RIO!!!

Rio (2011)
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Genre: Animated, Family, Adventure
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Rated: PG

As the story goes, a baby Macaw named Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), native to Rio de Janeiro, is stripped from his beautiful homeland by those from the black market hoping to profit from the selling of exotic birds. Blu is lucky enough to have fallen from the smuggler's truck amidst travel and be found by a little girl named Linda (Leslie Mann). They become the best of friends, in every sense of the word, and via a little montage, we come to present day - Linda as an adult store owner, with Blu helping out in her day to day tasks and him reaping every benefit of her adoration of him. Their life is quiet until a gentleman named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) arrives and offers a one-of-a-kind chance; Blu is only living male Macaw left and they have a female they want him to mate with. In Rio de Janeiro! Aside from having to leave all that he knows, Blu has a big problem; he never learned to fly!

This adventure takes place in the heart of this beautiful city. The energetic and native music is an integral part of the experience - so many fun songs! Being that it's 2011 and an American-made film, the featured artists are T-Pain and Jamie Foxx; they do a solid job voicing two supplemental characters and lending a hand to quite a few songs. There is no denying when this film was created and that the marketing is precise; there are quite a few current-day references and body mannerisms placed throughout that are particular to our new generation. There is not too much that is incredibly original yet it doesn't matter - everything was enjoyable: the music, the humor, the love story(s). And thus...

I give this a four out of five frames!!!



Now go fly away and see this movie, you won't regret it!

Post a thought on the forum (www.j1studios.com/forum/) or shoot me an email (bibliophagedanae@hotmail.com) with your response/thoughts!!

Danae signing off!

Oh no! We'll all be killed!

I cried when I heard you might get your own daytime show too Katie.



It’s no secret that I don’t like Katie Couric. Well if you know me and have heard me talk about the Today show then you would know that. When Katie left five years ago to do the evening news over on CBS I was not heart broken. You could hear me telling anyone that asked, and even if they didn’t, that I could not wait for her to go. I thought her interview skills weren’t that great. When she was interviewing families about their recently murdered child she would step all over them talking and interrupt them to ask nonsense questions. Now I understand that they only have a short period time in the segment and they have to get all the questions in, but she was just terrible at it. The parents would be crying and talking about how much they miss their daughter and she would interrupt with the tragic details of their death. Katie was lacking in the tact department. She also seemed to be stuck on herself. Trust me Katie, NO ONE CARED THAT MUCH ABOUT YOUR LEGS! It seemed towards the end that Katie cared more about her clothes than anything else.

Katie then went on to be the first female to anchor the nightly news solo. That is a big deal. Barbara Walters didn’t even do that, and she’s Barbara Walters. Unfortunately for Katie she didn’t fare too well over there on CBS all by her lonesome. After initial big ratings she abruptly fell to number three and couldn’t claw her way out of there. She just couldn’t get past Brian Williams on NBC or Charles Gibson, who anchored for the first half of Katie’s run, and Diane Sawyer, who anchored since 2009, on ABC. It was big news when Diane Sawyer was to be anchoring on her own. It would be the first time that two females would go up against each other in the ratings for nightly news. Sadly, Katie just couldn’t cut it. Diane Sawyer proved to be a better anchor.

I can’t deny that there was some choice moments that Katie did shine. Who could forget her interview with Sarah Palin where she made her look like the fool that she is? She has been able to go to different countries and cover big stories that she wasn’t allowed to while she was on the Today show. Ann Curry always got those jobs. It was rightfully so since she was the news person on the Today show. I do think that Katie was a little bitter about it. But really, how can you take someone that got a colonoscopy on national television seriously?

You may be wondering why I’m bringing up my disdain for Katie Couric. Well, her contract with CBS’s nightly news is up in a matter of weeks and people are speculating as to what she will be doing. Will she be renewing her contract with CBS? Does CBS even want to renew her contract? Will she go on to host her own syndicated daytime show? The last question is what everyone seems to think she will be doing. They also think that she will be corrupting her old co-host from the Today show, Matt Lauer, and have him on the show with her. I sincerely hope that Matt doesn’t go to her show if that is the route Katie chooses to go. What would the Today show be without Matt? We already know that Meredith Vieira won’t be renewing her contract when it is up in September. We would be left with Al Roker, who can just be too much at times, and the lovely Ann Curry, who will become too much after a while.

My plea to all networks out there is that they don’t give Katie Couric her own syndicated daytime program. I like her sitting quietly over there at 6:30pm at CBS. I don’t have to deal with her there. Apparently no one has to deal with her there. Unfortunately for the viewing public though, she doesn’t like to go away. She is like that fly that you thought went out the door with you in the morning but it turns out that it never really left and keeps buzzing around your head all night. I’ll be on the lookout for what happens. I need to know where to stay away from, just in case.

Until next time kids, this has been Hava.

Insidious

Insidious (2011)
Director: James Wan
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Running Time: 102 minutes
Rated: PG-13

As a family attempts to get settled amidst a move, frightening things start occurring. The mother, Renai (Rose Byrne), seems to be the only one noticing anything as odd noises and bizarre experiences have her scared. After an accident in the attic, their son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), falls into a coma. Months pass, with his brother giving a forewarning of what is to come by expressing his discomfort with the coma-ridden Dalton as he is cared for at home. More and more alarming scares occur and Renai insists to her husband Josh (Patrick Wilson), that something is wrong with the house and for their safety, they need to leave.

Once in their second new home, Renai hopes they left behind the eeriness yet not long passes before she realizes that it wasn't the home that was haunted, whatever abnormal, other-worldly being(s) that had been harassing them are still with the family. Josh's mother quickly believes her, stating she had a vision about Dalton - that the source of this nightmare was centered around him. Josh's continuous dubiousness frustrates everyone as he is the only one not having experienced the craziness. After an overtly terrifying event, Renai convinces everyone that a supernatural medium is needed to assess what was going on - what happens then can simply be described as a disconcerting, life-altering sequence of events.

Reminiscent of older, horror films that perpetuate fear via build up of titillating oldies music, letting the imagination scare yourself, and simple startling frights, this film is successful in keeping it simple and eerie. We all know by being along at home late at night, those odd noises are enough to get your imagination running, now imagine you slowly realized there was a true supernatural source behind those sounds and it wasn't going anywhere. Josh Wann plays on these fears and gives you more to be terrified of over and over again. I don't want to give too much away so I will stay vague, but this is a film in which I had difficulty determining the single most frightening moment - there were too many! The story is nothing new, as there are many ghost/spirit-based movies out there but we don't need an out-of-place plot. What we fear is not only what is unknown, but something that is close to home and that which is inescapable. For the same reasons I thought 2010's Drag Me To Hell was amazing (though this doesn't contain the icky, body-liquid grossness Drag Me did); classic jumpy frights, no over the top Hollywood graphic makeup - Insidious does it right.

I give this film 4 out of 5 frames!!



View the trailer here:



Danae signing off!

source: traileraddict.com

Paul Review - Sneak Preview, Not Yet Released!

Paul (2011)



Rated: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Adventure
Director: Greg Mottola

To summarize the premise, two besties (& a couple of sure-fire nerds), Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are embarking on a cross country adventure hoping to catch a glimpse of anything supernatural and to obtain numerous photo opts at some of the most popular alien-sighting attractions. Amid their travels, they encounter quite an oddity to say the least - something they yap about constantly but truthfully did not desire a chance meeting with - an alien! Not just any alien, Paul to be specific. This creature, while the stereotypical big-headed green man, is not quite what they expected. A smart-alec who speaks English, makes pop-culture references and appears to be a genius who has the humor of a 14 year old boy. He needs the pair of fanatics to help him dodge a top-secret government agency who'd been housing him as a consultant of sorts for decades yet they had determined he'd served his needs and was to be disposed of.

Unfortunately I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to it - from the trailer alone, it didn't have me sold. I went because I'm not one to turn down a free screener's pass! I will say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would yet it was not consistently interesting or comical. A few of the human/alien exchanges were dry and empty. I missed some references although I did get a few of them but not enough to crack more than a grin. Some of the crude jokes/gestures were brainless and unamusing yet I suppose for this movie's target group (boys/men teens to mid thirties who have grown up going to comic cons etc..), it's quite fitting! Jason Bateman never fails to play his role perfectly and a well-placed slap had to be the best scene (aside from the ending) in the film. We all certainly know Simon Pegg, and his bff in real life, Nick Frost, is familiar too. Yet the pair didn't wow me in any way. I will say it was better than I gauged yet nothing to be too excited over. I would love the opinion of an individual who got ALL the references and is a man in the age group I mentioned above. While I do not believe girls should watch "girl" movies only and vice versa, in this case, the target group will likely be the only group able to enjoy this oddball. In addition, the references to Christians were insulting. Although I understand that as in lots of cases within film, especially a comedy, what's written about is an extreme but to make fun of a belief and attributing those who believe in it to be naive, brain-washed individuals is irritating and false.

This movie gets an overall, 1.5 out of 5 frames!



While there certainly existed hilarities (did I just make up a word?!), overall it was slowly paced with not enough laughs to have me watch again. I'm certain though for geeks (not hatin', just statin') they'll catch more of the relations and it may appeal to them more than the average viewer. FYI - NOT for kids!!

Watch the trailer if you haven't already:



Will you go see this movie, wait for netflix or nix it? Let me know - post to the forum!

Danae signing off!

source: traileraddict.com, imdb.com

Trump wants you to care about these celebrities

"Celebrity Apprentice"
Channel: NBC (check your local listings)
Day & Time: Sunday @ 9pm EST


Who doesn’t like watching Donald Trump tell has beens and people you forgot existed to do some ridiculous tasks at least once a week? Anyone? Anyone? You in the back? No? Oh, okay. I didn’t think so. Somehow it’s just more interesting watching Trump boss these “celebrities” around than regular Joe shmoes who really need the job and the money. It just seems to be easier to watch sixteen “celebrities” duke it out for money to give to charities.

This new season has brought out a higher quotient of recognizable stars than usual. The line-up this season is as follows: Gary Busey, Jose Canseco, David Cassidy, Richard Hatch, Lil Jon, Mark McGrath, Meat Loaf, John Rich, Hope Dworaczyk, La Toya Jackson, Star Jones, NeNe Leakes, Marlee Matlin, Lisa Rinna, Niki Taylor, and Dionne Warwick. If you don’t recognize any of these names you can go on over to NBC’s website and go to the show’s page and read a short bio about them. The one person on here that I can’t believe is in this group of people trying to be relevant again is Marlee Matlin. She is an Oscar winner for crying out loud! She must be doing this as a favor to Trump to make this season a little more legitimate. Or he is catering to the deaf community.

The season premier was hectic as usual. They broke off into the boys against the girls and came up with team names. The boys chose “Backbone” and the girls chose “A.S.A.P. (Actors, Singers, Authors and Professionals with a Purpose).” Hatch and Jones become the project managers for the task. The task is to run a NY pizzeria. Once at their respective shops they start calling all of their famous and/or rich friends to drum up business. Richard is controlling and obnoxious, just like when he was on Survivor. Thankfully in this reality show he is wearing clothes. He seems to enjoy picking on little David Cassidy by physically pushing him around. The guys prep for sale and somewhere along the way Busey is dubbed the “Pepperoni Profit” and he will be out on the street preaching about the pizza. The ladies take to prepping as well and Star pretty much stays as far away from things that will make her dirty as possible. She works on a way too busy poster instead.

As things start rolling Hatch insists that they only deliver pizzas to large donors. He also pushes Cassidy just one too many times and he tells him so. Hatch doesn’t really seem to care at all. The ladies find that Niki Taylor was a pizza chef in her former life. It seems the only hitch is that Warwick isn’t too quick with the register and the credit card machine. Back at the guys site they are getting big spenders in there which makes Cassidy feel a little inferior. The girls bring in the big bucks too. They also win a taste test challenge and win the right to deliver pizzas to a fire house to pick up a $35,000 donation for their team. When one of Star’s friends order 40 pies at $1000 a piece Star decides to close the shop so they can focus on the large order. She rushes the delivery ladies (Marlee & Lisa) back and gets on them for being in traffic. They are able to make it to Star’s friend, who has changed the order to just one pie for $40,000. They don’t get to the fire house though. Tsk, tsk.

In the boardroom the girls are calmly going at each other and Busey’s cell phone goes off. He is pretty much the best part of this show. So all totaled the girls kicked the guy’s butts at $115,368 to $54,104. While the ladies celebrate the guys go at each other. Or, more specifically, they guys go on about how Hatch picked on everyone especially Cassidy. Canseco wants to beat up Hatch and Busey acts like a loon. When asked who should be fired everyone agrees it should be Hatch. It comes down to Hatch, Cassidy, and Canseco in the end and Trump thinks that Cassidy just doesn’t stick up for himself enough and he ends up getting fired. Ridiculous, right?

It seems to me that they only kept Hatch around for ratings because you know he will fight with people when Cassidy most likely wouldn’t. He just doesn’t seem like that sort of guy. Personally, I think this season should be pretty good. They have some egos on there and anything with Gary Busey is always a winner. I want him to win. If not Busey then definitely Marlee Matlin.

I give this opening show 3 1/2 frames. As things go, it could have been better. I'm grading on a curve.


Until next time kids, this has been Hava.

Has it really taken Tyra 16 seasons to be taken seriously?

America’s Next Top Model
Day/Time: Wednesdays @ 9pm EST
Channel: CW (Check your local listings)

Guess whose favorite crazy ex super model is back. Yep, it’s Tyra Banks and she is back for the sixteenth cycle of America’s Next Top Model. Yes, you heard me correctly. This show has really been on for sixteen seasons. It’s amazing isn’t it? Who would have ever thought that her crazy and kooky self would have been allowed to continue this nonsense for this long? Lucky for me she has. Even luckier for everyone she is still on this kick of “high fashion.” Last season was her first venture into the “high fashion” realm. She is trying to be more serious and actually taken seriously. That is why I’m sure this season will be just as interesting to watch.

Tyra and the CW network have taken all of the guess work out of who will make it into the house and onto the show by posting the short bios and pictures of the models for this cycle. I’m pretty disappointed about it. They use to not post this stuff until maybe the day before but this time they posted it the beginning of February. That is pretty foolish if you ask me. It takes all of the fun out of the first episode wondering who is going to make it onto the show. Apparently that is neither here nor there at this point since the network is set on just letting everyone know everything ahead of time. Looking through the girls’ bios they are all pretty much 23 and under except for one glaring stand out of a girl who is 26. Cue small violins playing as she recounts over and over about how this is her last chance to break into the modeling business. I also noticed that around 95% of the girls are in college or graduated college. That’s a nice step up from some of the other seasons. Is that your way of making this show more “high fashion” Tyra?

There really isn’t much else out there to know about this cycle. The only things that we can glean from the short preview clips is that they are still going with the “high fashion” theme, Miss J Alexander is not allowed to sit on the judges’ panel anymore, Andre Leon Talley is still there trying to make the show legitimate with his connection to Vogue magazine, and the girls will be doing a runway challenge while walking on water in a giant bubble. I hope that John Travolta is the guest judge for that challenge so he can comment on the girls’ ability to control the bubble. He does have the most experience of anyone I know since he was the boy in the bubble.

The only bit of insider info I can give you is that the trip this season is to Morocco. We know that since Jay Manuel, the photo shoot creative director, tweeted about it while he was there and posted a picture of him in the desert. That should be fun. I’m anticipating all of the flashbacks I will be having to the horrendous ”Sex and the City” movie sequel. You think that’s where Tyra got the idea to go there from?

I’m not sure how I feel about this new cycle yet. True I can’t have a completely formed opinion until I see it but I just don’t know about this “high fashion” angle they are working towards now. I’m happy for Tyra and her effort to make this show mean something and her desire to be taken seriously but she’s losing her kooky, fun, and sometimes questionable sanity side of herself that we have all come to know and love. She sometimes irked the devil out of me while all of the unnecessary weirdness but without it the show just doesn’t seem the same. We can only wait and see how this season pans out. I’m going to make an early prediction based off of what I have read about the contestants. I’m going to guess that it is the girl Nicole. I’m only guessing this based on her picture. They haven’t had a blond win a while so they are due. So if it’s not Nicole then it’s one of the other blonds.

Obviously since I haven't seen any of the season yet I can't give out any frames. But I'm sure this season will be worth many a frame to come. I have included a very funny clip of Tyra mocking the stereotypes of contestants that we see on the show. Enjoy!



Until next time kids, this has been Hava!

Wompers

I am ash-a-med! I had been planning on seeing The Fighter, Black Swan, The King's Speech & Tangled for the past few weeks. Has this busy gal made time in her "sh"edule to do so? Nada! Do not fear, while I have not been able to view and thus REview any new releases, I have intermittently been watching a miniseries. One that is unexpected as it's been out for quite some time AND it's not even American! You all know of my love of Netflix and in looking for some positively commented-on movies/shows, I came across a British series called Prime Suspect. This series came out in the 1990's and ran until the early part of 2000s. The show featured Helen Mirren as British Detective Chief Inspector (DCI), Jane Tennison. She is one of a handful of women in a male dominated field. Set in London, DCI Tennison takes on every case with her whole being. She is a no-nonsense, hard-working and quite honestly, unsympathetic boss. Throughout the series, she continues to have a painstaking struggle for any and all respect. Yet nothing stops her - she demands to be heard as she truly is a good detective. Not afraid to take on cases that may end badly, aren't pretty, nor will necessarily be the best for her future - she invests all she is into each and every case. BTW, the series has won Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and more...

Here's a clip from the first episode of season 1 (unfortunately she's not in much of this clip in particular but figured it best to show you the beginning):



There are 7 seasons in all - I'm just finished Season 3 and will onto Season 4 this weekend. No worries about needing an excess amount of time to get the whole series in; each season is comprised of just four, one-hour episodes. I'm doing a little at a time.

I rate this series (so far!) a four and a half frames out of five:



Next series in my queue: Dollhouse!

YOUR homework for today - provide recommendations of what I should add to my Netflix queue based on some of YOUR favorite series!

Danae signing off!