The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)

Directed by: Paul Hoen
Made for TV
Premiered on Disney Channel August 22, 2008

Starring: Adrienne Bailon (Chanel), Sabrina Bryan (Dorinda), Kiely Williams (Aqua)

Synopsis: The tween sensation, Cheetah Girls, are off to India to star in a movie.

Review: To put it nicely, it was something to watch with my brother's kids to pass time. This movie is definitely geared for a pro-Cheetah Girls audience. I found out a few things when I was watching this. First, this Williams looks eerily like Scarlett Johansson when her hair is down. Second, Bryan kicks major butt at dancing. Third, I have this renewed love for Indian culture. Other than that, the lip syncing killed the radio star. On that note, if I see another bad actor lip syncing I'll go crazy!

Verdict: C-
I'm going easy on it for the sake of my brother's kids. :-)

The music addicts are back!

As you all may know, I contribute to a music blog, Confessions of a Music Addict. With Leah moving off to New York, Claire and I took time off as well from the blog and waited for the "go" or the "no-go." If you didn't get the hint from the title of this post, we're a "go," and I'm so excited to catch all of you up on what I've listened to and seen for the past two months. Yay! :-)

Nine the Musical movie update (part 21)

Nicole Kidman is gearing up for shooting in London along with her husband and daughter (article here). What should do like all new mommies is rest and not work. If only this project 'ceased to exist'... (sigh) To cheer me up, I'll listen to Ladytron's Light & Magic and pretend Hollywood isn't a sellout.

MirrorMask (2005)

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Directed by: Dave McKean
Rated PG

Starring: Stephanie Leonidas (Helena/Anti-Helena), Jason Barry (Valentine), Rob Brydon (Morris Campbell/Prime Minister), Gina McKee (Joanne Campbell/Queen of Light/Queen of Shadows)

Synopsis: Helena leaves her family and their business (a circus) for the real world. She ends up in a fantasy of good and evil and tries to find her way home.

Review: I loved this when I rented it a couple years ago. Think of the following films mixed up and you get MirrorMask: The Wizard of Oz, Pan's Labyrinth and Labyrinth. It's a bit dark, but not as dark as Pan's Labyrinth. If anything, I'd watch it for the stunning visuals.

Verdict: B+

The trailer.

Labyrinth (1986)

Directed by: Jim Henson
Rated PG

Starring: Jennifer Connelly (Sarah), David Bowie (Jareth the Goblin King)

Synopsis: Sarah must get back her baby brother, Toby, from Jareth the Goblin King. In order to do so, she must make her way through a labyrinth to the castle where Toby is being kept.

Review: Think The Neverending Story meets The Wizard of Oz. I was disappointed I didn't see this when I was a wee lass. Content-wise, I was intrigued by two things. The first is Jareth's intentions with Sarah. There were a couple scenes where he looked like he liked her- the "party scene" where she wore the Enchanted dress and the funky stairs scene. The other element was the "after school special" tie in where materialism is addressed (the pile of junk scene). Another aspect to address is Jim Henson's genius. It's also seen in Mirrormask (my next blog). Overall, I enjoyed it and it's a fun movie for the whole family.

Verdict: B

The trailer.

The Faint: 8/14/08

Another music break!

Band: The Faint
Venue: Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA

Before I stepped foot into one of the best venues in Atlanta, I knew The Faint from their album, Wet From Birth, and their remix of NIN's "Meet Your Master" off of Year Zero Remixed. Instead of standing in the floor, a bar stool on the second level was more chill (literally and figuratively, it wasn't cramped and air was felt). When they arrived on stage, trippy lights accompanied an animated Nebraskan group. The most amusing was their frontman, Todd Fink, dressed in a lab coat a goggles. Was he a 'desperate guy' or what?! Either way, I developed a crush on Jacob Thiele, who owned the synthesizers. They're nerdy, sexy and full of energy. Seeing them live opened up a can of worms for me and yet another band to make me giggle. I highly recommend you give a listen to "Birth," "Desperate Guys," "Glass Danse," and "Paranoiattack." Their MySpace page and official website are also a necessity to check out.

Nine Inch Nails: 8/13/08

Music break!

Band: Nine Inch Nails (NIN)
Venue: Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA

Let me start off by saying this, I am in love with NIN's frontman Mr. Trent Reznor, or whom I lovingly call "Trent baby." In all, this was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was intimate as it could get for the size of the venue (a smaller version of Philips Arena). You also got more for what you pay for. What I paid to see the Eagles, I would have dropped the money in an instant to see what I saw at a place out in the middle of nowhere. He touched on everything (see below) and had the best best light show to accompany Reznor's genius. I highly doubt there was an audience member that did not kiss the ground the band walked on. It was perfect. I had a flashback of The Gutter Twins show when I saw Greg Dulli because I was totally floored when I saw Trent baby. OH MY GAW!!!! It was pretty close to perfect and was a very happy girl when I left Oz and back to Kansas. :-)

This isn't the setlist, but this is as much as I can remember from what they played. It is categorized by album.

Pretty Hate Machine
"Down in It"
"Head Like a Hole"
"Terrible Lie"

Broken
"Pinion"
"Wish"
"Gave Up"

The Downward Spiral
"Piggy"
"March of the Pigs"
"Closer"
"Reptile"
"Hurt"

The Fragile
"The Frail"
"The Wretched"
"The Big Come Down"

With Teeth
"Only"

Year Zero
"Survivalism"
"The Good Soldier"
"Vessel"
"Capital G"
"The Warning"
"God Given"
"The Greater Good"
"In This Twilight"

Ghosts I-IV
(two or three tracks, not sure of the titles. Even though I'm not a big fan of this album, these tracks were wonderful live and redeemed themselves...)

The Slip
"999,999"
"1,000,000"
"Letting You"
"Discipline"
"Echoplex"
"Head Down"

Also, thanks to YouTube enthusiasts, here's a bit of the performance ("Vessel").

Enchanted (2007)

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Directed by: Kevin Lima
Rated PG
(Live with animation)

Starring: Amy Adams (Princess Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip), Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa), Julie Andrews (Voice of Narrator)

Synopsis: Giselle is destined to marry Prince Edward in animated Andalasia when Edward's evil step mother, Queen Marissa, sends her to real-life New York City. Giselle then meets Robert and his daughter, Morgan, and starts falling in love with him. However, Giselle's fairy tale mindset clashes with the New York reality. Can true love still happen?

Review: I haven't seen a movie that was so sugar-coated with happiness in a long time. For those of you who remember Faerie Tale Theatre and the classic Disney favorites (i.e. Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella), you'll be able to relive that mood and see the influences those classics had on this movie. If you're like me, all those Disney classics mentioned above will come back from childhood you'll be giddy like a school girl. Giselle's wedding dress looks like Jennifer Connelly's dress in Labyrinth (which is my next review). I don't recommend this for boys, but if this is up your alley, go for it! If you're still not convinced, here's another (short) opinion.

Verdict: B+
This review is for my dear friend and fellow blogger, Laura. :-)

Here's a bit of background on the villain of Enchanted...



And my favorite scene!

Roman Holiday (1953)

Directed by: William Wyler

Starring: Gregory Peck (Joe Bradley), Audrey Hepburn (Princess Anne), Eddie Albert (Irving Radovich)

Synopsis: A young, bored princess sneaks away from her royal life and spends the day with a handsome American who happens to be a journalist.

Review: Such a sweet, sweet movie. You'll fall in love with Audrey instantly. I can't say much more. Just watch it. :-)

Verdict: B+
I was ticked at the ending >:-/

Great scene!

The Great Outdoors (1988)

Directed by: Howard Deutch
Written by: John Hughes

Starring: Dan Aykroyd (Roman Craig), John Candy (Chet Ripley), Stephanie Faracy (Connie Ripley), Annette Bening (Kate Craig), Chris Young (Buck Ripley), Ian Giatti (Ben Ripley), Hilary Gordon (Cara Craig), Rebecca Gordon (Mara Craig), Lucy Deakins (Cammie)

Synopsis: A Chicago family takes a family vacation to Wisconsin for a bit of R and R. Chet's family is interrupted when his wife's sister and her family barge-in. To make it worse, they're snotty and the twin daughters are creepy as Hades.

Review: I remember watching this when I lived in the Chicago area myself. In our family, it's a classic among Sixteen Candles, Uncle Buck, and Better Off Dead. Like Vacation, there are many great scenes: the subtitled raccoons, the "bald-headed bear" tale, the "old 96-er" steak, the twins getting stuck in the bear den and, of course, the loaded "shotgun lamp." It's funny and there's something for everyone. Candy and Aykroyd are perfect brother-in-law rivals and steal the show. Outdoors also has the best ending credits scene- the cast dancing to Wilson Pickett's "Land of a 1000 Dances."

Trivia: This is Annette Bening's first movie!

Verdict: A-
A great rental and found very reasonably priced at most places where videos (wait... DVD's) are sold.

"The Old 96-er" scene- classic!

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Cary Grant (John Robie), Grace Kelly (Frances "Francie" Stevens), Jessie Royce Landis (Jessie Stevens), John Williams (H.H. Hughson), Brigitte Auber (Danielle Foussard), Jean Martinelli (Foussard)

Synopsis: A retired jewel thief is accused of robberies, so he tries to catch the thief in order to come clean with the police. Along the way, he becomes acquainted with a potential victim of robbery and her daughter, who are on holiday.

Review: This is one of my favorite films by both Hitchcock and Grace Kelly. Thief is also a Hitchcock rarity with the glamour surpassing the suspense, yet it's still classic Hitchcock. Grant and Kelly are made for one another in this film due to great chemistry and double entendres. This is also one of Edith Head's finest costume designing. With over 400 films on her resume, her work in Thief is up there with the Billy Wilder, Audrey Hepburn and other Hitchcock classics. If you want to do a bit of "film reading," pay attention to the color scheme of Kelly's wardrobe from beginning to end. Enjoy the beauty of the French Riviera sun, the Technicolor and the cheekiness of To Catch a Thief.

Trivia:
-Watch out for Hitchcock's cameo!

-On 14 September 1982, Grace Kelly was killed in an automobile accident in Monaco, supposedly on the very same road as her famous chase scene in this film and not far from where she had a picnic scene with Cary Grant. She was 52 years old and lost control of her car after apparently suffering a stroke while at the wheel. (wonderfully told from imdb)

Verdict: A-
You feel like going to France after watching this!

One of my favorite scenes. Grace actually wore this on a date with her future husband, Prince Rainier III of Monaco. It's so pretty!! It would be cool to try out what she does in the end of the clip, too. Haha! Here is the scene I like to call "Grilled and thrilled."

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

Directed by: Harold Ramis
Written by: John Hughes

Starring: Chevy Chase (Clark "Sparky" Griswold), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold), Imogene Coca (Aunt Edna), Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie), Anthony Michael Hall (Russell "Rusty" Griswold), Dana Barron (Audrey Griswold), Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine), John Candy (Guard), Christie Brinkley (Ferrari Girl), Jane Krakowski (Cousin Vicki),
Eugene Levy (Car Salesman)

Synopsis: The Griswold family drives from Chicago to Wally World in California- classic!

Review: This movie is the reason why family vacations are dreaded. It's hilarious to watch, but not cool to experience. For the Sparky and crew, they experience cabin fever, the Aunt Edna episode, skinny-dipping in the middle of the hotel, getting duped by a shady sheriff and the soggy sandwiches (icky!). Oh yeah, who could forget the fate of Dinky the dog? :-( Will they live to see Wally World??? You'll have to watch and see!

Verdict: A-

Soggy sandwiches!

Nine the Musical movie update (part 20)

Nicole's gearing up for the Nine roll by having the musical director, Paul Bogaev, live with her and her family. Within the article, they say, "The movie has an incredible cast and she knows it will do well at the Oscars." Hahahahahahahaha! I love comedic blurbs. Apart from humor, it's an upside for Kidman to be on the road to getting fit. So, I'll leave it at that.

The latest Harry Potter trailer

It came out a few days ago... I'm excited.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
Release date: November 2008



**Addition** to add to the coolness of this movie, read this. Radcliffe compares this one to Trainspotting (on my top 3 films list)!!!

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Directed by: Billy Wilder
Written by: Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder

Starring: William Holden (Joe Gillis), Gloria Swanson (Norma Desmond), Erich von Stroheim (Max von Mayerling), Nancy Olson (Betty Schaefer), Fred Clark (Sheldrake), Cecil B. DeMille (Himself), Hedda Hopper (Herself), Buster Keaton (Himself, Bridge Player)

Synopsis: Holden plays a struggling screenwriter who helps write a screenplay for a silent-film star has-been.

Review: It's breathtaking and insanely gorgeous! I picked up an el cheapo copy ($5.99, baby!) of this and felt like I should have paid what I would pay for something in the Criterion Collection- it was that good! The dialogue, the mood, the acting, the lighting, everything was perfect. Words cannot describe the perfection of Swanson's performance other than intimidating. At this point, Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity comes closest to Swanson. And another FYI for you, Wilder directed Double Indemnity as well. I'm surprised I haven't covered Double Imdemnity yet, we'll have to change that. :-) At any rate, this is a classic and you must see this as soon as possible!!

Verdict: A+