Diwali he was in shock. He then called up Rajni and requested him to postpone the release of his Hindi version. Rajni obliged and now the film shall only release in Tamil and Telugu all over the world. The Hindi dubbed version will definitely release but post Diwali." Rajni's SIVAJI (2007) is being dubbed in Hindi and is all set for a September end release. The makers of SIVAJI have even shot a song with Rajni where he will imitate Bollywood legendary yesteryear heroes.
Both KUSELAN and SRK starrer BILLOO BARBER are remakes of Malayalam hit film, KATHA PARAYUMBOL which had Mammootty in the lead. The story lines of both are exactly the same to that of the original. Both the Hindi and Tamil remakes feature a song where in the lead stars (Rajni and SRK) appear in 20 various looks. If KUSELAN releases in Hindi first, there will be no novelty left for BILLOO BARBER at all amongst the audiences. A source tells us, "While SRK was confident that he would be able to wrap up his film before Rajnikant's Tamil version, but the actor received an unpleasant surprise when he learnt that the Rajni's film is not only over but it is due for a release in August and that too with its Hindi dubbed version. SRK had already planned a grand Diwali release for his film. But now with the Rajni film coming up much before Diwali he was in shock. He then called up Rajni and requested him to postpone the release of his Hindi version. Rajni obliged and now the film shall only release in Tamil and Telugu all over the world. The Hindi dubbed version will definitely release but post Diwali." Rajni's SIVAJI (2007) is being dubbed in Hindi and is all set for a September end release. The makers of SIVAJI have even shot a song with Rajni where he will imitate Bollywood legendary yesteryear heroes.
Malavika replaced by Hot Nisha Kothari
On the sets of the movie Karthikai in Hyderabad studio, being five months pregnant Malavik refused to do a song with heave body movements and to that the producer barged into her caravan to chick if she was really pregnant. Malavika has already refused to do many movements for the movie Kuruvi and Indira Vizha. The Karthikai shooting started before she got pregnant, but she has agreed to complete the movie. She says “they want me to do a song while standing on a swing and when I refused that the producer barged into my caravan and demanded an explanation for my pregnancy and why I can’t dance. When I told him my belly is bulging out, he came close and felt my stomach. She immediately contacted Sarathkumar who as the Nadigar Sangam chief. Sarathkumar told her to pack up and leave. Later Malavika flu back to Mumbai, even though the producer has threatened her that he will take this to the producers council. Now the producer has told that Malavika will be replaced by another hot actress Nisha Kothari of "JJ" fame.
No more Hero Roles : Santhanam
Comedian Santhanam started his career as a comedian with Lollu Sabha on a small screen. Then his first movie was Manmadhan. With his grate talents he got chances to work with big stars such as Vijay, Ajith, Suriya, Dhanush and now with Rajinikanth in Kuselan. Santhanam became the hero in Arai En 305il Kadavul and after that he got so many offers as a hero. He says becoming a hero to quickly might be a bad thing! I would like to strengthen my place in the film industry before trying for a hero post. I am not going to take hero roles in the near future.Was Nayantara forced in the movie Satyam???
After the release of the photos from the movie Sathyam with Vishal and Nayanthara doing a very steamy song has created a big wave among the public. This created fame for that movie. There are some “talks” about the movie Sathyam that Nayantara was forced to do the hot number with Vishal. The director, Rajasekhar says that the Nayantara was not compelled to do this. She was informed well in advance before signing the deal.
Vadivelu replies to news about the bad remarks of him in the media
As you may have read before about Vadivelu walking out of Suraj’s movie Padikathavan. Now what does Vadivelu has to say about this?
According to Vadivelu
'I normally improvise my role on screen. Having been in the industry for over two decades, I know the tastes and preference of the audience' 'Unfortunately when I tried to improvise in the sets of movie ‘Padikathavan’, I was resisted. I had no troubles acting in the movies Marudhamalai and Thalainagram directed by Suraj before'.
Do you think he is right?
According to Vadivelu
'I normally improvise my role on screen. Having been in the industry for over two decades, I know the tastes and preference of the audience' 'Unfortunately when I tried to improvise in the sets of movie ‘Padikathavan’, I was resisted. I had no troubles acting in the movies Marudhamalai and Thalainagram directed by Suraj before'.
Do you think he is right?
Walt Disney Studios gets Home Video rights 'Taare Zameen Par'
Walt Disney Studios has bought the Home Video rights of Bollywood star Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par' for release in the US. The deal is estimated to be worth Rs.50 million but Aamir Khan's production office refused to corroborate it. This is for the first time that any Hollywood distribution company has bought the Home Video rights of an Indian movie to be released in the mainstream market overseas. Disney will release the DVD with English sub-titles. The movie was jointly produced by Aamir Khan Productions and PVR Pictures.
'The film has had a successful theatrical run in the US. Being a poignant film based on an universally relevant theme, it should do well in the overseas home video circuits as well,' said a PVR official in Mumbai. Starring Darsheel Safary as the protagonist, the movie is about an eight-year-old dyslexia boy and how a teacher, played by Aamir, brings him out of this predicament. Besides Aamir and Darsheel, it also stars Tisca Chopra and Vipin Sharma. In India, 'Taare Zameen Par' DVD will be brought out by T-Series.
'The film has had a successful theatrical run in the US. Being a poignant film based on an universally relevant theme, it should do well in the overseas home video circuits as well,' said a PVR official in Mumbai. Starring Darsheel Safary as the protagonist, the movie is about an eight-year-old dyslexia boy and how a teacher, played by Aamir, brings him out of this predicament. Besides Aamir and Darsheel, it also stars Tisca Chopra and Vipin Sharma. In India, 'Taare Zameen Par' DVD will be brought out by T-Series.
Vivek replaces the bad Vadivelu in Padikathavan
After Vadivelu walked out of the movie Padikathavan’s set for an misunderstand with the director Suraj, he was looking for a comedian to replace Vadivelu. Suraj has replaced him with Vivek. It was when Vadivelu said more word that wasn’t in the script and when the director asked him to stick to the script Vadivelu took it as an insult.
Sania inbetween Shahid-Vidya Balan Friendship
Well Kismat Konnection has been released and ironically, it seems that the two co stars of the film, Shahid Kapur and Vidya Balan are reportedly drifting away from each other. And the person supposedly responsible for this state of affairs is none other than the second woman in Shahid's life.Everybody knows how close Vidya and Shahid were. They both even share the same designer. Vidya has been there for Shahid during the period when Kareena broke up with him. In fact, they became such close friends that most people have been speculating that they were in love. They may not have been in love, but were pretty close. That is until a certain Sania Mirza made her way into Shahid's life. Apparently, Sania is not happy with the Vidya Shahid relationship and to please her, Shahid has stopped ecommunicating with Vidya. Shahid, Vidya, Aziz Mirza's daughter and a couple of others would all hang out together but in recent times, the actor has been acting very aloof. On the Sania front, things seem to be going very well. Shahid recently organised a special screening of Kismat Konnection for Sania. It was attended by the tennis star, Shahid and his family. Quite cosy.
Hounsou as villan
Djimon Hounsou will star in and produce a film based on the Conan the Barbarian" character Thulsa Doom for Dynamite Entertainment. According to Variety, the film will showcase the origins of the flawed hero turned immortal sorcerer and show how his road to hell was paved with good intentions. The character which will be featured in his own comic book series next year, first appeared in the Robert E. Howard 30's pulp story "Delcardes' Cat". He was previously portrayed onscreen by James Earl Jones in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian".Tom Cruise in sequel
Tom Cruise has been asked to reprise his role as cocky fighter-pilot Maverick in a "Top Gun" sequel. It's been twenty-two years since the first film in which Cruise played a Navy pilot trainee and now a sequel script has apparently been penned. "The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor - and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot" a source tells the paper.Shilpa And Shamita Shetty in Kollywood
Shilpa Shetty and her sister Shamitha Shetty will act in Tamil movie. Their movie Fareb in Hindi is being dubbed in Tamil. In Tamil the movie will be titled Kama Sathileelavathy which is an emotional thriller. The cast includes Shilpa Shety, Shamita Shetty, and Manoj Bajpai. Shilpa Shetty is playing the wife of Aditya who is played by Bajpai. She is a doctor named Neha.
"Knight" stands tall in the weekend Box office collections
Sunday's estimates are now looking larger than originally stated with the $39.8 million likely to be revised up towards $43 million. Official Sunday figures will be released later this morning **.
"The Dark Knight" has broken the record books with the film taking in an estimated three-day opening weekend haul of $155.3 million - easilly beating the previous 'best opening weekend of all time' title held by "Spider-Man 3" with $151.1 million.
A $67.9 million haul on Friday combined with a $48 million Saturday total to yield the figure which gives the extraordinarily well-reviewed film an astonishing $35,579 per screen average across 4,366 theaters. Warners is estimating a Sunday figure of around $39.5 million, but no-one is certain how this will play out until accurate three-day figures come in tomorrow morning.
Internationally the film is also doing gangbuster business with a $40 million haul despite only opening in 20 countries which doesn't including major markets like the UK or Japan. Even if the drop-off is steep, unlikely considering the reviews, the film will easily pass the $300 million and likely push into the $400 million range by the time its finished its run - either way it'll be the biggest earner of the year and well ahead of nearest rivals Indiana Jones and Iron Man.
"Mamma Mia!" proved highly effective counter-programming with the musical pulling in $27.6 million - the biggest opening ever for a musical and inching just ahead of last year's $27.5 million opening for "Hairspray". Despite notably mixed reviews, the film hauled in a strong $9,275 per screen average domestically. Its also racked up a very impressive $72.6 million international haul in just eleven days.
Both the success of 'Mia' and 'Knight' domestically this weekend led to $250 million in ticket sales overall - the biggest three-day weekend in terms of total grosses ever - easily throttling the previous record of $218.4 million on July 7th-9th 2006 when "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest" and "Superman Returns" dominated the frame.
Not everything was sunshine though. Fox's highly panned "Space Chimps" opened in seventh place with a mere $7.3 million. Whilst last week's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" held well with only a 43.3% drop, "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" plummeted a disastrous 70.9% (from $34.5m to $10.0m) - even more than Eddie Murphy's highly panned "Meet Dave" which fell 68.9%. Both rank high among the biggest second weekend drops of all time - not a surprise for 'Dave' but certainly a shock for 'Hellboy' considering reviews have generally been good.
Both "Wall-E" and "Hancock" are holding well with both to pass the $200 million mark by next weekend. Further down the list various May and June releases are slowing right down with "Indiana Jones" and "Iron Man" neck-and-neck to finish up with about $320 million each, "Kung Fu Panda" to score about $220 million, "Sex and the City" to sizzle at $160 million, "Get Smart" and "Wanted" to come in at just over $140 million while "Incredible Hulk" is just under that mark.
On the limited release front the thriller "Transsiberian" took in a strong $17,600 per screen average in two New York theaters.
Bala in Trouble
Highly talented director Bala has been creating trouble to the producer Pyramin Saimira lately. He has commended to finish the movie Naan Kadavul with the budget of Rs 7 crores but now he is demanding 15 crores for its completion. The producers have taken legal action against Bala in the court. Wait and see what Bala will do about this in the future.
Satyam Songs Download
1.Ada Gada Gada... where do i begin! When i heard this song and saw the sets by thotha tharani ... I was amazed. This song features Nayantara, me and large no of children... this super fantasy song will be a big hit with children... I had a blast shooting for this song ... It was simply fantastic
2. Ennanbe... This song was shot in turkey in incrideble locations... Mind blowing scenery... You have to see to believe it... Harris Jeyaraj has his way of getting it just perfect when it come to a romantic song.
3. Aradi Kathey... This is my introduction song. It shows me in various aspects of the character i play in the film... This song is sung by Hariharan... who is simply amazing .
4. Challame Challame... Oh my god one of the most erotic songs in Tamil Cinema. Everything is perfect right from the song, lyrics, the camera... Nayantara is looking absolutly stunning... People who have seen the pictures and heard the song are going gaga about it...
5. Pal Pali... This is a folk song... This was shot in Thenkasi and Coutrallam. You all will love this song. Its a total dance song where one can dance to...
Vadivelu's Bad Character once again in Limelight
Actor Vadivelu walked out of the set during a big budget movie shooting which is produced under the banner of Vijay Combine. It was a scene with Vadivelu and Dhanush when director Suraj gave Vadivelu some instructions to act but Vadivelu have his idea which was different from the original version. The director compelled him to act with his instructions. But Vadivelu refused and walked out. Dhanush told the director "Just leave him sir and we will manage the film with some other comedian.
Suraj being a fan of Vadivelu got very disappointed when he returned the advance amount. Now the director is looking for another comedian.Poor Suraj gave meaty role witch is equal to the hero’s role. This is not Vadivelu’s first time walking out. He has walked out his favourite director Sundar C. and director Sakthi Chidambaram movies as well. Big heroes such as Vijayakanth, Ajith, and Simbu have decided to keep Vadivelu away from their films.
Krishna Leelai
Actor Sundr Raj’s daughter Meghna will be pairing up with Jeevan in this movie Krishna Leelai directed by Selvan. Meghna is a twelfth standard student who decided to act. According to her father said “I didn’t know she had this interest. Since her grandfather is an ex-service man, and she was in NCC I thought she might choose the defenses services.” Meghna said “There is something of me in this character.” Meghna avers, “Cinema is serious business in Kollywood. It felt really good to be in front of the camera. I know I am going to love acting here.”
Kuselan is releasing on July 31st worldwide
Pyramid Saimeera is releasing Kuselan on the July 31st world wide. It is produced by Kavithalaya and Seven Arts. It is will be ready soon and patchworks for the movie are taking place in Chennai. Over 500 to 600 copies are being printed based on Rajinikanth’s instruction
Imran Busy after Jaane tu...
With his first film JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA Imran Khan has become B-town's most popular boy. He's soft and innocent boy-next-door character enamoured everyone.
But now the young star is looking forward to don a tough character. And that too of a muscular man. . Imran's forthcoming ventures Sanjay Gadvi's KIDNAP and Soham Shah's LUCK are action pack flicks which requires the actor to carry a beefy look. If the reports are to be believed than this handsome hunk is busy doing workouts to tone up his body to match up with the characters he will portray. The character of JAANE TU...was that of a college going young lad which never required Imarn to look hefty, but his other flicks which are complete action dramas demands a well-built sturdy man. From soft and sweet to rough and tough Imran has it all!!
Celeb shines at Satyam for Batman Premier
Batman 2 premier show was held at Sathyam cinemas on Thursday night. Lot of Kollywood celebrities showed up for the show. Dhansh and Simbu were there as well.
Even Vivek was there as well with his wife and Kids. Most of them came with their wife and/ or kids. Abbas came with his wife Erum Ali who is a designer. Parthipan came with his daughter Keerthana and Suhasini Mani Ratnam with her son Nandan
Kismat Konnection - Review
Kismat Konnection is one of the most awaited films this season and there is lots of hype surrounding it. However, it happens quite frequently that many hyped movies turn out to be big disappointments such as Tashan, Love Story 2050, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic,etc. Fortunately, this is not the case with Kismat Konnection. It`s not just all hype and no substance but a movie with a soul that will immediately connect with the audience.
The basic plot of the movie revolves around Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapoor) (doesn`t the name sound too SRKish?…but the film is not as cliched as the name sounds, thankfullysmiling smiley, an architect, who was touted as the next BIG thing during his college days…be it academics,sports,dramatics…he was an all-rounder and his friends had made a TIME magazine cover with Raj`s face on it. Despite his potential and abilities, Raj failed to make it big in life and after 5 years of his graduation he is still not able to achieve success in his life because luck never supported him. Something or the other always goes wrong with him…when he has to wake up at the morning, his alarm clock doesn`t ring, when he is about to be appointed as an architect, the boss of the contracting company dies and so on. Raj tries his luck once again to be appointed for a shopping mall construction project by Mr.Gill (Om Puri) but luck once again betrays him when an old school friend (Manoj Joshi) of his attempts to take away the contract from Raj`s hands and secure it for himself. A disappointed Raj one night sees an advertisment on the television which claims to provide the solution to everyone`s problems in life. The advertisment states that anyone who contacts Haseena Bano Jaan (Juhi Chawla) will be freed from all his worries forever. So, Raj obviously notes down her address and drops in at her premises. Haseena Bano Jaan states that there is a force that is his lucky charm and would remove all his problems but he has to recognize that ’force’. Raj meets Priya (Vidya Balan) several times…once when his car is about to collide with hers…or at the ATM card machine spot or at a bar. Each time he meets her, things turn out to be in his favour and miracles take place with him. He manages to secure a construction contract and also manages to impress Mr.Gill, when it seems impossible to him. It is then when he realizes that Priya is that force that is his lucky charm. However, there are two problems; Priya runs an old citizens hospital and Gill`s shopping mall is constructed at the same place as the hospital and secondly, Priya is about to get married within a few days and Raj won`t have his lucky charm for very long, with him. Plus, Raj also realises by then that he is in love with Priya.
The soundtrack composed by Pritam is another strong point. My favourite songs from the movie are Aai Paapi, Bakhuda Tum Hi Ho, Sohni and Move Your Body (which appears during the end credits). Other than that, the camerawork of the movie si fantastic. Most of the movie has been shot in Canada and it has been shot so beautifully that I felt like going on a vacation there smiling smiley The film carries a very stylish look but thank God that the story didn`t suffer due to this style…the impact of the movie only enhanced with it.
Performances are also top-notch. Shahid Kapoor, even though looks quite young (he can`t help it smiling smiley has undoubtedly matured as an actor and is a complete natural. Vidya Balan is the best thing that has happened to Bollywood since last three years. She is one of the most talented actresses today. Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, etc. maybe some of the top actresses today but not any of them is half as talented as Vidya, when it comes to acting. Vidya almost instantly clicks with the audience and the ease with which she performs makes it a treat to watch her act. She also looks amazingly gorgeous, throughout.
Vishal Malhotra who played Shahid`s best friend in Ishq Vishk is back with Shahid once again and does a fantastic job, complementing Shahid throughout and gives a spontaneous performance. Juhi Chawla does something quite different in the role of a numerologist (a la Sunita Menon) and manages to entertain in her special appearance.The surprise factor of the movie is Himani Shivpuri as Om Puri`s wife. For the first time, she does not irritate but actually makes you laugh, thanks to her perfect comic timing, this time around. You will just love her (loved her dialogue, ’’first,reduce your tone”). Om Puri, Boman Irani and others also do a fine job.
On the whole, Kismat Konnection is a complete family entertainer which is sure to lure everyone`s hearts and do well at the box-office too. You should definitely give this one a watch.
BTW, I was just thinking, while watching the movie that how come everyone in Canada speaks Hindi?
The movie is very simple without any ’mirch-masala’ or item number…yet this very simplicity is the reason which manages to hold the viewers` interest because it makes the film look more believable and realistic. There is a lot of humour in the film but thank God that director Aziz Mirza`s sense of humour is very subtle, not loud and cheap, which works big time because the audience of today has matured and Johnny Lever or even Rajpal Yadav type comedy is out of fashion, now. The movie has a lot of entertaining moments, the best ones being; when Raj and his friend (played by Vishal Malhotra) get to know that the boss of the company with whom they had contracted has died, when both the friends go to Gill`s office for the first time, when Shahid and Vidya meet for the first time in a road accident, Juhi Chawla`s introduction scene, all the light moments between Shahid and Vidya, when Vidya finds out the reality of her fiance` and the climax of the movie, especially with the twist in the story brought about by Boman Irani.
Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan, feature in Forbes magazine's
Three Bollywood stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan, feature in Forbes magazine's list of 10 celebrities who are brand ambassadors for different mobile phone companies. The three Indian actors are joined by football star David Beckham and tennis champion Maria Sharapova on the list released by the US magazine, otherwise known for its billionaire rankings. Sharapova endorses Sony Ericsson phones and Beckham lends his name to the Motorola RAZR2 phone.
While Shah Rukh lends star power to mobile phones made by Nokia, Abhishek and Aamir endorse Motorola and Samsung phones respectively. The Forbes report said that Nokia, the world's largest phone manufacturer, 'doesn't work with many celebrities but makes an exception for Shah Rukh, who says he has used Nokia phones for more than a decade. It added that after a popular commercial last December, the company sponsored Shah Rukh's Indian Premier League cricket team earlier this year.
The magazine said Abhishek, a former LG Electronics' brand ambassador, now represents Motorola phones in India, and that he is 'Bollywood royalty, thanks to his famous actor father, Amitabh Bachchan, and glamorous actress wife Aishwarya Rai'. About Aamir, the report said: 'After appearing in his first movie at eight, Bollywood star Aamir now produces and directs films, as well as acts. Samsung has said it is counting on his popularity to help it double its market share in India this year.' Samsung also claimed that Aamir's work mirrors their brand's 'qualities of innovation, change, discovery, self-expression and excellence in performance'.
Explaining how mobile phone companies are now emulating perfume and designer jean makers in hiring celebrities, Forbes said: 'As nearly everyone on the planet seems to have a cellphone, device makers must work harder to win new customers. Cool designs and low prices help, of course. But so do celebrities. That's led phone makers to recruit some A-listers from Usher (a singer) to David Beckham to lend an ear and a smile to selling cellphones.' Others in the magazine's 'Ten Celebs and Their Cells' list are singers Fergie, Rain (also known as Jung Ji Hoon), Andy Lau and race car driver Danica Patrick
Vishal and Nayan not together
Actor Vishal who happy and enthusiastically waiting the release of his movie with hot and beautifully actress Nayantara on August 15th is now very angry. He got very upset about the rumours about him and Nayantara that they are in love and Simbu is trying to interfere. He spoke to the media about the rumour; he said there no such thing between him and Nayantara. Vishal said he would like to get the person who is spreading the rumours about him. Then he added if he was in love he would not hide it
Jennifer Lopez - Biography
Name : Jennifer Lopez
Nickname : ''La Guitarra'' (guitar shaped body)
Date of Birth : July 24, 1970
Place of Birth : New York, New York USA
Sign : Sun in Leo, Moon in Aries
Height : 5'6''
Eyes : Brown
Hair : Brown
Occupation : Singer, Actress & Model
Father : David Lopez - A computer operator
Mother : Guadalupe Lopez (School Teacher)
Sisters : Lynda & Leslie
Spouse : Ojani Noa [Divorced- February 1997 - 1998]
# Jennifer Lopez
C/O United Talent Agency
9560 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 500
Beverly HiLLS
* Jennifer Lopez was awarded Children's Humanitarian Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She's a long time supporter of the 103-year-old Children's Hospital LA, she spends long hours visiting patients & even invited a group of sick kids on the set of her upcoming movie "Monster-in-Law".
* She started taking singing and dancing lessons at age 5.
* Grew up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. It was from this neighborhood that she took the local "6" train to get to her auditions in Manhattan, as well as the inspiration of her debut album "On the 6".
* Was a gymnast in high school. Also played softball and tennis.
* Her younger sister, Linda Lopez, is a DJ on New York's WKTU and an Entertainment Correspondent for WB Network Channel 11 News in New York.
* Jennifer Lopez was engaged at 15 with David Cruz, "The best looking guy in the neighborhood."
* Was nicknamed "The Supernova" by her friends in her hometown. Has also been called "La Guitarra" because her shapely body is curved like a guitar.
* Her x-husband Ojani Noa proposed to her at the "Selena" post production party; presenting her with a large marquis-cut diamond ring. She said 'yes.' The marriage would soon result in divorce.
* Lopez and x-boyfriend musician "Puffy" were arrested in connection with a night club shooting. Police found them with a stolen gun. Police dropped charges originally pressed against Jennifer Lopez and released her from jail.
* Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
* Voted #1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list.
* Has her own line of perfume entitled Glow.
Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1970. Her parents came to New York from Ponce, Puerto Rico. She is the middle of three sisters. At the age of 7, young Jennifer went on her first tour - around New York City with her dance class.At the age of 16 Jennifer got a little break with a bit part in the film ''My Little Girl'' (starring Mary Stuart Masterson). But Jennifer's first love was still dance, and when she read about a scholarship to a dance school in Manhattan, she went down and grabbed the opportunity. At this time she was taking a full time course load at Baruch, working in a law office and taking her dance classes. Eventually this would lead to a falling out with her mother, who didn't want Jennifer to pursue dance as a career. When her mother gave her the ever popular ''you live by my rules as long as you live under my roof'' speech Jennifer took that as her cue to break out on her own. Not having anywhere else to live, she took up residence in the building where she took her dance classes. A year and a half of auditioning with no success brought Jennifer to the verge of a breakdown. But salvation would come in the form of a tour that sent her dancing across Japan. Before this, she had auditioned to be a ''Fly Girl'' for the show ''In Living Color'' but she had been turned down. Upon returning from Japan, she received a call from ''In Living Color'' asking her to audition again. This time she made the cut and it was off to Hollywood. She didn't really enjoy her time on ''In Living Color'', as she longed for an acting career that would put her in the spotlight. Her first television job as an actress, on the Fox series ''South Central'' came her way because the producer of the show was married to one of the other fly girls, and he took notice of Jennifer during a special Fox aired about the Fly Girls. ''South Central'' only survived one season, but she quickly resurfaced on television screens appearing as ''Melinda Lopez'' first in the short lived ''Second Chances'' series, then ''Hotel Malibu.'' In 1995 she jumped onto the big screen in her first major role, opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in ''Money Train.'' She would go on to work opposite such talents as Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson, but it was her work with Gregory Nava, who directed her in ''My Family, Mi Familia'' that would lead her to the role that would make her a star.
After an extensive nationwide search, Jennifer was chosen to play Selena Quintanilla Perez, in the official biopic of the life of the fallen Tejano star. Taking part in the production of ''Selena'' would impact Jennifer's life in many ways. On the personal side, Jennifer's fianc��, Ojani Noa, proposed to her at the wrap party for Selena. The couple had met in Miami while Jennifer was filming ''Blood And Wine'' with Jack Nicholson. Ojani, a Cuban immigrant, was an aspiring model working as a waiter at Gloria Estefan's restaurant, Larios On The Beach. They were married in Miami on February 22, 1997, after knowing each other less than a year. Jennifer's sudden rise to fame with the release of ''Selena'' the following month would put an excessive strain on the marriage, and the couple filed for divorce just a little over a year after they were married.
After news of the divorce made headlines, the gossip papers quickly had her romantically linked to the likes of rap impresario Sean ''Puffy'' Combs, Sony Music President Tommy Mottola and Salsa singer Marc Anthony. Jennifer herself remains tightlipped - and rightfully so - on the subject of her personal life (although she has recently admitted that she is in fact having a relationship with Puffy). Back on the professional level, her role as Karen Sisco in 1998's ''Out Of Sight'', opposite George Clooney, has brought her into the major leagues, making her the highest paying Latina actress in history. Playing Selena also brought back Jennifer's interests in being the ''all around'' entertainer, and she decided to record a demo of her singing, completely in Spanish. After a bidding war among a number of record companies, Jennifer was signed to Sony Music's Work Group label. Her first CD, a pop album with a Latin flavor (although mostly in English) was released June 1, 1999. Working with the likes of Emilio Estefan, Rodney Jerkins and Sean ''Puffy'' Combs, the music world is buzzing that Jennifer is ''the next Gloria Estefan'' set to become the mainstream Latin crossover star Selena herself surely would have been, had she been given the chance. That early prediction seems accurate, as her first single, ''If You Had My Love'' shot to 1 on the Billboard chart, and has been certified platinum (one million sales).
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D - Review
Judged as a new film version of classic Victorian-era sci-fi literature, this 'Journey' is thin, juvenile and ridiculous enough that it makes the hokey Guy Pearce-led "Time Machine" remake look like a masterpiece of tasteful, intelligent, thought-provoking cinema.
Taken for what it is however - using the basic setup of Jules Verne's classic work as the backdrop for an experiment in shooting film in a different way - it comes off as a hollow success of technology over craft. Playing like an extended version of a theme park ride, the selling point of this film is that its the first released live-action film to be intentionally shot and displayed using the new Digital Real 3D technology.
It's a gimmick really, short of the better technology there's absolutely nothing to differentiate this from one of those ulcer-inducing, Robert Rodriguez-directed, pre-schooler safe films of recent years like "Spy Kids 3D" or "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3D". Thus it relies on the quality of the gimmick's success and unfortunately the report is not stellar. Like previous 3D films using this technology, the use of the glasses takes about 10-15 minutes to adjust to with nausea and mild headaches ensuing.
Director Eric Brevig doesn't help matters with constant and shameless use of everything from glowing birds to jumping fish to a retractable measuring tape being thrown at the screen every other minute - making this seem reminiscent of the horrible early 80's time when the 3D gimmick came back in style in assorted horror films. The brightly lit real world sets (fluorescent lighting is REALLY annoying in 3D) and use of quick cut editing in the early stages also makes it very difficult to adjust to this effect which isn't so much 3D as almost cartoonishly flat 2D elements in a 3D spatial environment.
As the action moves to darker underground CG vistas it thankfully becomes easier on the eyes but unfortunately rougher on the brain. There's very little attempt to establish any character, story or credibility - not when there's a roller coaster-esque mining cart chase to be done, followed quickly by a sea voyage with flying piranha and history's most out-paceable Tyrannosaurus. The good will earned by the film's teaching kids of some basics of geology and rock formation is squandered by the character's over the top and incessant violation of the laws of physics which allow for many mile high falls and frequent back-breaking jumps.
The filmmakers at least demonstrate some respect by NOT directly adapting Verne's work but rather having the characters refer to it almost like a field guide (the excuse is that an explorer already found this underground world, returned and told Verne all about it). It's a work that really isn't in need of updating, the 1959 film version with James Mason works perfectly well for what it is. All a new version can do, as this one demonstrates, is replace lackluster blue screen-inserted unfrightening monotone lizards with lackluster computer-generated unfrightening renditions of dinosaurs. At least with the old version you'd have the excuse of getting Sharon Stone to cameo.
Brendan Fraser has built much of his career on playing the self-deprecating, not-so-intellectual adventurer in family-friendly fare like this and so has the routine down pat which makes the dull ride at least familiar. Yet the character is rather cold and abrupt leading to very little in the way of one-liners or empathic engagement. The main subplot of male bonding between an uncle and an angry nephew who eventually come together feels ultimately of little consequence. It's still heavier than the painfully forced romantic tension between Fraser and Anit Briem's Icelandic guide character who of course must strip their various clothing layers off as the heat becomes more unbearable.
Emotional development would slow down the pacing, a crime this film desperately wants to not be accused of. Ultimately there's a few nice moments - the Iceland scenery is gorgeous, and a sequence involving magnetic rocks is actually rather inspired (if unbelievable) - but its all inconsequential nonsense. Designed originally to be shown only in 3D, the film ended up being released on many 2D screens. Yet without the 3D aspect, there's nothing to recommend at all about this CG-rendered mess short of being something perfectly safe and harmless to the pre-teens crowd. Even at under 90 minutes, this is one journey that feels interminably long and you won't want to take again regardless of how much trickery is thrown at the screen.
Hellboy II the Golden Army - Review
A modest improvement over the imaginative but uninspired first film, the "Hellboy" sequel marks the closest director Guillermo del Toro has gotten to delivering an American mainstream studio film at the quality level of his lower budget but far more captivating Spanish-language efforts like "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Devil's Backbone".
Yet while the production design, creatures and many visuals benefit greatly from del Toro's unabashed imagination being allowed to run free, the script is even more enslaved to the mechanically cobbled together conventions of everyday Summer blockbusters. A thin and predictable plot of a wronged prince declaring war on humanity combined with some fun but trite soap opera-esque subplots of the three main characters (one's pregnant, one's in love, one's feeling ostracized) make the rounds between the well-filmed but dragged out and often perfunctory action sequences. Ultimately it all seems very slapdash and even further away from the dark, primal and richly textured source material that inspired the films.
Despite the somewhat bland base, the filler this time is more delectable. Armed with more money and confidence, this is a more assured and - despite all the fantastical elements - a more humanistic film with a very comfortable grip on its characters and their inter-relationships. Ditching the useless rookie character from the first film, the focus this time is on the 'freaks' which is where it should be. It's knowingly cheesy at times, highlighted by a drunken sing-a-long Barry Manilow moment with Abe & Hellboy, but the director is so unabashedly in love with these characters that it can't help but be endearing and infectious.
Who can blame him either as Ron Perlman once again delivers pitch-perfect work as the roguish, red-skinned demon with a heart of gold. Despite the many layers and hours of make-up, it's pretty obvious the actor is having a ball and so he plays up the various character traits to pitch perfect levels. The other performances are fine but not as compelling - Selma Blair's Liz does an almost about face this time around with a confident and strong action heroine routine, whilst Doug Jones' amphibious Abe Sapien sadly becomes a rather dull and stuffy mouthpiece for assorted exposition. Jeffrey Tambor has a better written routine as the BPRD's long-suffering bureaucratic head, whilst "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane understands his comic relief role as the German ectoplasmic mystic Johan Krauss and milks it for all its worth with the film's better comedy moments.
Whilst there's moments of fun with this team, and plenty of time to gaze in wonder at the sheer majesty and inventiveness of all the creature creations on screen (the multi-eyed 'Angel of Death' in particular is stunning, the troll market scene less so), we must reluctantly carry on with the threadbare story which tries to be more mythical by being simpler than the first film's fumbled but smoother flowing plot. Unlike the first film there's little personal cost to our heroes here, short of a very forced and unconvincing blossoming romance between Abe and an elven princess.
Seems her brother, Prince Nuada, is determined to reclaim the Earth from humanity using a now sealed off unstoppable mechanical army that Hellboy learned about as a youngster when his father (John Hurt in a welcome cameo) tells him the fable - one brilliantly played out with stop-motion animation. That's about it, the Prince (Luke Goss) spends the film either reluctantly carrying out his desire for genocide or jumping about with wire-fu acrobatic fight maneuvers to drag out time. The film's macguffin, three pieces of a crown that controls said army, reeks of unoriginality while a very obvious Achilles Heel comes into play long after any logical sense of its use.
The FX, though often quite CG looking, are clever and creative enough to make some predictable action interesting. A fight with a plant god in the middle of an intersection comes to an inspired end, likewise a 'tooth fairy' attack is effectively fast and brutal. The titular army however, though of cool design, are a bit of a letdown. In quite a few ways the film is too - without its rich visuals and atmosphere there's not a hell of a lot separating it from the other routine fare at this time of year.
'Golden Army' certainly takes a step in the right direction with this franchise, but it needs to go further and spend as much time developing a compelling and richer story as it does on populating its environs with fantastical beings. Hopefully there'll be a third film, the characters and del Toro certainly deserve it, and if it can improve again as it did here - then a truly great film lies waiting in the not-so-distant future.
Dark Knight - Review
Doing exactly what a sequel should do, "The Dark Knight" takes the already superbly crafted world created in 2005's "Batman Begins" and corrects its few flaws while expanding on both its potential and premise. The result is a decidedly darker, richer, more ambitious and more mature follow-up.
Great comic book films of late like "Iron Man" and "Spider-Man 2" may be more polished and crowd-pleasing, yet "Batman Begins" remains the most intriguing and influential effort of the superhero film genre to date. Artfully constructed, unflinchingly committed to its style, crisply shot, gorgeously designed and superbly acted - it's a film that works beautifully for what it is and remains just as strong after multiple viewings.
Yet Katie Holmes' performance, awkwardly filmed action, stilted humor, and a distinct tonal shift can admittedly detract from director Chris Nolan's otherwise excellent creation. The same goes for the grand-sweeping location-heavy gritty human drama of the first half being awkwardly fused with increasingly sound stage-enclosed comic book villainy in the second. The flaws are very minor, most seemingly driven by commercial needs rather than a lack of artistic ability, but they are enough to not so much diffuse but certainly dilute the edge off the enjoyment for a decent sized portion of the audience.
"The Dark Knight" has no such schizophrenic mood swings. Right from the start the film establishes itself as a sprawling epic - a gritty crime saga the likes of which Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese would be proud to call their own - and keeps things consistently at that high level despite numerous dark twists and turns. Densely layered and with fully fleshed-out characters that not only embody intricate concepts but are often placed in legitimate peril, the film makes no apologies for being too brutal and elaborate for not just kids but many adults as well. Even without graphic on-screen blood-letting and a PG-13 rating, the film manages to portray menace and tension with far more power and effectiveness than many an R-rated horror film.
Chris and Jonah Nolan's remarkable screenplay both credibly and cleverly explores the power plays, moral ambiguities and inherent complexities of a city torn apart by fractured authority figures both righteous and criminal. Many will find a surprisingly deep statement about the state of the post-9/11 world in the film's display of a vulnerable and desperate populous tortured by its darkest impulses and facing the challenge of sticking to the moral high ground - even at enormous personal and emotional cost. Such a character and thematic driven narrative means that the general plot does become segmented and thin at times, but the pacing never falters and all the assorted threads are wrapped up in not just plausible but very satisfying ways.
Performances are stellar all round - most notably Heath Ledger's definitive take on The Joker. The late Aussie actor utterly disappears into the role which smartly portrays the character as a sadistic and dangerously unpredictable wild card - a one man terrorist not driven by greed, power or ideology but his own psychotic gratification. With a deliberately conflicting and vague back story, morbid sense of humor, crumbling make-up and constant lip smacking, The Joker easily dominates all the scenes he's in and Ledger so perfectly nails this dark creation that you can quickly forgive the fact that such an impulsive villain has managed to pull off such a highly organized and well orchestrated plan.
Less showy but equally important is Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart's work. Bale is the calm in the storm here - his quiet but gravitating presence not only grounds the film, but his discussions with the likes of Alfred and Lucius Fox are its heart. With Bruce Wayne firmly settled into his job as Batman, 'Knight' explores the fascinating issues related to such a character including misguided hero worship, self-doubt and the tenuous line between protecting people and violating their individual freedoms. Once again Bale has grand fun playing up Wayne's playboy persona, and his physicality in the action scenes proves excellent - he really is the bedrock of the series and Nolan thankfully never lets him get outshone screen time wise by his various antagonists - making sure that these films remain very much about our hero. The only downside is that the grizzly Batman voice, though understandably necessary, remains awkward at times albeit less jarring than previously.
Eckhart as Harvey Dent slickly pulls off that character's trickier aspects such as his ego-driven showboating, effective political machinations, a genuine desire to change things for the better, and the ultimate abandonment of his own beliefs. Whilst the Two-Face make-up/FX job is remarkably done (and could've gone even 'ickier' had the film been rated R), the darker character itself is played too much like a thug and never utilizes the inherent sadness that comes with such a tragic figure. Some will not be entirely convinced of the character's fall from grace as Dent isn't portrayed as a saint in the early stages, but the transition is more believable because this isn't afraid to show Dent's more human frailties in the early stages.
The trio of Oscar winning supporting cast from the last film are back with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and in particular Gary Oldman all delivering restrained and grounded work that adds emotional heft, humor and pathos exactly where needed. Maggie Gyllenhaal tries her best and easily improves on Holmes' work, but the role remains notably underwritten and the love triangle angle is easily the film's weakest aspect (and is thankfully given very little screen time). Smaller roles from Eric Roberts as a cocky mob boss to Tiny Lister Jr. as a disgruntled prisoner are played perfectly - there's no repetitive "we're right on top of the main hub and it's gonna blow" cringe-inducing style lines this time. The only disappointment is Cillian Murphy's all too short cameo returning as the now pitiable Scarecrow in an early scene.
Wally Pfister’s stunning cinematography and the use of IMAX cameras means everything - including the action - is composed in smooth and richly textured wide location shots that never confuse the action, fall back on quick cut editing, or make the Gotham City of 'Knight' feel like a sound stage at any time. Even with various threads running simultaneously, Nolan now seems to properly understand the geography of action scenes and so we're rarely confused about what's going on or where we are - even in a complicated sequence such as an ambitious high-speed prisoner hijacking sequence.
The visual effects are done exactly how they should be - action is all seemingly shot for real and to scale as much as possible, with green screen limited to the most minimal levels. CG appears to be restrained to background extensions, wire removals, and the foreground only when necessary and even then operates with proper weight and physicality. Only one scene towards the end involving sonar-textured visual tracking of Gotham and specifically its use in a construction site gets a little too daring - over reaching the otherwise authentic and well-explained nature of the gadgetry.
Technical specs are superb across the board. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard once again deliver a rich and punchy score, building on their remarkably strong themes from the first film with new and often intense variations here which form a crucial part of perpetuating the film's tension in several key scenes. Production design drops the gold and earth tone-drenched gritty "Blade Runner" style industrial urban look of 'Begins' for more high-tech modern stylings with brightly-lit glass skyscrapers drenched in cool blues and natural hues.
The 'Knight' flaw that will be most complained about is the runtime. At around 2.5 hours and with its serious subject matter, it is a long film and unfortunately feels it despite the superb pacing and tight narrative. It's a testament to the richness of the film that there is practically no extraneous elements here, every scene is crucial to the plot and characters making it very difficult to see where it can be trimmed without lessening the film in some way. Short of shaving a couple of seconds off some of the action sequences, the only possible excises could come in the form of the Hong Kong and to a lesser extent the twin barges sequences. Yet both scenes work beautifully and have elements essential enough to the plot that they simply can't be just cut out.
The film sticks to its convictions throughout, coming to a satisfying but daring conclusion that both comfortably rounds off the story but effectively begs for one more film to restore that elusive hope the characters all strive for throughout 'Knight'. The final result is easily the best wide release (if not film) of the year so far, one which not only surpasses the high water benchmark set by its admittedly more introspective and accessible predecessor, but pushes well beyond its genre boundaries.
Those looking for the kid-safe thrills of the Marvel films need to look elsewhere, 'Knight' takes the more serious minded tone of the early scenes of "Batman Begins" and runs with it into dark and complex territory rarely seen these days in cinema let alone in Summer blockbusters. It demands intelligence, maturity and attention, but as a reward delivers a film that will justifably sit high on many Top Ten lists at the end of the year. Certainly as major studio releases go it rarely gets better in quality than this.
Hancock - Review
Several years ago when "Hancock" was in development under the title "Tonight He Comes", the script was frequently lauded as one of the most innovative, edgy and original works to have come through the pipeline in a long time.
It seems a real shame then that the resulting film takes an admittedly strong concept and runs it into the ground with a cumbersome, crude and simply asinine superhero vehicle for star Will Smith. Smith delivers the goods where needed with his usual charm, but even his few fun lines can't salvage this patchy wreckage which - even with its brief 92 minute runtime - feels severely overwrought in some areas, yet wholly inadequate in others.
The story starts off with the super powered John Hancock stopping a gang of thieves but with little care for the property destruction he causes in the process. The disgruntled alcoholic - who seems to carry a bottle around everywhere yet rarely drinks from it - ends up saving the life of no-luck PR guy Ray (Jason Bateman) who decides to help Hancock remake his image. However Ray's wife (Charlize Theron) has a notable problem with Hancock being around.
The premise has some great possibilities - a redemption theme, scathing black comedy that eviscerates the superhero genre, and a gritty and entirely real world Los Angeles setting which lends it more gravitas than the fantasy-style cities of the Marvel heroes. Yet for much of the first half it essentially squanders those opportunities. Restricted to a few 'racy for PG-13' lines, the comedy consists mostly of people calling each other assholes or Hancock threatening to insert things (mostly heads) into assholes.
It's juvenile and not particularly funny, the few 'already spoiled by the ads' visual gags work better, but the pace at least moves the film forward. Director Peter Berg also casts well with Smith delivering his usual solid work, Jason Bateman as the world's most optimistic publicist is a decent character which the actor makes the most of, and Theron tries her best with an overly aggressive yet notably underwritten wife role. It's a surprisingly low-key and even somber setup - the decently realized redemption subplot mostly wrapped up by the half way point.
After that however, the film falls apart. What started out as a missed opportunity - a black comedy without any teeth - turns into a poorly conceived tragedy of lost love and cheating fate. A far too elaborate and frequently contradictory mythology ultimately causes the narrative to collapse under its own weight, leaving characters spouting reams of useless back story to fill in the gaps between a few impressively grand but way over-the-top action set pieces to carry us limping towards the finale.
The tone is strange. The frequent swearing and the surprisingly brutal final action sequence set around a hospital are simply way too rough for the kids, yet the rest of the film plays it far too safe and juvenile to be considered a more mature work either. There's a notable lethargy to proceedings - the score relies on tired hip hop numbers or riffs from John Williams "Superman" score, the production design is notably uninspired, and the script displays more than a few unbelievable coincidences and out-of-nowhere additions that a production of this scale should have easily corrected.
The most blatant problem right from the start however is Berg's choice of visuals - with the exception of a few landscape wide shots, the entire movie is shot with 'kinetic handicam' and intense close-ups. Whereas that kind of trick worked with the quick fire "Bourne" films, the far more sporadic pacing of "Hancock" feels very ill-suited for the technique. The style ultimately ruins the film's biggest set piece involving an FX-filled mano-e-mano fight between Hancock and another character, whilst the quieter dialogue scenes become almost nauseating to watch.
Ultimately "Hancock" is a clumsily executed, forgettable mess. Too many behind-the-scenes forces have each tried to pull the film in a different direction - with the resulting hodge podge satisfying no-one. Too dark for kids, too dull for teens and too dumb for adults - the attempt to broaden inherently subversive and precisely targeted material robs it of any real coherence or weight - ultimately eating itself in its attempts to both lend gravity too and satirize the superhero genre. Not a disaster of "Wild Wild West" proportions, nevertheless "Hancock" will serve as a real test of Smith's true box-office power - if he can sell this mess, he can sell anything.
Will Smith - Biography
Name : Will Smith
Birth Date : September 25, 1968
Birth Place : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Birth Name : William Christopher Smith Jr.
Height : 6' 2
Education : Overbrook High School in Winfield, Pennsylvania
Profession : Actor, musician
Nationality : American
Claim to fame : Fresh Prince of Bel-Air television series
Will Smith was one of the biggest superstars of his time not only a pop music sensation, he also conquered television and eventually feature films, starring in a string of box-office megahits. Born September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, he was 16 when he met aspiring DJ Jeff Townes; joining forces as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the duo immediately became local favorites, but their continued existence was threatened when Smith graduated high school and was offered a scholarship to MIT. Ultimately, he chose to pursue a career in music, and in 1987 he and Townes issued their debut record, Rock the House, scoring a hit with the single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble."
Propelled by the smash "Parents Just Don't Understand," DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince broke into the mainstream a year later with He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, one of the first hip-hop LPs to achieve double-platinum status. And soon Hollywood began taking notice of Smith's success; in 1990, he was tapped to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a sitcom for NBC. An immediate hit, it made Smith a household name, and continued in production through 1996.
Smith also continued his music career, and in 1991 DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince scored their biggest chart hit to date with the excellent "Summertime," from the album Homebase. The year following, he made his feature film debut in the drama Where the Day Takes You; in 1993, his supporting turn in Six Degrees of Separation was the subject of much critical acclaim. That same year, the final Jazzy Jeff/Fresh Prince record, the disappointing Code Red, was released. In 1995, Smith co-starred in the action film Bad Boys, a major box-office hit; it set the stage for his leading role in 1996's Independence Day, the summer's biggest smash. A year later, he starred in Men in Black, again the box-office champ of the summer season; recording for the first time under his given name, he also scored a smash with the movie's rap theme. Smith's debut solo LP, Big Willie Style, also appeared in 1997, notching the hits "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," "Just the Two of Us," and "Miami." Shortly on the heels of his first box-office disappointment, 1999's Wild Wild West, he returned with the album Willennium.
Angelina Jolie - Biography
Name : Angelina Jolie
Full Name : Angelina Jolie Voight
Date Of Birth : 4 June 1975
Place Of Birth : Los Angeles, California
Sign : Gemini
Height : 5'7
Hair : Brown
Eyes : Blue
Father : Jon Voight
Mother : Marcheline Bertrand
Brother : James Haven Voight
Spouse : Billy Bob Thornton (May 2000-present)(actor, director,
writer)Jonny Lee Miller (1996-1999)(actor)
Profession : Actress
Angelina Jolie is the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight, and former actress/model Marcheline Bertrand. Jon Voight separated from Bertrand when Jolie was 1, remained in California while the family lived on the East coast. ''He was the perfect example of an artist who couldn't be married,'' she says. ''He had the perfect family, but there's something for him that's very scary about that.'' Jolie, is her middle name. Ultimately, she decided to use it because, she says, ''I love my father, but I'm not him''.
Angelina began training and performing at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute at around 12. She was seen in several stage productions at the Institute. She worked as a professional model in London, New York and Los Angeles, and has also appeared in music videos for such artists as the Rolling Stones, Meat Loaf, Lenny Kravitz, Antonello Venditti and The Lemonheads. In addition, she has acted in five student films for the USC School of Cinema, all directed by her brother, James Haven. She landed her first feature film starring part in HACKERS, about a group of high school computer hackers. Previously, she had roles in independent features Gathering Evidence and Oh No, Not Her.Angelina was married to her co-star from Hackers, Jonny Lee Miller. The marriage took place in May of 1996 where she wore black rubber clothes (although they are now divorced). She has a extensive dagger collection (likes knives) and has several tattoos (one is the Japanese word for death on her shoulder). Today Angelina splits her time between New York and Los Angeles.
Vidya Balan a great find for Indian Cinema
In the past actresses have proved to be lucky for their directors. There was a time when Indra Kumar could not think of making a film without Madhuri (Dixit) in it. The Chopras considered Sridevi to be their lucky mascot. Ram Gopal Varma believed that Urmila brought him the much needed luck that a director needs to survive in the film industry. Sanjay Leela Bhansali bestowed the luck factor on Aishwarya Rai. The latest addition to the above names is Vidya Balan. If Vidya's career graph is observed closely, out of the five releases that the actress has had till date -PARINEETA, LAGEY RAHO MUNNABHAI, HEYY BABY, BHOOL BHULAIYAA, GURU, all have been super hits. A trade analyst said, "Like Sridevi and Madhuri who were criticized for their bad dress sense, Vidya too has been cornered by the critics. But that has not affected her in anyway as Vidya has dished out hits one after the other. Directors continued to cast Madhuri and Sridevi in their films; the same case is with Vidya Balan. She is considered to be in top league of actress' today.' Though she is being showered with praises for her looks, Balan is not taking her career for granted and is genuinely working on her style and clothes. A source close to the actress said, "Vidya Balan is working hard on her clothes and designer Sabina Khan is helping her with it." Now with Vidya being declared a lucky mascot and Shahid the future superstar will be of any surprise if KISMAT KONNECTION immediately connects at the box-office?
Harman has a soft corner for Priyanka Chopra
Harman Baweja, who is on a family holiday in Dubai, intends to go shopping for his girlfriend Priyanka Chopra whose birthday is round the corner. 'I don't know as yet what I'll get her. But girls like anything you give then in a gift-wrap and with a smile, trust me on that,' Harman told IANS. Harman teamed up with Priyanka, whose birthday is July 18, in his debut film 'Love Story 2050'. Talking about the family holiday, Harman said: 'Just the four of us - dad, mom, my sister Rowena and me. We took off for a five-day trip to Dubai. We all needed the break. 'The last two years and particularly the last few weeks have been very stressful for all of us. So here we are, just chilling and shopping. Actually the ladies are doing all the shopping. I'm just their bag boy.' Released on July 4, 'Love Story 2050' was panned by critics and audiences too gave it a cold shoulder but Harman is taking the criticism positively. 'In the past two weeks, I've learnt so much about life. I think I'm much wiser now.'
Pasupathi is the hero of movie Kuselan and not Rajnikanth
Rajinikanth comes in the Kuselan for few minutes but the posters promote as if the whole movie is his. Why not even a few minutes of Rajinikanth is enough to poost the movie. Rajinikanth says “There’s already a lot of hype about the movie. I’m very nervous with everyone expecting it to run to a silver jubilee,” he says.
The distributors have sold the movie as Rajinikanth’s movie for Rs 64 crore, for more than what the move Sivaji was sold for.
Asin goes International ; Shares screen with Jackie Chan
The beautiful actress Asin is still climbing her performance ladder. Still being the ambassador of a list of products in India, now she is going world wide. She would be in a commercial with Jackie Chan for an international brand. This ad would have lot of stunts performed by Jackie Chan and Asin will leave in the middle of this month to Hong Kong to finish the ad. She has been roped to act in the movie Ko Taisa , directed by Priyadarshan
Nayantara enters Bollywood
New buzz about Nayanthara is that she would be making her debut in Bollywood. She will be joining the other actress like Genelia, Sadha, and Asin who is already seeing success behind Bollywood. With the movie Kuselan, where she pairs up with Rajinikanth would take her world wide. The song with Vishal has created a waves and she has also signed a deal for K. S. Ravikumar‘s movie where she will act with Vikram.
Filmfare Awards 2008
It was the 55th Tiger Balm Filmfare Awards 2007 which took place at the Nehru Indoor Stadium. The stadium was filled with stars and celebrities like Tabu, Shriya Saran, Madhavan and Chiranjeevi. The movie Paruthiveeran made winning successes of 12 awards. Best Actor: Karthi, Best Actress: Priyamani, Best Supporting Actor: Saravanan and Sujatha and Best Director: Ameer. The film won the Best Film Award for producer Gnanavel Raja. Best music Director went to AR Rahman for the movie Sivaji. Best Lyricist For the movie Unnale Unnale Lyricist Pa Vijay. Best Playback winners are SP Balasubramaniyam and Sadhana Sargam.
Jaya Prada walked away with Lifetime Achievement award. Actor Sivakumar received a standing ovation and was presented with Lifetime Award for his achievements. Shriya Saran said, “Filmfare awards are always a lot fun, people wait for these awards here. I’m really excited as I’m performing. So it’s a double-bonus.” Actress Trisha expressed her feeling, “It’s always a very nice feeling. You get to meet the entire industry and it’s a lot of pomp and grandeur. It’s always nice to be there.”
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