Donnie Darko: inescrutable film

"Of course, there are many that would argue that would not be a bad thing as Donnie Darko can be a very inscrutable film.

It combines elements of the angst of not fitting into high school society, the cultural and political climate of the late 80's and time travel; Yup time travel. The film slides through conventional genres in a manner that is almost haphazard making it hard to easily classify much less digest in a single viewing. Donnie Darko works on multiple thematic levels though its core could best be described as science fiction. For those who have little tolerance for ambiguity, this is probably not a top recommendation, but, if you are so inclined, Kelly's film delivers an extremely satisfying emotional/psychological experience (though I would not call it a thriller) with precise mood and setting even if it is not easily understandable.

I should clarify that my comments are about the theatrical version as Kelly revisited the film only three years after release for a director's cut. The later version includes 21 minutes of additional footage (including new special effects), changes in editing and differences in the sound mix both with the use of music and ambient effects.  
What I mentioned above about the film being inscrutable is exactly what Kelly wanted to remedy as he thinks the central plot points about Donnie should not be up for debate and has a definitive vision of how the film should be interpreted. Thus his director's cut removes much of the opaqueness of the narrative (making it more mundanely offbeat) and for my tastes has too much spoon feeding that in the process of clarification destroys the beautiful mystery the theatrical version delivers. Thankfully Fox had the foresight to not force us to choose as consumers and provide both versions allowing you to make your decision about which is preferable (though I would definitely recommend starting with the theatrical version)". Source: www.thehdroom.com

Hottest Dudes Under 30

1. Ever since he ditched the bleached blonde fro and the other members of N'Sync, Justin Timberlake, 27, has become the King of Pop while romancing a string of high-profile sexies. Being on top of the world is hot. 2. Zac Efron, 21, proves that you don't need to be a womanizing bad-boy to be a Hollywood Heartthrob. In fact, this clean as can be star is probably at the top of thousands of gals' most wanted lists. Okay millions. 5. After a string of small roles, Emile Hirsch, 23, is now a hottie on the fast-track thanks to starring roles in "Into the Wild" and "Milk". Being Sean Penn's friend is hot. 8. Seth Rogen, 26, is the type of guy that all guys wanna be buddies with, and all girls secretly wanna be with. Being perfect is hot.
9. With talent, bedroom eyes, and sweet-guy disposition, Jake Gyllenhaal, 28, won the heart of Reese Witherspoon. And she's really rich. So that's hot.11. The gorgeous eyes, the adorable accent, the warm and funny personality, James McAvoy, 29, is almost too good to be true. And fantasy is hot.10. It took a while for him to get there, but after starring in the quintessential chick flick, "The Notebook", Ryan Gosling, 28, sealed his position as a bonafide heartthrob. Late-inning hotness is hot.13. Robert Pattinson, 22, gained some recognition as Cedric in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", but it was his role as Edward Cullen in the ridiculously successful flick "Twilight" that vaulted him into our Top 30. Vampires are hot.18. Michael Cera, 20, gives hope to shy nerdy types everywhere. A stammering, off-kilter delivery can be very hot.26. Few women can fight the appeal of a bad boy, and with all the trouble he's been getting into lately, "Transformers" star Shia LeBeouf, 22, is becoming irresistible. Source: www.foxnews.com

At least, Shia Labeouf is featured in one of the last places in this list, and I'm not smitten at all by his "bad boy" tag. I must be in that loser "few women" group.

Happy 33rd birthday, Reese!

"Yes, Ginormica wears a specially-designed leotard. And the identification of the voice-actor and the character is so strong, "everyone's, like, 'You lood so good!' And I'm like, 'That's not me, folks.' My girlfriends watched it and said the same thing. I'll take the compliment."Interestingly, with the exception of the drama Rendition, comedies -- from antic films such as Four Christmases to rom-coms such as Penelope and Just Like Heaven -- have been Witherspoon's main stock-in-trade since she won the best-actress Oscar for playing June Carter in Walk The Line. Of her current spate of comedies, Witherspoon says, "My next couple of things might not be comedies. But it's an appropriate time to do them. People want to go to the movies and escape what's going on in their lives. And I think, y'know, it's nice to just have a bit of escapism and have a laugh." She's happy to talk about her kids, 9-year-old daughter Ava and 5-year-old son Deacon, given that they (especially Ava) were key to her accepting her first animated voice role. She's turned down many, most of the girlfriend variety.

"I have a little girl, and I try to be thoughtful about the movies she sees. And making a movie for kids, I try to be thoughtful about the kind of ideas I put out there. It's important."
Of the turned-down scripts, she says there has "never been an opportunity there to play a real, multi-facted female character. And so it happens that they came to me with this great idea for this character who has doubts and insecurity and really finds her strength through this ragtag team of monsters ... who aren't monsters! Source: jam.canoe.ca

Celebs wearing T-shirts

"Hollywood celebrities are choosing to wear their addictions on their sleeve - - well, close to their sleeve. A brand new apparel company has designed a collection of t-shirts touting addictions to Facebook, MySpace, Google, Alcoholics Anonymous., therapy, sex and yes, even porn. And they've become a huge overnight hit!

Two entrepreneurs, Andy Behrman and Glenn Shelhamer, inspired by their own addiction to the Facebook phenomenon sweeping the country today, have designed a collection of t-shirts which give people the choice to freely announce their addictions, in the hope of ridding themselves of the stigma associated with it.

The collection of t-shirts was introduced earlier this month at AddictionTee.com and no sooner was Jake Gyllenhaal seen wearing a Facebook Addict t-shirt - - the back of the shirt read: "stealing your friends" - - at Yas Yoga in Venice, California. This spotting made a splash in the New York Daily News and New York Magazine and the company was flooded with orders from around the world.

Colin Farrell was seen at Urth Cafe in Santa Monica, California, wearing a Sex Addict t-shirt, Russell Crowe was seen at a rugby game in Sydney, Australia wearing an A. A. Addict t-shirt and Zac Efron was wearing his Facebook Addict t-shirt at Crave restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California.

We knew that our design and price point of $28 per t-shirt was a winner", says Shelhamer. "No designers - - including Armani, Gucci and Prada have introduced such a playful collection of apparel," Behrman adds. "We're excited by the response and the collection hasn't even shipped to retail outlets across the country," says Shelhamer".
Source: www.emediawire.com

Jake Gyllenhaal vs James Franco

James Franco transformed into poet Allen Ginsberg on the set of his new movie Howl in NYC.

"Body of Work:

Franco was in Freaks and Geeks (which earns him a lifetime of goodwill in the halls of the SportSquee Bunker) and has the Spider-Man franchise under his belt. And this year he showed his range with buzz-worthy roles as the calming, loving partner of Harvey Milk and the needy stoner in Pineapple Express.And he won a Golden Globe for playing James Dean! However, he has a string of excremental films on his resume, such as Annapolis, Flyboys, and, Deuces Wild. Gyllenhaal, for me at least, will always be best remembered for the criminally underrated October Sky. He has some hifalutin films to his credit, like Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain. But... Bubble Boy.
Advantage: Even
Body: Franco is long and lean. 

Gyllenhaal is all broad and brawny. At least he was in Jarhead.
Advantage: Gyllenhaal

Facets: Both fellas have shown a cool hand at comedy as well as drama. Franco's bit with Seth Rogen at the Academy Awards this year was by far the most memorable moment of the telecast. And Gyllenhaal's cameo in SNL's "Iran" digital short was one of the funniest moments of last season. Franco has a Golden Globe for for a dramatic role. Gyllenhaal has an Oscar nomination. No, not for October Sky. I was surprised by that, too. It's a really good movie, you guys.
Advantage: Even

Face: Franco's face, though sometimes an unflattering shade of hipster sallow, is pretty perfect. I mean, he played James Dean, who had as perfect a face as has been measured. Gyllenhaal... well to me, it's always looked like he had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Lovely eyes, lovely smile, but a little buttery in the face.
Advantage: Franco

October Sky vs. Freaks and Geeks: Ok, since we can't sort this out in the conventional way, and we have to get on with the Round of 32 voting, it seems that this contest will come down to which of the two candidates signature work is more awesome. October Sky is an unpretentious feel-good drama about a group of misfits in a West Virginia coal-mining town who work together to build a rocket. It's based on a true story and is unabashedly sentimental yet never schmaltzy. And when you're hungover on a Saturday and it's on USA, suddenly your hangover doesn't seem so bad any more. It's a warm hand-crocheted afghan of a movie. It's like a blueberry pie cooling on your windowsill. It's like some other kind of Americana-based metaphor I can't think of right now. Meanwhile, Freaks and Geeks was rude, sardonic, painful, and little-seen. And funny as fuck. A show about high schoolers in the 80's is completely timeless despite the period costumes. No show has ever cut to the heart of being a teenager with absolutely no saccharine. It's all embarrassing and hilarious and true-to-life. and pumped with the finally-appreciated humor of Judd Apatow. All of the actors from this show are filling out all of the hit comedies of the past few years, if that tells you anything about it's quality". Source: sportsquee.blospot.com

Carey Mulligan in "Brothers"

"She was the "belle" of the festival, according to Harvey Weinstein, and her easy grace and gamine good looks had misty-eyed pundits making reference to Audrey Hepburn. The 23-year-old has been on British radars for a while - she played Ada Clare in the excellent BBC serialisation of Bleak House in 2005 - but her turn in An Education is about to propel her to international fame.

Mulligan plays a smart Twickenham schoolgirl coming of age in the early 1960s via a relationship with an older man (Peter Sarsgaard). An Education is based on a short memoir by Lynn Barber, adapted by Nick Hornby and directed by Lone Scherfig. The film, and Mulligan's "captivating" performance, garnered ecstatic reviews at Sundance and Berlin, where she was named one of 2009's "Shooting Stars".

Mulligan has been keeping starry company of late. She is Johnny Depp's louche girlfriend, briefly, in crime epic Public Enemies, out in July. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon share the screen with her in The Greatest, and later this year you'll see her alongside Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brothers". Source: www.guardian.co.uk

"The Girl next door" deleted scenes

"Cuthbert mostly stands around and looks gorgeous, leaving the humor to the men. Overall, Hirsch proves he has all the qualities of a leading man, able to embody the mentalities of both a victim and nobody’s fool within the same scene. He is a lover, not a fighter – look out for his rambunctious turn while doused with a hit of Ecstasy". Source: www.filmstew.com


"We’re no longer following the pat formula perfected by John Hughes, adding an unhealthy dose of R-rated randiness and dutifully unleashing the combination on teens expecting bra straps and punch lines. Instead, Greenfield and the screenwriting team of Stuart Blumberg (Keeping the Faith) and David Wagner & Brent Goldberg (Van Wilder, the upcoming Nick Cannon film The Underclassmen) have moved into uncharted territory, using those conventions to evoke a larger truth. Namely, that life, whether you’re 18 or 80, is unpredictable and that, from moment to moment, it can alternate between happy, sad, scary or all of these emotions at once.

As sad and difficult as teenage life may sometimes be, Greenfield has restored its representation on screen to life to a level that no number of gratuitously flashed areolas can equal. And that, dear readers, is a lesson worth learning". Source: www.filmstew.com