A mother breastfeeding her child.
On baring her body for the intimate W pics taken by Brad just weeks after the twins' birth: "I'm with a man who's evolved enough to look at my body and see it as more beautiful, because of the journey it has taken and what it has created. He genuinely sees it that way. So I genuinely feel even sexier."
I have always, always had a thing about high school movies. I went to high school myself in the era of John Hughes' reign -- Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, and of course, Sixteen Candles. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is truly a film of 2008. There are things in this film that are just presented as a matter of course, and I love it about this film. Nick's friends and bandmates are gay, and they are not the downtrodden, flaming, pathetic gay sidekick friends of movies of the past. They are the confident ones who try to steer Nick away from the girl who dumped him to Norah, the one they see he really should be with. One of my favorite scenes of the film has one gay friend dragging Norah into his van alone. He starts pulling bras from a bin, and tells her to change into one. "We're all girls here. Nick is SO worth an underwire! Let's get rid of that uni-boob!"
The other thing I noted is that the only orgasm had in this film is experienced by a girl. That was a nice little development in cinematic high school movie history. Norah's Jewishness is also just a matter of fact thing, not a joke or stereotype. Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, was discussed in a high school romance!
Michael Cera plays essentially the same nerdy sweet kid he has in every other movie and Arrested Development. My husband wondered what else he can do, but said, "That kid is going places!" My husband has never seen Superbad or Juno, so I pointed out that this kid has already been in some blockbusters! Michael Cera's shtick hasn't worn thin with me. Was John Cusack playing that many different characters early in his career? 'Nuff said.
Kat Denning as Norah was a true gem. I love her character and can't wait to see this actress' career develop. Nick and Norah are named for Nick and Nora of The Thin Man, and I loved their witty bantering and bickering. I give this film three and a half stars. Loved the music, too, that showed Nick and Norah they were soulmates. I can't believe it, but it was my husband's idea to see this movie over everything else that was out this past weekend. He really liked it, too, even though he realized he was in for a "chick flick" based on the trailers we saw before the movie started! LOL!
I can't get enough of these creative edits. This one is a gem. Hat tip: The Movie Blog
One-time punk pin-up and sometime anarchist John Lydon has mellowed further into middle age by starring in a £5m TV campaign for Country Life butter.
"People know I only do things that I want to or that I believe in and I have to do it my way," said Lydon on deciding to appear in the TV ad.
"I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would, but this Country Life ad was made for me and I couldn't resist the opportunity."
In recent years Lydon has led a quiet life, gaining attention in 2006 by competing in I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, in which he was pecked by a group of ostriches before remaining true to his anarchist roots by walking out before the final.
I have been remiss in reviewing movies lately. I've been catching up with the new fall TV shows on my DVR, but I have seen a few in the last few weeks that I would recommend.
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller, had me laughing like I haven't in a long, long time. My husband did not know the whole setup, and went WTF? when the trailers for the actors started at the beginning. Everyone was hilarious in this, but Robert Downey, Jr. as such a method Australian actor that he surgically alters his skin to play the black soldier had me on the floor. There were so many inside Hollywood jokes and references to just about every war movie made and all the cliches. Tom Cruise was funny, but he didn't have me on the floor like the very un-PC conversation between Stiller and Downey: "Everyone knows you don't go full retard! Ask Sean Penn!" Three and a half stars and a laugh RIOT. If you missed it in theaters, make sure you rent this one.
The Bank Job
The Bank Job is based on a true story from the 1970's of a ham radio operator overhearing a robbery in progress. It's a solid performance by Jason Statham in a more understated role for him. I loved all the 1970's period costumes and sets. Very fun and definitely worth a rental. Three stars.
Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading -- Variety claimed this Coen Brothers film was "too silly." Well, I have to say, that I wasn't on the floor gasping for breath like I laughed in Tropic Thunder, but I chuckled quite a bit. The plot makes no sense, and even the CIA boss says "Get back to me...when it makes sense!" Who cares! The fun of this film is seeing all these actors spoofing themselves and their image. Brad Pitt as a blonde male bimbo is a riot. He steals the film for me like when he rides his BIKE to a meeting with the CIA agent! I loved the little quirks, like George Clooney's character who is a serial adulterer. Each house he enters, he can't help commenting on the floor, even in the midst of seduction. "Is that white maple?" There is a moment of violence that is quite shocking. I know this is a spy spoof and all, but it almost didn't belong in this film, except this is the Coen brothers who brought us the wood chipper in Fargo. Three stars. Great performances by the whole high wattage cast.
Entertainment Weekly wants Hollywood to rewrite Oscar history by giving the film industry a chance to revise the Oscar history books. It's called "Recall the Gold."
On October 6, EW is inviting more than 7,000 Hollywood insiders to participate in an extensive survey to re-vote on past Oscar races. EW wants to test which movies truly stand the test of time. With the benefit of hindsight, did the right films and performances win over the past 25 years?
"Every year we talk about the effect of campaigns, and spending too much money and did they buy the Oscar, especially at the height of the Miramax era," says Smith, who was inspired by Brokeback Mountain's loss to Crash. "Would people stand by that five years later? Was it five years ahead of its time? We have all looked back and thought, 'they picked that?'" If a movie crosses time and generations and all that, does it still resonate? The object is, if you strip away everything, the campaigns, the timing, in terms of pure movie quality and performance, were the right films picked? If you voted again, would you vote the same way? It's voting without buzz."
Monday EW is mailing out their official "Recall The Gold" ballot inviting the industry to vote in six major categories for five given years spaced five years apart--2003, 1998, 1993, 1988, and 1983--five, ten, fifteen, twenty and twenty-five years ago.
