"2007 witnessed a considerable spike in the number of films willing to wade into thorny issues stemming from everything from the war in Iraq to the American intelligence community's conduct at home and abroad. The range of films were of varying quality and clarity (in terms of getting a message out) but perhaps most surprising was the fact that, by and large, moviegoers stayed away in droves, making works like In the Valley of Elah or Redacted box office flops.
Director Gavin Hood, following his electrifying 2005 breakthrough Tsotsi, fell victim to audience indifference as well, as his grim, angry polemic Rendition came and went with hardly any notice. It's a film, written by Kelley Sane, that feels a bit diffuse with its myriad characters and shifting narrative, but can't seem to shake its righteous fury long enough to connect with the story it's telling. It's a bit like Crash goes to Guantanamo Bay, as the turbulent world of geopolitical intrigue is uncomfortably welded to intimate, domestic drama.
Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), an Egyptian-American, is on his way home to wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) and son Jeremy (Aramis Knight), when he's detained by American officials en route from South Africa to Chicago. Thus begins his hellish nightmare, being trapped in North Africa and enduring first-hand "extraordinary rendition," a controversial and unseemly practice that entails shadow agents of various governments relying on torture to secure information. Swept up in Anwar's ordeal is analyst Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) and steely senator Corrine Whitman (Meryl Streep), both of whom want vastly different outcomes from Anwar's brutal interrogation. Parallel to this narrative runs that of Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor), a high-level North African government operative whose personal and professional lives are more deeply entwined than he thinks.
All that exposition and I haven't even touched on the several other layers that make up the fantastically busy Rendition; I kept thinking throughout the film that it would be so much more compelling if the filmmakers would simply let the key stories breathe. But in order to drive home their point -- these insidious government practices have impact far beyond those spirited away from their lives -- Rendition must breathlessly leap between plotlines, stitching madly away in hopes that the finale comes together flawlessly.
But it ultimately does not -- there are plenty of astonishing performances (Metwally, Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, in particular) but the biggest problem with Rendition is that it stifles the drama. Just as anything notable or pulse-quickening transpires, Hood cuts away, letting the audience catch its breath, but also slowly loosening the film's grip.The DVD
The Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is immaculate, with no dirt or damage to be seen. It's a recently filmed production, so detail is sharp, colors are vivid and the overall image is spectacularly crisp, even during the numerous nighttime sequences. If there are any flaws, I didn't see them pop up in any noticeable way.
The Audio:
With a couple action sequences and some blood-chilling "interrogation" scenes, Rendition's Dolby Digital 5.1 has a few opportunities to shine, and does so. The dialogue is heard clearly, with no distortion or drop-out, while the score and sound effects fill in to subtle effect. An optional Dolby 2.0 track is on board, as are optional English and Spanish subtitles.
The Extras:
Few in number, but worthwhile, Rendition's bonus features are appropriately somber. Gavin Hood contributes an amiable, informative commentary track, touching on visual elements and the project's origins. The 27 minute, 38 second documentary "Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the 'War on Terror'," directed by Gillian Caldwell independently of the feature film production is presented in fullscreen and aims to put a human face on this mysterious practice. The 30 minute, five second featurette "Intersections: The Making of Rendition" (presented in anamorphic widescreen) is standard behind-the-scenes fare, with the film's theatrical trailer, presented in anamorphic widescreen, completing the disc". Source: www.dvdtalk.com
In part two of the series premiere, Naomi finds herself in trouble when she fails an assignment, and Ryan and Kelly bring the issue to Harry's attention. Meanwhile, Dixon must deal with jealous teammates on the lacrosse team and Annie meets a potential love interest.
Season 1 Episode 1 - We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
In part one of the series premiere, Harrison Wilson accepts the job position as principal of West Beverly Hills High, forcing the Wilson family to relocate from Kansas to California and adjust to new life in the city - all while keeping a close watch on their troubled grandmother Tabitha. Watch 90210 pilot episode online
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A scene from Lovely & Amazing (2001). Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is conducting an interesting job interview with candidate Michelle (Catherine Keener).
· Went to the Wilco show last night- 8/29 at the Greek Theater. They played their last song, and I'm walking out of the aisle when this woman barrels down on me obviously in a rush. She apologizes over and over again and calls me sweetheart. I suddenly recognize the distinct voice of Catherine Keener. She apologizes again. Very nice and cool for being a Wilco fan. Love her. Source: defamer.com Jake Gyllenhaal and Catherine Keener. Catherine Keener and Ellen Page have starred in "An american crime" (2007) based on the true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl (Sylvia Likens) locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.
"Moving on to disc two, one will find the remainder of the supplemental programming: Deleted And Extended Scenes (seven scenes), Line-O-Rama (adlibs), Gag Reel (self explanatory), Cop Car Confessions (cut cameos), The Making-Of Superbad (self explanatory), Vag-tastic Voyage (web porn), Original Table Read 2002 (Seth Rogen reads for the part of "Seth"), Cast Audition Footage (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera & Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Michael's Voicemails From Jonah (prank calls), Snakes On Jonah (comic cast fear factor), Dancing Title Sequence (how it was done), TV Safe Lines (Watch Jonah Hill try to record alternate "safe" lines appropriate for television), On-Set Diaries (cast & crew interviews), The Music Of Superbad (soundtrack), Everybody Hates Michael Cera– The Unfortunate True Story (mocumerntary), Press Junket Meltdown (mock interview) and Pineapple Express: Exclusive First Look (upcoming flick). Source: www.thecinemalaser.com
Michael Cera also enjoyed making little prank calls when he was a teenager student with his buddy in Heart Lake Secondary school in Brampton, Ontario. As well as his character George Michael made this innofensive prank call in his usual innocent naughty way in Anne's company in "Burning love" episode of "Arrested Development".
"A prank call, also known as a crank call, hoax call, phone scam or phony phone call, is a form of practical joke committed over the Telephone. As with all practical jokes, prank calls are generally done for humorous effect, though there is a thin line between humor and harassment. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders beginning in the late 1970s. Among the most famous and earliest recorded prank calls are the Tube Bar prank calls tapes which centered around Louis "Red" Deutsch, and the Lucius Tate phone calls. Comedian Jerry Lewis was an incorrigible phone prankster, and recordings of his hijinks, dating from the 1960s and possibly earlier, still circulate throughout the country to this day.
Reverse calls, baited/unbaited calls:
Typically, prank calls are known for being outgoing phone calls to the victim; however, a method known as the reverse prank call is performed when the victim is actually the caller. As opposed to the hit-and-miss results of traditional prank calling, this style of prank call usually produces humorous results due to the fact that the caller actually believes what they are calling is real, further validated by the prankster answering the phone in a manner that confirms they've reached the right number. Some performers such as The Jerky Boys make a name for themselves producing albums of their recorded prank calls. During the early years of The Simpsons, a popular recurring gag involved Bart making prank calls to Moe's Tavern, inspired by the Tube Bar prank calls. The calls usually followed a set pattern: Bart would ask for a person, Moe would shout loudly for the person Bart asked for, and Moe would catch on only after the bar (usually) erupts in uproarious laughter, also threatening violent revenge upon catching the perpetrator.
Moe never seemed to realize that it was Bart who made the call. Once Bart even told Moe that he made prank calls and Moe still did not catch on: Bart: "Well I make prank phone calls." Moe (in a happy voice one uses when talking to children): "Good for you."
"It seems that after those sweaty Jake Gyllenhaal photos made their way to the press, security has tightened up. Now all the media can get hold of are snapshots of large buildings which don’t move around a lot, and in fairness that stuff really shouldn’t be that tough to catch off guard.
Over on Movie Chronicles, found via Coming Soon, they have a great example of this showing the Moroccan set and it looks pretty Arabian alright, or at least the version shown in storybooks and Disney movies. It’s definitely a good location for a blockbuster, but that doesn’t make the photo more interesting than the sweaty Jake Gyllenhaal one! That image is said to have single handedly shaken the belief of the nay sayers who believed that Naveen Andrews (who plays Sayid in “Lost” and both looks and sounds the part) should have gotten the role.
Of course, all this pales in comparison to the fact that they are in fact making a movie about a Prince of Persia game. Sadly they chose not to adapt the original pixelated Prince game from the 80s, with the large guillotine blades, the spikes emerging from the floor and the bloody carnage whenever the hero died. Especially emblazoned in my mind is when the hero falls to his death and a sickening crunch is heard. Talk about healthy for kids!
Rather than adapting this classic, they have chosen a more recent 2003 reincarnation of the series. Gyllenhaal plays Prince Dastan, a prince in 6th century Persia who must joins forces with the beautiful princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton - she of recent St. Trinian’s and the forthcoming Quantum of Solace fame) to stop the wicked wizard/nobleman from ending the world as they know it through the use of the Sands of Time. Due out on May 28th 2010, it’s perhaps not such a surprise that we’re not seeing many photos quite yet". Source: www.filmschoolrejects.com
"Our first glimpses at the construction of the Prince of Persia movie set have come to us via Korben & Rocho. These pictures were taken at Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco; it looks like they are creating a full town with streets et al. It is also interesting to compare them to the concept art that was released in April 2007". Source: persia.moviechronicles.com
"2007 witnessed a considerable spike in the number of films willing to wade into thorny issues stemming from everything from the war in Iraq to the American intelligence community's conduct at home and abroad. The range of films were of varying quality and clarity (in terms of getting a message out) but perhaps most surprising was the fact that, by and large, moviegoers stayed away in droves, making works like In the Valley of Elah or Redacted box office flops.
The DVD
