'City of God' meets the border?

What would you risk for love, for a better life, for a dream?

Hit or miss? Sundance seems to approve so, who knows, might be a stunning piece of art. Or it might be another beautiful and well done repeat of an old story. Either way, intrigue...

Sin Nombre Trailer



xo xo

Preciousness!

Right, so in the excitement for the new year we spent some quality office time youtubing new trailers, and I came accross this little gem below! Can't believe I've been so out of the news-loop I almost missed this!
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'Precious', from director Lee Daniels and based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire (screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher), follows an overweight and illiterate teen who's knocked up with her second child (by daddy dearest no less). The trailer shows Precious (played by Gabby Sidibe, newcomer on the acting scene but with an academy nomination gleam in her eye already) trying to find her way in the world, and find some love for herself and her baby. And it's just a little bit heartbreaking!
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Oh, and try to ignore 'Oprah Winfrey' and 'Mariah Carey' flashing accross the screen though, if it makes you feel better.
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Have a look, bound to be a big teary-eyed hit (even if it might not gross out that big, predictions still have it leaving a heavy mark on the radar).
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Precious Trailer (2009/2010)

The women and the massive fail...

'The Women' got a lot of loud voices raised while it was being shopped around. Even Nikki @ DeadlineHollywood.com started posting about how it should be released, and eventually it seems to have had some good luck. And I'll admit I was curious. Here was another 'power-chick-flick' being promoted to us with loads of references to the 'Sex and the City' franchise, fun quirky trailers and name dropping.

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But heaven knows what Diane English was smoking when she did this. Because it was far from good. Or quirky. Or all that funny. It was actually (no offence, heaven knows I probably couldn't have done it better) kinda painful... :(

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The plot basically follows Meg Ryan's character as she finds out her big-shot husband of x-years is cheating on her. She finds herself getting advise from her girlfriends (Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Anette Bening) and gets more and more conflicted until she snaps, finally chases her dreams, makes up with the friends she threw bitch-fits on, and sorta... well, lets stay spoiler free. But to sum it up, anything you predict about ten minutes in will probably happen, and it'll be cringe-worthy watching it un-fold.

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The script is weak, the dialogue is messy and cliched. While all the actors and actresses in here are amazingly talented and brilliant folks they all seem to be either mis-cast or not have enough concrete time/material to find their role. And it makes even the cheesiest SatC lines look brilliant in comparison.

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Too short, too fluffy, too predictable. And anything with substance is pushed through almost nervously fast, as if staying focused on something specific or deep would wreck the humour...

Although, on the plus side Meg Ryan is always intriguing to watch and, to her credit, she does bite her teeth into the role. And Sylvia's (aka Anette Bening) line of "I am the man I want to marry!" is quite perfect. Still, it's kinda a bummer to see a starry all-women cast in this 'power' flick fall so short.

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On a happier note, there's 'Women in Trouble' by Sebastian Gutierrez to look forward to, about eight different women (from strippers to... well, more stippers) in trouble of all sorts. It looks like either a massive fail or a quite funny hit of an indie, but most importantly it looks intriguing (on a budget tho)... Who knows, maybe it'll at least give some more laughs to the 'power chick' theme.

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Trailer below (ps Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it too! How can that go all wrong?)

'Women in Trouble' (2009) official trailer below

OMG, just shoot me, it's reality TV!

Ugh! I can't believe it, but I'm falling for 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'.
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There's something dirty about even saying that sentence!

But then again, it's (sorry gals) a lot more intriguing than The Hills or that City romance Bromance smush. It's cringe-worthy but interesting seeing this family go crazy, manage businesses, and grow up. And maybe it's just a tinsy bit of a guilty pleasure seeing the fabulouse 'K' sisters running into the ups and downs of having their own stores, the day to day 'living in your twenties' crazyness, and all the jazz that comes with it.

Ok, I admit it. I'm hooked! Surely there're worse things, right?

Plus, I adore Khloe's straight forward comments!

Stop looking at me with those concerned raised eyebrows people!!!!

xo

P...oetry?

'Something'

I just want something to matter.
Is that so ghastly?
Can't we just wait...
Stop, think?

Is there no time left for that?

I think maybe we took too much for granted.
You, me?
Too much time to kill, moments to waste.

Of course, when they told us we had none left,
you laughed, and said 'isn't that just the way...'

Time is mine and yours to disregard
I wish somehow the tolling arms
would care to know
about the tears that slow their pace

It's not real though, this moment
it's just one in a million.
All those other seconds still ticking by.

Just because the only one that mattered to me stopped.

I'll miss you too.
Isn't that just the way...



xoxo
D

Collage

So, for today's 'tick off the list and feel at least somewhat creatively useful' results, what do ya'll think of my mini collage?

xoxo

Striptease, TV land, and Twittering

Stumbled accross this 'guide to scriptwriting' website the other day, and it had two main pieces of advise to offer-


1) get used to rejection & re-writes (often not your own, but suck it up). It'll happen a lot, and just know that the directors vision will most probably look wildly different from your own.


2) There are a lot of ways to make quick cash to pay the rent while suffering through the rejections. But do not. Under any circumstances. do. Striptease!


I found it quite funny that the next page I opened was listing female scriptwriters currently working on some great projects. Including oh, you know, Diablo Cody (Juno), Raelle Tucker (True Bood), and Sera Gamble (Supernatural). Two things all women have in common? They're fierce writers and have all at some point made money by taking off their clothes.


Not saying it's the way to go, or that it's a bad idea, just a little midnight intrigue moment.


Oh, and this twitter business? It's insane! You can literally find the most random people and they'll be putting their entire lives out there for you to follow. It's strangely intriguing, and possibly somewhat disturbing.


I see the update to the website now - Rule no 3) Do not, under any circumstances, give out your creative ideas via Twitter. People. Will. STEAL!


Oh, but then there's the now infamous 'Shit my dad says' which, I'll admit, is disturbingly addictive & hilarious. Can't 'wait to see what they make of it if it really does hit the small screens!


xoxo

Lusse Christmas buns

Oh for fudge's sake!

I just realized it will be a christmas without snow OR Lussekatter!!!

For those of you who remain clueless as to what miraculously amazing thing Lussekatter is, I wish to inform you all that you suck and need to go slap yourselves... right now! Because you are helping spreading a massive and dangerous disease commonly referred to as UNAWARENESS!

Or let me put it in simpler terms; Lussekatter are quite possibly the most important Christmas invention since Fudge Chocolate Cake. And while some of you might potentially argue fudge chocolate isn't particular to Christmas, I would like to inform all of YOU that chocolate is particularly relevant to absolutely all holidays. And other days. And nights. And anywhere else it fits.

Lussekatter, however, are Christmas treats. That may rule parts of Scandinavia during December. We don't have polar bears but we certainly have saffron with raisins on top.

Oh, somedays I do miss those long icy dark days...

xoxo

Whatever happened to Betty?

Whatever happened to Ugly Betty?

Remember when she was all the hooplah, and everything from Billboards to Gino to crazy fashionable poncho wearing Beckhams were obbsessed with TVs latest sweetheart?

I hear rumors that they are indeed still on air. Which means someone must be watching. Which in turn means they must still be churning out some form of storylines. But then Eastwick came along and... either Rebecca Romjin has a twin with a flair or that's Daniel's brother-turned-sister (should I still have a spoiler warning for any newcomers to this?)?

And didn't Daniel at some point get a son? And that guy.. from Harpers... And that teeny bop series ages ago! With the glasses? Henry!! No, wait... Was that his name here too? Right, anyway, didn't he get preggers with missy red hair from Glee (love her bthw! she must sing more!)? And Gino left for some reason. Maybe to go back to making dead people look creepily pretty on TV? No? And the Mead matriarch started a new mag and someone froze someone elses sperm to get preggers and get a part of the company? Oh, and there was Kiss, right?!

Okay, well, anyways, my point is how did this show fall so far and fast? I mean, Desperate Housewives is apparently doing great still, with planes from Lost crashing in and renewals of contracts for years and years! And speaking of Lost... Time travel? Really!!? And Grey's is... well, anyway, Betty was so sweet and quirky and funny and different. How come they didn't take?

Is the poncho no longer funny? Or did Betty get too pretty in her makeover ala network style?

xoxo

LMAO!

...and I hate that 'word'! But anyways...

Haha, just got this link sent over to me and it actually took me a while to realize who he was! But anyways, enjoy the power of tweets and a carefully structured plan of taking over the world through minions here!

Some select quotes from the man with the plan of world dominance through chocolate and minions (aka Mischa Collins) -

"So we need a name 4 our war that both boosts recruitment & maintains the element of surprise. I propose: The Mint-Chocolate Experience."

"Why does everyone dread prison? I played more shuffleboard in a week than I had in a decade. I asked to stay on, but they needed the bed."

Rihanna on 20/20 - It's never ok to hit someone...

Rihanna's 20/20 interview is available (all thre HQ parts) on youtube, check it out. Heavy stuff, regardless of what you think of the show and how it was promoted...

Domestic abuse is never all right. Hitting a woman (or a man, or a kid, or anyone) in rage or otherwise is never ok. And there's never a reason that justifies any abusive actions, there's just not. And those who actually strike, or defend this behaviour, need to desperately grow a bloody pair. Just saying...

xo

Pink bras and f-words

Another day of filming, off 'work' time though. Did a comedy sketch (or a heap of em really), including a crazy little gem featuring two grown men in bed with pink bras, Amsterdam-hooker-style make up, and lots of strange blackberry marketing placements.

I'm assuming this won't qualify them for an endorsement deal though.

Anyway, should be good fun seeing the finished thing on screen, even though the script sorta fell short half-way due to pouring rain and failing spirits towards the end of the day. It's to go with a big stand-up comedy act though, so I'm thinking what we got will hold.

Back to the exhaustion... Sunday night and I've only just realized I spent my only two free days running around like a mad woman. At least the wallet is thicker (i.e. can afford a cuppa tea tomorrow morning...).

xo

How do you like your eggs?

I know it's an old piece, but here's some Banksy from his Bristol exhibition anyhow...

It's just so everyday, and so... intriguing for lack of better word.

SPN Catchup

The love of fans...

Imaginarium of Doc Parnassus trailer...

Shouldn't really require that much of an intro.

Heath Ledger's final role is about to hit the screens on Oct 16th, in the form of 'Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'. Trailer below. It's the love & magic...

Gentlemanly bastards...

Oh for fucks sake!

I’m gonna quote a text I just sent off

“Fucking Brit boys and their fucking brit fucking ways! I swear, they all get sent to gentleman fucking school for boys to pass Dick 101. ALL OF THEM!”

That pretty much sums it up... As far as, you know, emotion goes.

I’m sorry but, did Shakespeare really screw you up quite that much? I mean, I refuse to believe that the only reason Romeo paid Juliet much attention was due to her cleavage and the mystery that was her ass. Then again, I suppose it was an even bigger mystery then... But he bloody died for...

Oh never mind!

My point is that there is a whole other Shakespearean issue to deal with now – the Gentleman. The very british tea sipping, door opening, somewhat pompous, and head-held-bloody-high Gentleman. May he rot!

As one of my guy friends so eloquently put it-

“Here I’ll get that.”

“Oh, no really, I can open my own door” *happy sarcasm*

“Hah, you do know WHY guys really open doors don’t you?”

Cue blank stare from myself.

“Well, there's really only one reason... Come on, we wanna be able to check out the gal’s features... You know. “

...
“ Your bod!” As if this was the most obvious thing since 2+2=4...

Somehow I think that sums up the case pretty well.

Xo xo

PS. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no feministic rally-and-burn-your-bras bull in the above! I’m just saying, we’re all humans... still... unless the Gentlemen are a different species? Hmmm... I could buy that!

Adoration

Zoey Deschanel & Joseph Gorden-Levitt dance and rob banks!

Mr Welling and the tights! (and the cape...)

Old rumours, I know, but it seems like Season 9 (!) of Smallville will be the magic one involving the cape, the logo, and the... Oh, hang on. Apparently he'll be looking more like Neo than Superman! Looks like the man in blue tights is going for the frosty black and silver look, and with a trench coat to boot (have they been watching the angels over at Supernatural again? Tsk tsk guys...)!

At least that's what the 'Blue Tights network' are reporting off the Comic Con 09 Smallville panel, and the teaser from the new season. Gough & Millar, what's going on here?

Other exciting news included Welling confirming he’ll be stepping up to the role of exec producer this year. Dude’ll take over the show at this rate! Not saying that’s a bad thing though, he seems quite comfortable in the role. Nine years on the same show will do that to you.

Hey, at least they’re letting him fly around these days! ... Aren’t they? And, while I admit to not be quite up to speed with this (come on, no Lex?!), hasn't he... donned the cape, sort of, before? Or at least promised to do so? Someone, please, fill me in here!

Xo

Nail polish

Black. Neon green. Purple. Red. Really red. Slightly red. Really very pretty red. Not really all that red...

They come in all different colours (and shapes... not sure why), with the same intent. If you can't afford a spa treatment, or stress therapy, you sit your ass down and paint those toe/finger nails for a good ten minutes, and you'll be frustrated enough by the colour slips not to care about your rent being overdue.

Okay, so maybe they serve multiple purposes for different people. Like flip-flop season. You want to show off your pretty toes. Or avoid blatant staring at the feet you haven't taken care of for the past year or so because your back just bloody aches and you really can't be bothered to care.

Anyways, it's another one of those girl inventions that just serve no real life or death purpose, is frankly quite pointless and time consuming, but can also be quite fun. Not to mention, there is still something oddly sexy about a man in punk rock mascara and black nails. I... really don't know where that comes from. Oh well.

Other such inventions, these more purely created to complicate our lives, include eyebrow tweezers, rouge, and pens to pain back the eyebrows you just tweezed away. Really? No, really?!

The worst part is that to some extent I get it. I'm doing it (not the painting back eyebrows part! just to be clear), so clearly I must either be as crazy as the rest (which is probably not the strangest proposition of the year) or there is a point to it. In all blatant honesty, I do it because my self esteem has crumpled under too many glances at Cosmopolitan, and too many 'Oh, damn girl, loving that make over!' upon brushing on some mascara.

In a world where anything above size zero recieves intense scrutiny (or your co-workers concernedly talking to your boss about your chocolate eating habits increasing when you size 1,5), and pretty plus skinny plus blonde equals job opportunities, well it's bound to have SOME questionable effects on the psyche of half the population.

But nevertheless, for some odd reason that was not the point. I actually find myself liking nail polish. It is sort of like those bright red shoes. You know the ones... it attracts a different kind of attention, if done right. Raised and questioning eyebrows even, and that I cannot resist! So neon purple with blue tinges, here I come! Thank heavens for colour clashes ;)

xo

Stage sex...

Knew the title'd get you...

Anyways, as for the quote of the day/face palm moment...

Walking to lunch with a gal and a guy.

“OMG did I tell you about this guy! He just told me he’d had sex in front of a 1000 people!” says the girl, looking fairly appalled!

“... How do you even go about that?” hungry confused moi.

“At a concert, with the hot background dancer. On stage.” She explained.

I’m sure it’s a bit of a girl thing, but we both sort of stared at each other with these ‘fill in random absurd and dumbfounded curses here’ looks. Which was apparently cue for the first boy comment on the matter

“That’s fucking awesome!”

...

“I mean, he’s scored enough man points for a life time! That’s... No, seriously, he now has enough man points to drive around in a pink fluffy car with butterflies on and he won’t be any less of a man.”

“Because of the man-points?” sometimes I just can’t help myself. Clearly I need to work on the clarity of my sarcasm though...

“Yes! I mean, man, he’s like a legend now!”

And they keep asking why I’m still single and can't seem to stick it out beyond a few weeks with a boy!

xo xo

D

Civil rights & Milky-ways...

Just had to put this out there (and yes, I watched the movie, but that's hardly the point... Although the movie is damn good, and personally I think James Franco was highly under-rated in it).

Anyways... Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Naturally the city stage was San Francisco (and particularly a now famous camera shop in Castro being the home and starting point of the political Milk-wave).

Either way, Mr Milk stood for more than just gay rights. He was for civil and human rights, for the equality of man (regardless of sex, sexual preference, age, color, height, weight, smarts, wteverthefudge).

And I'd like to share a sorta transcript of a speech he performed (which is partially also in the movie) in opposition against Proposition 6 (they wanted to fire all gay teachers in Cali).


‘My name is Harvey Milk – and I want to recruit you. I want to recruit you for the fight to preserve democracy from the John Briggs and Anita Bryants who are trying to constitutionalize bigotry.

We are not going to allow that to happen. We are not going to sit back in silence as 300,000 of our gay sisters and brothers did in Nazi Germany. We are not going to allow our rights to be taken away and then march with bowed heads into the gas chambers.

On this anniversary of Stonewall, I ask my gay sisters and brothers to make the commitment to fight. For themselves, for their freedom, for their country. Gay people, we will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets. We are coming out. We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions. We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I’m going to talk about it. Come out to your parents, your relatives. I know that it is hard and that it will hurt them, but think of how they will hurt you in the voting booths.

Jim Carter, you talk about human rights. You want to be the world’s leader for human rights. There are fifteen to twenty million gay people in this nation. When are you going to talk about their rights?

If you do not speak out, if you remain silent, then I call upon lesbians and gay men from all over the nation, your nation, to gather in Washington one year from now, on that very same spot where over a decade ago, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke to a nation of his dreams, dreams that are fast fading, dreams that to many in this nation have become nightmare rather than dreams. I call upon all minorities and especially the millions of lesbians and gay men to wake up from their dreams, to gather in Washington and tell Jimmy Carter and their nation: Wake up. Wake up, America, No more racism. No more sexism. No more ageism. No more hatred. No more. And to the bigots, to the John Briggs, to the Anita Bryants, and all their like: Let me remind you what America is.

Listen carefully:

On the statue of Liberty, it says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free…’

In the Declaration of Independence, it is written: ‘All men are created equal and they endowed with certain inalienable rights…’

And in our national anthem, it says: ‘Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet o’er the land of the free.’


For Mr. Briggs and Ms. Bryant, and all the bigots out there: That’s what America is. No matter how hard you try, you cannot erase those words from the Declaration of Independence. No matter how hard you try you cannot chip those words off the base of the Statue of Liberty. And no matter how hard you try, you cannot sing the “Star Spangled Banner” without those words.

That’s what America is.

Love it or leave it.’


Do with that what you like, but I thought it was quite a neat (and very relevant) little compilation of words...

xo xo

D

PS. Gay rights are still not recognized everywhere, and same-sex marriages are banned in quite a frightening number of places, even in the 21st century. Women are still being stoned for not having 5 witnesses when they're raped. Heck, women are still being punished by law in some places for refusing to have sex with their husbands. Little boys are being mutilated and brainwashed to carry guns and kill in the name of nothingness and holy wars, simply because they are not able to run fast enough to get away. People are still judged based on background, whether it's financial, geographical, or something else. We still let our own fall through the cracks because we STILL cannot seem to recognize we are all worth just the same, wherever in the world we are, and whoever we might be.

Just saying...

Introductory

Blah... Not much for words for the sake of cluttering up cyber space alone.

Although, just a side note here but, have you noticed how many one-post blogs are out there? On blogspot alone? Just taking up space, like dust particles in the internet desert. Most of them completely pointless, or vivid descriptions of how they will take over the world or be back every week to give us 'avid readers' the scoop!

Course they never got past that one little bitsy post of hopefulness. Poor bastards...

One caught my eye though, a gal calling herself Claire writing about a friend (or frienemy? so hard to tell these days) who it appeared had commited suicide some time ago. It was one of those angry posts, lots of 'why's and 'what did I miss' and 'damn you!'. But most of all it was honest and raw, and I'm not ashamed to admit I spent a good ten minutes looking for the comment button. Couldn't find it :(. Anyways, have a lookis here

I suppose as far as introductions that will have to do. Now if I can be bothered to keep my eyes open much longer, the Barry can be quiet for a moment (the phone, the actual Barry is kicked and gone, not coming near my front door!), and this flu can make up its mind about kicking my head or chest, I'll get on that whole html thing and make this thing... perrty?

Oki doki

xo

D