"Wendy and Lucy", director Kelly Reichardt’s follow-up to her 2007 indie marvel, "Old Joy", returns to a Pacific Northwest of equal parts natural beauty and desolation. Dressed in androgynous clothes, her hair chopped and boyish, Michelle Williams stars in Wendy and Lucy as a slacker waif adrift in a subculture of neo-hippie train jumpers building bonfires in the woods, bruised blue collars and a collection of vets and disabled hard-luck cases waiting at the corner store to exchange cans for change. As Wendy is hauled away to jail, Lucy remains tied to a bicycle rack, one more tragic loss in a string of escalating disasters.These losses come with a devastation comparable to that in Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 neo-realist masterpiece, "The Bicycle Thief". Unlike Emile Hirsch’s adventuring, Alaska-bound dropout in "Into the Wild", Wendy’s is not a purposeful estrangement from the world. There are foils and fairy godfathers along the way, but the overall impression Reichardt creates is of a cold, hostile world as immune to individual suffering as the Depressionera America of "They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?" or "The Grapes of Wrath".The only comfort Wendy finds is from the drugstore security guard (Wally Dalton) who first rousts Wendy from sleeping in his parking lot and then watches her contend with the ruined car and lost dog. His gestures of kindness are pitiably small, compromised by his own limited means. Reichardt allows us so little access to her interior life that she seems opaque, her comatose demeanor hard to identify: Is it deep depression or soft-headedness? "Old Joy" went deep inside the loneliness and need for connection of its heroes, and Wendy and Lucy’s impact often resides in external events. Wendy can feel more like a symbol of economic despair than the soft and pulpy realer-than-real men of "Old Joy". But thank goodness for Reichardt’s committed focus even on symbols in the escalating miseries of our own hard times. Source: www.nypress.com
Happy belated 23rd Birthday to the talented and lovely actress/singer Amanda Seyfried!This is a musical video dedicated to her. Songs "Honey, Honey" sang by Amanda Seyfried in "Mamma Mia!" and "Pale Blue eyes" by The Velvet Underground.
Amanda's most famous roles have been the Plastic Karen Smith in "Mean Girls" (2004), Samantha in "Nine Lives" (2005), Mouse in "American Gun" (2005), Lilly Kane in "Veronica Mars" series (2004-2006),Julie Beckley in "Alpha Dog" (2006), Rebecca in "Wildfire" series (2006), Sarah Henrickson in the series "Big Love" (2006-2009), and her first lead role as Sophie Sheridan in the film version of the musical "Mamma Mia!".
Amanda joined the cast of the dark horror film "Jennifer's Body" (2009) written by Diablo Cody, playing the title character's best friend Needy Lesnicky. Her upcoming roles are Savannah Lynn Curtis in "Dear John" (2009) and Paige Prideaux in "Boogie Woogie" (2009).
Mark Ruffalo and Jake at "Zodiac" Cannes Film Festival Premiere. Jake with Mark Ruffalo at NYC "Zodiac" Screening.
I hate to communicate these tragic news, because I can't imagine how much Mark Ruffalo must be affected by his brother's loss. I've always been a follower of Mark's career and loved his performance (as usual) in "Zodiac", so here I give my condolences to Mark Ruffalo, my heart goes out to him and his family.
"Scott Ruffalo, a married hairdresser, died late Monday after he was taken off life support, one week after he was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his Beverly Hills condo. He is the kid brother of "You Can Count on Me" star Mark Ruffalo".
"JAKE GYLLENHAAL, all pumped-up and studly, is still shooting Disney's "Prince of Persia" in London. But his 28th birthday is on Dec. 19, and Jake's beloved, Reese Witherspoon, had planned a lavish party for him in LA. Both stars, who are super-professional, know the importance of keeping to schedule, so they didn't hold much hope of being "together" on Jake's natal day - at least not as Reese had planned.
Good work is rewarded, however. The studio said, "Go, have a blast!" The 19th is a Friday, and Jake will probably be back in his prince costume by Monday morning, the 22nd.
SPEAKING OF Jake, his leading lady in "Prince of Persia" is British knockout Gemma Arterton, seen most re cently dallying with Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace." (She was the delightfully named Strawberry Fields.) Gemma is only 22, but her romantic life is already colorful.
Gemma was keeping company with handsome Spaniard, Eduardo Munoz, who was hired to train her horseback skills for "Prince of Persia." They discovered other skills in the course of events. Gemma and Eduardo quickly became a couple during the shoot in Morocco. However, when the company moved to London, his job was over. They missed each so much that Eduardo flew to Britain to be with her. It was terribly impulsive and romantic.
Sadly, "Quantum of Solace" had to open. Gemma is suddenly hot, in demand. Between scenes on "Prince . . . ", Gemma now looks glum. Eduardo is back in Spain. Success - it has its price". Source: www.nypost.com
"Wendy and Lucy", director Kelly Reichardt’s follow-up to her 2007 indie marvel, "Old Joy", returns to a Pacific Northwest of equal parts natural beauty and desolation. Dressed in androgynous clothes, her hair chopped and boyish, Michelle Williams stars in Wendy and Lucy as a slacker waif adrift in a subculture of neo-hippie train jumpers building bonfires in the woods, bruised blue collars and a collection of vets and disabled hard-luck cases waiting at the corner store to exchange cans for change.
As Wendy is hauled away to jail, Lucy remains tied to a bicycle rack, one more tragic loss in a string of escalating disasters.These losses come with a devastation comparable to that in Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 neo-realist masterpiece, "The Bicycle Thief".
Unlike Emile Hirsch’s adventuring, Alaska-bound dropout in "Into the Wild", Wendy’s is not a purposeful estrangement from the world. 
There are foils and fairy godfathers along the way, but the overall impression Reichardt creates is of a cold, hostile world as immune to individual suffering as the Depressionera America of "They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?" or "The Grapes of Wrath".The only comfort Wendy finds is from the drugstore security guard (Wally Dalton) who first rousts Wendy from sleeping in his parking lot and then watches her contend with the ruined car and lost dog. His gestures of kindness are pitiably small, compromised by his own limited means.
Reichardt allows us so little access to her interior life that she seems opaque, her comatose demeanor hard to identify: Is it deep depression or soft-headedness? "Old Joy" went deep inside the loneliness and need for connection of its heroes, and Wendy and Lucy’s impact often resides in external events. Wendy can feel more like a symbol of economic despair than the soft and pulpy realer-than-real men of "Old Joy". But thank goodness for Reichardt’s committed focus even on symbols in the escalating miseries of our own hard times.
