Whaaaaaat?

Nadal out of the French Open? No way. Who is Robin Soderling?

Precious

Did you catch the trailer for Precious? It's been getting a lot of buzz since Sundance and was a smash at Cannes. The net is buzzing with its Oscar chances. First it was all about Monique for best supporting actress, now more buzz for best film, director and leading actress. Even Mariah Carey's supporting role is getting good notices. If the star of Glitter can be redeemed this must be a masterpiece.

Judging from the trailer, it looks gritty, uncomfortable and provocative. Which translates into good cinema for me. The actors uniformly look good, the buzz seems earned. The movie is not shying away from taboo subjects: incest, abuse, the state of social services. Not exactly happy sunny subjects but they could have the makings of a good story that is new and fresh. I'll be there opening weekend.

Short Review : Up

So I have never been a fan of animated movies in general and Pixar in particular. Never saw Finding Nemo or Ratatouille, thought Toy Story was meh and took the Wall-E dvd out after 10 minutes. The only one I really enjoyed was The Incredibles.

So a friend kinda dragged me to see Up last night. I was game on account of the good reviews and because I wanted to find out if I was missing something in skipping this genre. This movie opened Cannes, for goodness sake.

And again it was just meh. I have to admit the beginning was fantastic. How they set up the story and the characters is really cool. And there was this no-words few minutes that told the story of a marriage that was well made and had an economy of detail while being rich in emotion. After that though it was business as usual. Yes we have not seen someone travel by putting their house on balloons but the other elements of the story were familiar. Two characters, one a curmudgeon, the other sincere and annoying, are forced to join forces and in the process become friends and learn some life lessons. There is a villain and a few charming supporting characters. Been there, done that a thousand times.

Haaz Sleiman alert!

Haaz Sleiman is one of the main characters in the new Showtime series Nurse Jackie. And if that was not enough to make me watch, he apparently plays a gay guy who is Muslim and of Middle Eastern origins.

Hmm I am defiantly watching. Could there be someone on TV who has a lot of my own experiences? Never thought I'd see the day. Granted I'm only half Arab but it's close enough!

As for the show itself. It's OK. Edie Falco is as intense as ever and has a few good moments. The premise, a no-nonsense nurse in a big hospital, has some promise. And there are a few familiar and acclaimed actors, Eve Best, Dominic Fumusa, Anna Deavere Smith and Peter Facinelli in the cast.

But back to Haaz, on whom I had a crush since The Visitor. He only has a couple of scenes in the pilot. Including a sweet tender one with Falco on which he reminisces about cutting off his cheating boyfriend's torso. Watch the pilot here.

No Posts in a while

So much to post about. Trailers for Precious, The Road and Nine. Very exciting all. The news from Cannes. Can you believe what Lars Von Trier is saying.

Sorry I've been incommunicado. Updating soon.

Cate's 40 today.

Happy birthday to my favourite actress, Cate Blanchett. She turns 40 today.

I have liked her since Elizabeth. I wait expectantly for each new movie she's in. She never disappoints. Always exciting to watch on screen.

Elizabeth has to be my favourite role of hers. You watch a vital, full of energy and spark, star being born right in front of you on screen. I love her line reading "Do your worst Mr. Hughes" from The Aviator. And Her Meredith Logue in The Talented Mr. Ripley, never has casual snobbery been as fascinating . And how about Notes on a Scandal and I'm Not There. Even in less than stellar movies Like Charlotte Gray, Bandits and Heaven she shines.

Who else has the range to play Elizabeth the first and Bob Dylan in the same year? Here's to you, Cate the Great.

Funny Mother's Day!

Justin Timberlake was on SNL last night. As usual he was charismatic, engaging and fun to watch. The best thing though was the sequel to "dick in a Box", I think called "Motherlover". Collaborating again with Andy Samberg with cameos from Susan Sarandon & Patricia Clarkson, this was HILARIOUS!

Check it out here.

Why hasn't this charisma and comic timing translated into a movie career? Discuss.

Big Summer Movies

Not at all interested in "Woverine" or "Star Trek". Zzzzzzzzzz ...boring.

Terminator:Salvation is another story. The trailers look badass! And it's the kind of dark moody action movie that matches my sensibilities. Christian Bale is always interesting, although maybe not so much anymore.

And Sam Worthington starts his breakout year with this movie. He's also in Avatar this year and I'd like to be there just in case he's the new Action Hero!