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My online journal of my amazingly boring life. Don't expect anything juicy. I write those in my real journal at home safe away from prying eyes. Except for maybe my sister.
Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure is an upcoming direct to DVD movie spin-off from High School Musical starring Ashley Tisdale. The film follows Sharpay Evans, a spoiled rich heiress, after she has graduated high school and looking to get her big break on Broadway. After seeing Sharpay performing a song and dance number at her country club with her dog Boi, Jerry Taylor, a famous producer, was impressed and told her that he was looking to cast a Broadway musical in New York City. Her father lets her go on one condition: either she makes it in one month or she has to come back home and work for her parents. At first Sharpay thinks that she has her rise to stardom all planned out but when she arrives in New York she gets kicked out of her penthouse and discovers that Jerry was only interested in casting her dog for the part in the show! Forced to take the help of the son of a family friend, Peyton, she moves into a studio apartment and plans to use her dog as a stepping stone to get to her fame. Sharpay goes head to head with a very competitive Roger Elliston who also wants his dog, Countess, to star in the show. Desperate, Sharpay becomes assistant to her idol and star of the show, Amber Lee Adams only to discover she is not the kind of person Sharpay thinks she is. With time running out and her spirit broken, Sharpay will have to act like the star she is again to get to make her dreams come true.
This movie was fun movie with a light plot filled with glitz and glamour. Sharpay is absolutely clueless and there were many funny moments revolving around this fact. It was kind of hard to feel sympathetic toward Sharpay since she is so rich and had everything handed to her on a golden platter all her life. There were a few musical numbers, which were catchy and in the lines of High School Musical. Justin Bieber song, Baby was even included in the movie, though it was played during the side love story between the dogs, Boi and Countess. Kids will definitely enjoy this movie.
Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure comes out on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on April 19, 2011.
Hanna is an intense movie with a lot of action but also has its tender moments. I was, however, slightly disappointed at what I thought would be a twist ending but instead the movie ended very predictably.
Cate Blanchett was brilliant as usual but her southern accent atrocious and tended to phase in and out. Her character needed more work as Wiegler was very one-dimensional; she wanted nothing more than the deaths of Hanna and Erik but you never really find out why. You get bits and pieces of the puzzle through flashbacks but never a clear motive. I find it hard to believe that it was only because of her job that drove Wiegler so hard to exterminate Erik and Hanna; she must have some personal grudge or secret that causes that kind of desperate dedication.
Saoirse Ronan also did a wonderful job as Hanna. She is so wonderfully innocent with a childlike fascination to everything. There are only a few moments in the movie that Hanna could be a child she is and these should be cherished as the pace picks up again very quickly. The score, by The Chemical Brothers, however funky, seemed to beautifully fit the movie. It reflects both Hanna's innocence and her deadly abilities. Nothing seems to be able to stop Hanna and Ronan does an amazing job with all the fight sequences - they were all believable and real.
Overall Hanna is a very enjoyable, interesting and beautifully shot movie but could have used much more character development and clearer motives. It is a good movie but could have been amazing. Still, I would recommend seeing it in theatres.
Hanna opens in theatres tomorrow, Friday April 8th, 2011.
Your Highness is in theatres tomorrow, Friday, April 8th, 2011.
Hop is a cute and fun movie that kids will enjoy but can't seem to make up it's mind on whether it is suppose to be a kids' movie or a bad adult movie. There is a joking scene with reference to the Playboy mansion that I'm sure only adults will get. The Mexican accent on an Easter chick seems kind of out of place especially when the bunnies have English accents! Scenes with Carlos are intended to be funny but the jokes don't seem to fly - pardon the pun. On another note, the animation is amazing! E.B. is so realistic and blends so seamlessly into the live action that it is hard to believe that he was never there. Also E.B. is so adorable! I especially love it when he wriggles his nose! The chicks are cute too except for Carlos; he scares me.
Hop is in theatres Friday, April 1st, 2011.
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Several things happened at the screening of Hop today. Being a kids movie, there were a ton of kids being loud and running and jumping around while we waited in line. When suddenly, this little boy pulled down his pants and to the horror of everyone, especially his parents, he relieved himself in the sidewalk! Ewwww!
When we got into the theatre, they handed out raffle tickets for a chance to win a few DVDs. They called everyone up but the last person didn't respond so they redrew and it was my number! I won The Tale of Despereaux! But that's not all...Being that the screening was sponsored by Winners and Homesense, the representatives had taped five $50 giftcards under random seats. Suddenly, the theatre was abuzz with all the children looking under all the seats. I saw a kid find one a couple of rows in front of us. After a while several woman started to look down our row and one of them asked me "Did you look under your seat?!" I had previously felt a little bit under but not completely. So I stood up and lo-and-behold a giftcard! Wow. LOL The other woman then said "That took you long enough! We can finally start the movie!" Hahahah!
A sense of urgency is instilled in the audience right from the start with the tense and ominous music playing throughout the beginning of the movie. Source Code is an awesome movie that is reminiscent to Ground Hog Day but with better looking people and a more exciting and intelligent plot. You start paying more attention to the passengers to see if you can't figure out the identity of the bomber before Stevens. Gyllenhaal plays Stevens with such passion and emotion; it was a very captivating performance that made you feel a lot for his character. It was very fun to watch him go through what he goes through in those eight minutes of eternity. Just when you think it ends, it starts up again and this happens several times in the movie. It could have ended at any one of those points and you'd still think it's a good ending but it just keeps pushing and pushing so that just when you think you have it all figured out, you don't and leaves you with the thought that the movie may have gone on a little bit too long. The way the director, Duncan Jones, has done it, it's not too bad, it just leaves you more to think about. Source Code is a highly recommended sci-fi action-thriller that will leave you craving for more.
Souce Code comes out in theatres on Friday, April 1st. Don't miss it!
Hall Pass is a funny movie but it also contains a lot of crude and vulgar jokes involving bodily fluids and genitalia which is also displayed in full force. The plot was ho-hum and I didn't like the side story of their wives. It seemed too rushed to be resolved properly. If you are looking for a few laughs, Hall Pass will deliver but it may also end up making you uncomfortable. If watching Rick and Fred's miserable attempts at picking up women is your kind of thing by all means go for it. If you don't have time then just watch the trailer. It basically contains almost everything in the movie minus the vulgarity.
Hall Pass is in theatres now but won't be for long!
West is West is the sequel to East is East. This time the movie focuses on teenager Sajid, played by Aqib Khan, the youngest of the Khan family. Sajid is both plagued by school bullies who hates him for being half Pakistani and by his father George (Om Puri reprises his role) who's oppressing insistence in upholding Pakistani traditions is driving father and son apart. Desperate to instill at least some Pakistani values into his son, George flies Sajid to his house in rural Pakistan where the the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years ago resides. Not before long, Mrs Khan No. 2 follows them in attempt to sort out the mess George has made with his family.
I found the movie very funny. There were many jokes that played on the culture clash and greatly enjoyed watching it. Aqib brilliantly played Sajid, the brooding teenager who eventually opens up to some of the lessons this trip has taught him. The side story about Sajid's brother Maneer and how Sajid tries to help him in finding a wife was hilarious! Overall this is a feelgood coming-of-age movie with comedy, romance, tenderness, that I very much enjoyed.
West is West is playing in select theatres now.
Even though the movie screening was at 10pm, there was still quite a number of people who showed up. Even some of the costume designers were at the screening! I have to say WOW! It was a very interesting movie and it exceeded my expectations. It was way better than Watch Man which was also directed by Zach Snyder. The film was really surreal and had everything from evil Samurai warriors, Nazi zombies, dragons to robots. I LOVED the dragon. The special effects are stunning in this film. Everything was fast paced and you really get the sense of the desperation present in these girls. I think it will make a great video game with all the action! In Baby Doll's imagination, the mental hospital is a brothel and the costumes are very cool. All the racy dances the girls had to perform were cleverly overlapped by the missions that Baby Doll imagined them going on. The story could have been a little stronger; there are some minor loose ends that leave you unsatisfied and asking questions but overall I liked the film and was very impressed by the visuals.
Remember to stick around during the credits. According to the costume designers, that song and dance number costed a pretty million to make. Oh and get ready for the twist in the ending because you never see it coming.
If you want to see more of the costumes featured in Sucker Punch, and you are in Vancouver tonight, there is a Sucker Punch Ball being hosted at the Rio Theatre at 10pm followed by a midnight screening of the film. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 on the night-of the event at Rio Theatre. Should be a fun evening!
Sucker Punch opens in theatres Friday, March 25, 2011.
Paul follows two British comic book geeks, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost), who are visiting the US to attend Comic-Con, a large comic book and popular arts convention. Being huge sci-fi fans, they planned a road trip to go to see all the famous UFO sites across the America. While outside Area 51, they accidentally meet Paul (Seth Rogen), an alien on the run who was held captive there by the government for the last 60 years. When the government decides that Paul had outlived his usefulness, Paul launched an escape. Being a matter of life and death, Graeme and Clive take the rude, wise-cracking little alien aboard their rented RV. Now they are being chased by government agents and also the fanatic father of Ruth (Kisten Wiig), a young woman whom the two had to kidnap to prevent her from telling the authorities about Paul. Graeme and Clive are in for the road trip of their life as they take Paul to rendezvous with his mother ship.
On the one hand, this movie is funny and entertaining to watch. Pegg, Frost and Rogen are an amazing trio who gives the audience a lot of laughs and Wiig delivers all her lines in a spectacularly funny way. There are also many popular sci-fi references littered throughout the movie. Sci-fi and movie buffs will get a kick out of those.
On the other hand, this R-rated movie is full of swearing (I lost count of the number of times the word f*ck was used), lowbrow humour and attacks on Christianity. I cringed at all the sexual parts that were mentioned just for fun in this movie but the other people at the screening seemed love it. There is a scene where there is a small debate on God and evolution. Christians may not like it, it was very controversial and there are other jokes made at the expense of Christians. But if you can keep an open mind, as many will, the scenes are rather funny.
Overall I liked the story, it was hilarious, the animation is very realistic and I suppose that for being R-rated it is rather tame...Just don't bring your parents to see it.
Paul opens in theatres Friday, March 18, 2011.
Win Win is a feel-good movie about second chances, doing the right thing and the unexpected relationships that pop up in life because of one's choices. I liked Shaffer's performance as the often stoic Kyle and Amy Ryan who played Mike's wife Jackie Flaherty was at times hilarious. The director shows that sometimes not a word needs to be said in order to convey messages and feelings. You will feel for the characters and begin cheering them on, however flawed they may be. It was funny, heartwarming and the characters are interesting and relatable. This film is a winner for sure.
Win Win opens in theatres on Friday, March 18th, 2011.