Photo of the Day #9.

Bobby and Marty ♥

The One with those "Amazing" Avatars.

Wow, I know I haven't done this in such a long time, and, FYI; I saw this film back on the 12th of January. I'm a little behind on my reviewing, but I'll catch up :)
Okay, I really did not have an interest in seeing this film. I thought it was full of special effects and nothing else...and I was pretty much right about that. Seeing this film was not my intention, but then I thought, I might as well. Apparently it's great, everybody loves it, so why not? Why not(?) you ask, I'll tell you why not...

Written & Directed by: James Cameron

Jake Sully is a paraplegic marine who is set on a mission to travel to a new world; Pandora, and report back to the U.S military. There, Sully meets Neytiri, falls in love, and gets caught up in the Na'vi Native world of Pandora because he now feels as if it's his home, therefore defies his initial orders of reporting to the U.S military.

I shall report back to my golden globes blog where I said that Avatar was very weak. This, in my eyes; is the truth. It had a boring screenplay and the acting wasn't anything special. I was so glad that it only won the academy awards it did, because that's all it deserved. Yes, I have to admit I loved the visuals; the scene where Jake first arrives at Pandora & the one where Jake and Neytiri first meet are visually stunning, but so what?
Jake and Neytiri weren't so believable as a couple to me at all, although it is a nice enough concept...a little familiar though. And that sex scene; cringe-worthy! I must say; I did love Giovanni Ribisi in this film. I am a fan of him, and I think he was great, and it was a shame that he wasn't in it more than he was.

Okay, many people say this and it is completely true; this film is as if it's anti-American. Americans are depicted as the enemy, merely because Jake sides with the natives and rejects Colonel Miles Quaritch's project altogether. In my opinion, this was frustrating, and also very predictable, but sometimes there is nothing wrong with that, I suppose.

The long-winded, near 40-minute battle at the end was just ridiculous. It went on a little too long for my liking. It was the same thing happening over and over again. Frankly; I wanted this scene to end... fast! Usually, I'm very patient with viewing films, but this scene was painful.

Now, I know this 3D phenomenon is catching on, and I'm not it's biggest fan. It did make Avatar a wonderful experience, but that's all this film was; an experience; nothing else. Most people love it because it's visually stunning; blah, blah, freaking blah, but as I've said; that doesn't cut it. That doesn't make it one of the greatest films ever! Not on my watch, anyway.

This film is still in cinemas here, since December 17 actually; and I find this silly. But I must applaud you, James Cameron. You've created a hell of an experience. Avatar sequels have been discussed; but please don't make them.
I give it 2 out of 4 stars.

Judge for yourself.
Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_JBMrrYw8

Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 162 mins.

Taysha. x

The One With the Last Minute Oscar Talk.

I know it's been a long time; and I've been caught up in school work; again. so let's start this bad boy up one more time, shall we? :)
Let's talk oscars!
This is what/who I think will win and what/who I think should win?
If there isn't a 'SHOULD WIN' spot in any category, this simply means that I haven't seen any of the films nominated.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:
Nominees:
Ajami (2009)(Israel)
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)(Germany)
El secreto de sus ojos (2009)(Argentina)
Un prophète (2009)(France)
La teta asustada (2009)(Peru)
WILL WIN: Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
Nominees:
Coraline (2009): Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog (2009): John Musker, Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells (2009): Tomm Moore
Up (2009): Pete Docter
WILL WIN: Up

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones
District 9 (2009): Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
Star Trek (2009): Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton
SHOULD WIN: Avatar
WILL WIN: Avatar

Best Achievement in Sound Editing:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker (2008): Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Mark Ulano
Star Trek (2009): Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson, Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker (2008): Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Mark Ulano
Star Trek (2009): Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson, Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Faubourg 36 (2008): Reinhardt Wagner, Frank Thomas("Loin de Paname")
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Take It All")
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman("Almost There")
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman("Down in New Orleans")
SHOULD WIN: Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Take It All")
WILL WIN: Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker (2008): Marco Beltrami, Buck SandersSherlock Holmes (2009): Hans Zimmer
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
SHOULD WIN: Not Avatar. It's score is very boring.
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
Il divo (2008): Aldo Signoretti, Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek (2009): Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria (2009): John Henry Gordon, Jenny Shircore
SHOULD WIN: Star Trek [I haven't seen this film, but I have seen the brilliant makeup.]
WILL WIN: Star Trek/The Young Victoria

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
Bright Star (2009): Janet Patterson
Coco avant Chanel (2009): Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009): Monique Prudhomme
Nine (2009): Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria (2009): Sandy Powell
SHOULD WIN: Nine
WILL WIN: The Young Victoria

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
Bright Star (2009): Janet Patterson
Coco avant Chanel (2009): Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009): Monique Prudhomme
Nine (2009): Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria (2009): Sandy Powell
SHOULD WIN: Nine
WILL WIN: The Young Victoria/Nine

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Stephen E. Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
District 9 (2009): Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker (2008): Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Joe Klotz
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds [Hi Sally! We love you!]
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker/Inglourious Basterds.

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Mauro Fiore
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009): Christian Berger
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009): Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker (2008): Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Robert Richardson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
An Education (2009): Nick Hornby
In the Loop (2009): Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
SHOULD WIN: Up in the Air: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
WILL WIN: Up in the Air: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger (2009/I): Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman
A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino!
WILL WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino/The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
WILL WIN: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)/James Cameron for Avatar (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart (2009)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
WILL WIN: Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
WILL WIN: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)
WILL WIN: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008)
SHOULD WIN: George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
WILL WIN: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Cameron, Jon Landau
The Blind Side (2009): Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson
District 9 (2009): Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
An Education (2009): Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey
The Hurt Locker (2008): Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Lawrence Bender
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up (2009): Jonas Rivera
Up in the Air (2009/I): Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Lawrence Bender
WILL WIN: Avatar (2009): James Cameron, Jon Landau/The Hurt Locker (2008): Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro

I hope you all have a fantabulous night.
Don't take it too personally, as I do :)

Taysha. x

Photo of the Day #8.

Penélope Cruz & Woody Allen ♥
[From Vanity Fair's Actors/Directors Photo Shoot of 2009 for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.]
Last Penélope Cruz-related photo for now, I promise! :)

Taysha. x

Photo of the Day #7.

Even when Penélope Cruz is supposed to look like crap, she looks perfect. Javier Bardem looks great too, of course :)
Maria Elena & Juan Antonio Gonzalo ♥

Taysha. x

The One With Vanity Fair's 2010 Actors/Directors Photo Portfolio Special: Frame, Set, and Match.

This is a portfolio of fantastic photos of actors and their directors showing their chemistry, in two cases; that has lasted for years. I love these photos and thought that I'd post & share them here :)

1. The Visionary
James Cameron with His Fusion 3-D camera

One Film Together: Avatar (2009)


2. The Battle-Scarred
Kathryn Bigelow with Jeremy Renner

One film together: The Hurt Locker (2009)


3. The Romantics
Pedro Almodóvar with Penélope Cruz ♥

Four films together: Live Flesh (1997), All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006), and Broken Embraces (2009)


4. The Real Deal
Lee Daniels with Mo’Nique and Gabourey Sidibe

One film together: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)


5. The Sprites
Peter Jackson with Saoirse Ronan

One film together: The Lovely Bones (2009)


6. The Trouble Girls
Lone Scherfig with Carey Mulligan

One film together: An Education (2009)


7. The Hellions
Quentin Tarantino with Christoph Waltz ♥

One film together: Inglourious Basterds (2009)


8. The Beautiful People
Tom Ford with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore

One film together: A Single Man (2009)


9. The Juke-Jointers
Scott Cooper with Jeff Bridges

One film together: Crazy Heart (2009)


10. The Pot Stirrers
Nora Ephron with Meryl Streep

Three films together: Silkwood (1983) and Heartburn (1986) with Ephron as writer, and Julie & Julia (2009) with Ephron as writer-director.


11. The Best Buds
Todd Phillips (second from right) with Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper

One film together: The Hangover (2009)


Taysha. x

Photo of the Day #6.

Carolina & El Mariachi ♥

Photo of the Day #5.

simply beautiful ♥

The One With True Romance.

I've wanted to see True Romance (1993) since I was about 4 years old. This is because I always used to see the poster up in my garage and I thought Patricia Arquette was the prettiest woman in the world. From then on, I was obsessed with wanting to see it. After turning 17, I finally got that chance and it was worth the wait.

Directed by: Tony Scott
Written by: Quentin Tarantino

This film is full of drama, comedy and is somewhat glamourous. Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) marries hooker; Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette), steals her pimp (Gary Oldman)'s cocaine which he then tries to sell to Hollywood. This causes many mishaps, especially the fact that the owners of that cocaine try to get it back.

Every character in this film is great. The fact that they're so different to each other makes the film extremely interesting.

Christian Slater is Clarence Worley
His best lines:
1. "I mean look at her. It looks like she fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."
2. "I always said, if I had to fuck a guy... I mean had to, if my life depended on it... I'd fuck Elvis."
3. "If there's one thing this last week has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it."
4. "You just said you love me, now if I say I love you and just throw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may and you're lying to me I'm gonna fuckin' die."

Alabama was right, Clarence is "so cool"! Clarence is a man who loves films, especially kung fu ones, and is obsessed with Elvis Presley. From the first line that Clarence speaks, it is obvious that he is such a likable character. He never loses my interest & he's just plain cool, something that pretty much every Tarantino character is.
Christian Slater is amazing as Clarence. Although, Slater would be at the bottom of Tarantino's list for people to play Clarence, I thought he suited the part quite well. He was very believable & definitely pulled it off. Slater is real good at playing a cool guy, like he did in Heathers opposite Winona Ryder.

Patricia Arquette is Alabama Whitman
Her best lines:
1. "Okey dokey doggie daddy."
2. "I'm not a whore. I'm a call-girl. There's a difference, you know?"
3. "I'm gonna go jump in the tub and get all slippery and soapy and then hop in that waterbed and watch X-rated movies 'till you get your ass back in my lovn' arms."
4. "Stop being so fucking calm about all this."

Alabama is as cute as the dickens! She was a call-girl for exactly four days, until she met Clarence, her third customer. After falling in love with him, she quit. She too, is lovable. Many unfortunate things happen to her, and she gets through them every time with such grace. She is a very strong woman. I love her :)
I already loved Patricia Arquette for her performance in Ed Wood, and this film made me love her more. It proved that she is quite the chameleon.

Dennis Hopper is Clifford Worley
His best lines:
1. "'Cause you, you're part eggplant."
2. "No, I'm, no, I'm quoting... history. It's written. It's a fact, it's written."
3. "Son of a bitch was right. She tastes like a peach."

Dennis Hopper plays Clarence's father, Clifford. He truly loves his son and would do anything to keep him safe. He is a very sweet character. There is a scene with him & Christopher Walken that is simultaneously funny & upsetting.
Leonard Maltin was right, it is weird seeing Dennis Hopper playing the most normal character in a film, because he usually plays a psycho. Well, I must say he plays both types of characters very well.

Val Kilmer is the Mentor/Clarence's Elvis
His best lines:
1. "You think a cop gives a fuck about a pimp? Listen. Every pimp in the world gets shot. Two in the back of the fuckin' head. Cops'd throw a party, man."
2. "I like you, Clarence. Always have. Always will."
3. "Naw man you were cooler than cool."

This character is fantastic! He is so cool! He's such a smooth-talker and continuously talks sense into Clarence. I would definitely love a mentor like him, he's really good value. He gives encouragement, important facts and helpful pointers. This character also fits into Clarence's Elvis obsession perfectly.
I must admit, I have a huge crush on Val Kilmer as Elvis! This is a perfect role for Kilmer. He is a master of playing totally cool characters such as Batman, that shows in this film especially. His part is relatively small, but I love it and I really look forward to seeing him when he's not onscreen.

Gary Oldman is Drexl Spivey
His best lines:
1. "Now I know I'm pretty, but I ain't as pretty as a couple of titties."
2. "He must have thought it was white boy day. It ain't white boy day, is it?"

I hate this character [in that kind of hate/love way], only because he is such a wannabe sleazeball! He was Alabama's pimp before she quit prostitution. But the audience is supposed to hate this character and we are supposed to root for Clarence when they are fighting each other!
I really don't Drexl and that proves that Gary Oldman is a fantastic actor, he was so believable! Oldman's performance in this film is definitely one of his best!

Brad Pitt is Floyd
His best lines:
1. "Hey! Get some beer and some cleaning products!"
2. "Don't condescend me, man. I'll fuckin' kill ya, man."

Floyd! I love Floyd! He is so hilarious. He is Dick's lousy freeloading stoner roommate. He never leaves his couch. He is truly hilarious when men with guns come bursting into his house and he gets really(!) excited. Although Floyd is a very small part, I really look forward to seeing him.
Brad Pitt is so good as Floyd. I've read that it was actually his idea that Floyd be a stoner who never left the couch. Well, I say; good choice, Brad! :) Pitt is so good at playing comedic characters! He should do so much more of it!

Christopher Walken is Vincenzo Coccotti
His best lines:
1. "You're a cantaloupe."
2. "Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world. I'm Sicilian."
3. "That smarts, doesn't it? Getting slammed in the nose. Fucks you all up. You get that pain shootin' through your brain, your eyes fill up with water. That ain't any kind of fun, but what I have to offer you, that's as good as it's gonna get."
4. "Now, what we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don't wanna show me nothing but you're telling me everything."

I know we're supposed to hate Coccotti but I really like him. I think he's really cool! I know what he did to Clifford was so wrong, but he is smooth, you have to give him that.
Christopher Walken is fantastic, as usual, in this role. I always enjoy his small parts in films, including this one, as well as Pulp Fiction. The way he delivers his lines is perfect. Kudos to Walken :)

If anybody saw what's left of My Best Friend's Birthday, you would see that the two films are very similar. That is because True Romance is in fact based on My Best Friend's Birthday [both written by Quentin Tarantino]. After most of My Best Friend's Birthday was destroyed in a fire, this film had to be made again. But, sadly, in order to fund Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino had to sell the script for True Romance. This all worked out for the best though :)

It definitely would have been interesting to see Quentin Tarantino direct it. If that was the case, there would have been an alternate ending. Personally, I love how Tony Scott ended it, although Tarantino's ending is very strong and very interesting, but ultimately I believe that Scott's ending really proved the film title, and I liked that. But in many ways, so does Tarantino's. I would have been happy with any of those endings though :)

People always ask when Tarantino's going to do a romantic comedy. Well, as Tarantino has said; he wrote True Romance and "that's not an ironic title". This is very true. This film is all about love. The ending actually made me cry. It was beautiful. This film is awesome! Tarantino and Scott did a great job! What's great is that this film could have been even better if Tarantino directed it(!), although it is still great.
I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCagTPoPank

Rating: R
Runtime: 120 mins

Taysha. x

Photo of the Day #4.

Penélope Cruz as Carla in the film Nine. What can I say? Penélope's perfect :)

Photo of the Day #3.

Okay, I know that the first rule of fight club is; you do not talk about fight club & the second rule of fight club is; you DO NOT talk about fight club(!) so I'm only going to say this: this photo is super cool :)

[Review of Fight Club coming soon]