The Mentalist

This is a truly superb and understated show that has delighted me for years. Smart, witty and endlessly clever, it centers around Patrick Jane, a self-confessed ex-conman who now uses his “psychic” powers of observation, deduction and reasoning to assist the California Bureau of Investigation in exchange for being included in the ongoing search for serial killer Red John. This psychopath murdered Jane’s wife and daughter and leaves a creepy smiley face painted in blood as his signature at all his murder scenes. (I know … yuck!) Despite the somewhat gloomy set-up, this show is anything but a downer. Simon Baker is absolutely tremendous as the quiet dapper man in natty attire with mischief in his eyes as he sets up elaborate cons and very unconventional stings to nab the evildoer(s), much to the dismay of the disconcerted law enforcement suits who are used to doing things by the book.  Patrick is a gentleman in every sense of the word who loves classic cars, drinks tea and is quick with a glib remark, a brilliant observation or a pithily worded expression of distaste.   He’s always one step ahead of everyone else and takes just as much pleasure in solving a case as he does meddling in other things and in particular exposing frauds who purport to be psychic.

One of the things that makes this show great is the marvelous inter-personal relationships between everyone on the team, much like the interactions that made every incarnation of Star Trek so successful. There’s a great group of characters with super-finely drawn personalities and their constant and often exquisite repartee as they go about their business is incredibly entertaining. Major props to Tim Kang for his spectacular performance as Agent Cho, a taciturn stoic with the ultimate poker face and hilarious deadpan delivery. I rarely know where on earth the narrative of each episode is going to go, as the writers are insanely creative in their craft. I was a little concerned as the show went on about how they would handle things when the Red John story arc was no longer extant, but once again the writers have impressed me by continuing to make each episode an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. I’d sit and watch,frequently clapping my hands in unholy glee as each perfectly crafted story unfolds and it’s tough to think of another show I have so thoroughly enjoyed as much as this one.   The Mentalist ran for 7 phenomenal seasons and wrapped up in a wonderful finale that was just perfect.  I’ll miss it and of course wish it could have continued, but I’m so glad it was given a chance to devote the entire last season to resolving various story lines rather than being summarily cancelled, leaving the rather betrayed viewer stuck with a partial narrative that will never be concluded. – BETHANY

For more on this finely crafted show, visit The Internet Movie Database

Jane’s car, an early 1970s model Citroën DS.  From left to right:  Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Kimball Cho (Tim Kang) and Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti).

                            Jane is often to be found with tea in hand (cup and saucer, of course) sitting on a beat-up couch at CBI headquarters.  “Tea? It’s like a hug in a cup.”

Investigating a yacht called the Miss Red, also the title of the episode.  Every episode has some variation on the color red, a reference to serial killer Red John; Crimson Casanova, The Scarlet Letter, Carnelian, Inc,  Russet Potatoes, A Price Above Rubies, War of the Roses, My Bloody Valentine, Strawberries and Cream, Ring Around the Rosie, etc.

                               Lisbon’s unofficial job is to restrain Jane from his more outlandish schemes.

Jane and Lisbon go undercover as a married pair of socialites with more money than brains.

                                                                   Cho, with his trademark inscrutable expression.

Wayne Rigsby is like a big puppy dog, but it would be a mistake to underestimate him.

Rigsby and Cho are unlikely friends and a hoot to watch.

      Grace Van Pelt has a sunny personality and a whip smart mind.

But don’t discount her simply because she’s pretty and a girly girl.

                              The Mentalist has had quite a list of guest stars.  Morena Baccarin plays Erica Flynn, an owner of a matchmaking service whose husband is murdered, with a devious mind nearly the equal of Jane’s.

                                Henry Ian Cusick (second above) plays Tommy Volker, a shady businessman intent on wooing Teresa Lisbon.  Other guest stars and smaller recurring rolls include:

• Aunjanue Ellis (Madeleine Hightower)
• Pruitt Taylor Vance (J.J. LaRoche)
• Michael Gaston (Gale Bertram)
• Catherine Dent (FBI Agent Susan Darcy)
• Rebecca Wisocky (Brenda Shettrick, CBI Media Relations)
• Kevin Corrigan (Homeland Security agent Bob Kirkland)
• David Narona (DDA Osvaldo Ardiles)
• Leslie Hope (Kristina Frye, a psychic who occasionally works with the CBI)
• Eric Winter (FBI Special Agent Craig O’Laughlin)
• Samaire Armstrong (Summer, a prostitute CI recruited by Cho)
• Emmanuelle Chriqui  (Lorelai Martins)
• Malcolm McDowell (Bret Stiles, leader of Visualize, a pseudo church)
• Pedro Pascal (FBI Agent Marcus Pike)
• Reed Diamond (Ray Haffner)
• Currie Graham (Walter Mashburn)
• Robert Picardo (Jason Cooper, member of Visualize)
• Michael Rady (Luther Wainwright)
• Xander Berkeley (Sheriff McAllister)
• Alicia Witt (Rosalind Harker, Red John’s blind friend/paramour)
• John Billingsley (Ellis Mars)

       Busted!

 

 

Photos courtesy of Primrose Hill Productions, Warner Bros. Television and CBS.  Other photo credits can be found by clicking on them.

I Want Candy

A screamingly funny movie done brilliantly in the typical British understated way. A group of friends, bored with their film school assignments, decide to make the script they’ve written into an actual movie. Unfortunately they discover the only way they’ll get funding is if they re-write it as an “adult entertainment” film and sign legendary porn star Candy Fiveways (Carmen Electra) to be the leading lady. The shenanigans that go on as they try to film the movie are flat-out hysterical, but don’t let the R rating fool you into thinking this is a skin flick. Everything related to the actual porn is alluded to but never actually shown, with the hilarious exceptions of the gross-out scene needing a wet-wipe and the slice of buttered toast (you’ll see…). Of course, the subject material alone deserves the R rating and since this is a British film there is quite a bit of casual profanity scattered throughout. However, I think classifying this as raunchy is misleading, as this comes nowhere near the low brow and frankly disgusting content of, say, Bridesmaids. This reminded me more in flavor of The Full Monty, although the premise is quite different. If you like British comedies then I highly recommend this one for you, but you do need to be able to appreciate off-color ridiculousness. – BETHANY

For more on actors, actresses and other whatnot, visit: The Internet Movie Database

Budding filmmakers Baggy (Tom Burke) and Joe (Tom Riley) go to extraordinary lengths to get funding.

Candy Fiveways (Carmen Electra)

The voice of reason, ever practical Lila (Michelle Ryan) and Joe.

Many of you will be wearing similar expressions whilst watching this.

Financiers of a dubious nature – Michael de Vere (Sir John Standing) and Doug Perry (Eddie Marsan).

                                                     Nice, er, cover-up (that covers up nothing).

    I have much to teach you, young padawan.

I’d hesitate to eat a doughnut from this guy’s office.

Don’t ask.  Seriously.

Dulberg (Mackenzie Crook).

 

 

Photos courtesy of Thema Production, Ealing Studios, Grovesnor Park Film, Sky Movies, Fragile Films, National Lottery through UK Film Council, Media Programme of the European Community, CCE Film Partners and Buena Vista International

National Lampoon’s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus

OK people, this movie is flat out uproariously funny. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard throughout the whole thing which came as a surprise, as raunchy movies usually aren’t my thing. I am however a huge fan of sword-and-sandals epic movies, and this one skewers them all in one big mash-up of Troy, Alexander, Gladiator and 300, plus a little Braveheart thrown in just for the heck of it. If you haven’t seen any of those films, this isn’t going to be nearly as funny, as it zeroes in on those plots in rather fine detail.  Yes, of course the humor is low brow, puerile, often disgusting and ridiculously silly, but that’s the point! Totally irreverent and decidedly gauche, this is an excellent National Lampoon movie, with all that implies. I was already laughing at the opening credits (pay attention or you’ll miss all the little details) and the outtakes during the closing credits were the perfect cherry on top of this utterly delicious sundae of adult entertainment. Let me be clear, this is definitely rated R content with plenty of nudity, sexual humor and some appalling language and should not be undertaken by anyone who dislikes vulgarity of any kind.  I was shocked to be as amused as I was by the whole thing, particularly the wooden statue built in order to infiltrate Troy that was most definitely not a horse.  Part of the humor comes from cleverly mixing modern references and idioms into the ancient world and even though there is a lot of gratuitous content, I dissolved into a puddle of helpless laughter at all the little visual gags. Major props to Ian Ziering who nailed his role as a muscle bound diva of a warrior whose only vulnerable spot was…. Nah, I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it for you, but it wasn’t his ankle! – BETHANY

For more on this excellent addition to National Lampoon canon, visit:  The Internet Movie Database

                                   Sophie Monk as Princess Ellen

King Erotic, bravely played, surprisingly well, by Khary Payton.

                             Kristanna Loken as adjective/name combo Hottessa.

 Will Sasso as Awesomest Maximus and Kevin Linhan as Quantas, the voice of reason who can also provide non-stop flights to Sydney.

Orlando (Gary Lundy) and Awesomest -Yes, I’m named after the actor who famously played this role and I’m sorry, but you can’t have a little braid like mine, but the reasons why are obvious.

King Looney (Rip Torn) decides Ellen is welcome.  (image courtesy of movieweb.com)

They’ll never take my freedom, but they definitely got my dignity.

Hottessa’s audition tape for yet another Lord of the Rings elf that did not appear in the books.

 Tony Cox as Minoritees.  Seriously.  (Costumes provided by Under Armour)

 Ian Ziering as Testiclees, spelled so as not to confuse modern audiences.

Wardrobe!  Why does Tony get a chain when my contract clearly states I am to be wearing all the chains?

How are they going to fit all that on the marquee?

 

Photos courtesy of National Lampoon Productions Farah Films & Management and Vision Entertainment

 

 

Pompeii

A terrifically guilty pleasure, this movie was surprisingly enjoyable. Yes, of course you know what you’re getting into from the very beginning. It’s a foregone conclusion that the volcano is going to erupt and kill pretty much everything, but everyone still went to see Titanic even though they knew the ship was going to sink (albeit to a very stirring soundtrack – this one’s soundtrack is excellent though thankfully has no theme song). Entertainment Weekly called this movie ‘Jon Snow vs. The Volcano’, but I think it is more of ‘Revenge of the Celts’. The brilliance of this movie is in the way it is set up. You really don’t like the Romans from the get go and therefore it isn’t terribly upsetting to see them die by the thousands. You actually wind up cheering on the volcano as it sends dastardly villains (and their pretentious British accents) to their fiery, screaming and often ignominious deaths. The “good” people naturally die heroically, defiant and proud to the last. Kit Harington is ripped beyond all belief (no special effects enhancements – he really looks like that!) and gives an excellent performance, if somewhat inevitably reminiscent of Russell Crowe.  Kiefer Sutherland does a shockingly good job being a very, very bad guy and a slightly different breed of sociopath than Joaquin Phoenix did as Commodus.

The thought occurred while I was being vastly entertained by watching people die that perhaps our modern society isn’t all that different from the Roman one. Except of course, the Romans actually killed people for entertainment and we only fake kill them in the movies.  But that is the deepest this film goes as it is largely clichéd, predictable and obscenely gratuitous, but at the same time satisfying on a visceral level. I was actually pleasantly surprised that the writers didn’t take too many liberties with the actual way the eruption went down. They also did a great job building suspense until the volcano blows and then thrilling the audience with artistic shots of death and destruction as fire rains down on Pompeii.  I suppose these are the money shots as who would buy a ticket to see the volcano not explode?  But while they do take artistic license to extremes in some respects, at the same time they strike quite a few chords that resonate in archaeological fact.  Once the film stuns your credulity into suspension, it’s a great ride. Look out Pompeii, the Celtic gods are coming for you! – BETHANY

For more on Pompeii, visit: The Internet Movie Database

There are some pretty spectacular shots of Pompeii and its surrounding environs.  I think the harbor is particularly well done.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow and as Milo the Celt in Pompeii.  Do you think the Men of the Night’s Watch should put out a calendar?  (image courtesy of imgbuddy.com)

Here’s Djimon Hounsou and Russell Crowe joining forces in the arena.  Wait a minute, correction, here’s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kit Harington, also joining forces in the arena.

Russell Crowe seizing horse and riding it to great effect in the arena.  Darn it, did it again.  Kit Harington seizing a horse, etc.

                                                  Nice of them to tell you in advance on the official posters that he’s a bad guy.  Spoilers, people! Kiefer Sutherland as Senator Corvus.

The Senator, getting his Joaquin Phoenix on.  He is terribly vexed.

                     “I saw the man who killed my family. Perhaps the gods spared me for a reason.”

[Corvus / Commodus]  forces the unwilling [Lucilla / Cassia] to sit beside him in the arena by means of threatening members of her family.

Emily Browning as Cassia, daughter of Pompeii’s ruling family.

Cassia and Ariadne (Jessica Lucas).

Cassia’s parents, Severus (Jared Harris) and Aurelia (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Is that you, Captain Renard?  You’re a long way from Portland, sir.  Sasha Roiz as Marcus Proculus.

Atticus (Finch!  Sorry, knee-jerk reaction to hearing the name) grins at Milo while smarmy Bellator (Currie Graham) approaches.

And Vesuvius finally gets around to erupting.

The wave scene from The Perfect Storm.  Wait a minute, uh …  oh, why do I even bother?  By this point you know Pompeii is intensely derivative.

 

 

Photos courtesy of TriStar Pictures, FilmDistrict, Constantin Film International, Impact Pictures, Don Carmody Productions, Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films

Note of historical interest:  When the site of Pompeii was first found, archaeologists kept finding voids in the layers of ash, which stumped them until someone had the bright idea of filling them in with plaster.  The results were a rather horrifying by-product of the volcanic eruption – detailed forms of people, forever preserved exactly as they fell and died.  Pompeii and Herculaneum were near perfect time capsules, telling us much of what we now know about the Roman world.

(image found on Flickr)

For more information, visit: Casts of Pompeii by Brevard College and The Mummy Tombs – Plaster Casts of Pompeii, the latter of which allows you to virtually explore Pompeii, seeing the various forms found in specific places in the city.

xXx

This movie is perhaps the very definition of gratuitous cinema. Ridiculously implausible with stunts that strain even the usual suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy most action movies, and yet it somehow works. You can groan and roll your eyes as one unbelievable thing after another happens in glorious technicolor but still totally enjoy the movie. According to IMDB.com, this is Vin Diesel’s first time as the lead actor in a movie and it shows. Oddly enough, playing a straight up punk of a daredevil doesn’t sit as well on Diesel as his stellar performance as Riddick in Pitch Black. He seems to play broken anti-heroes better than James Bond-esque leading men, which means there is a slight hollowness to his performance here. He keeps wearing a ridiculous shearling coat throughout the movie and every time I saw it, it made me giggle and totally undermined the seriousness of whatever was going on in the scene.

Diesel is very good at dishing out smart-alecky snark and does so to great effect, particularly towards the beginning of the film. He’s kind of a rebel without a cause until he is scooped up by the NSA, who need an operative whom no one would ever suspect of being a spy. “You know, if you’re gonna ask someone to save the world, you’d better make sure they like it the way it is.” (Of course, the NSA doesn’t do international field work, as that is the bailiwick of the CIA, but never mind, as facts just get in the way of telling a good story.) With nowhere near the depth and refined plot characteristic of the 007 movies, this is still a fun thrill ride with plenty of eye-popping stunts that would make Evil Knievel turn green with envy. Samuel L. Jackson does a decent job of a role he later perfected as Nick Fury in the Avengers movies and Asia Argento does well making sure her character is more than just eye candy. A marvelous way to spend a few hours without having to use your brain, so give it a break and enjoy this movie for what it is – a fun but predictable romp filled with everything the action aficionado desires. – BETHANY

For more on this Vin Diesel movie, visit:  xXx on the Internet Movie Database

           It’s the coat.  See what I mean?  *snicker*

Those are some impressive tattoos.   (The Top 11 Best Movie Tattoos)

“I want you to meet some people and find out whatever you can about them.”   “What kind of people?”                                                                                                  “Dirty. Dangerous. Tattooed. Uncivilized. Your kind of people.” (IMDB.com)

                                   “See that guy there? In the suit made out of motel drapes? That’s a cop.”

According to IMDB.com, this ‘rocket launcher’ is nothing more than a slightly modified video camera painted green.

Yelena (Asia Argento) and Xander Cage (Vin Diesel).

Kirill (Werner Daehn) – a sniper henchman.

                                 This, uh, vessel actually appears in the film.

                                               In real life, women seldom talk on the phone while wearing lingerie and stand in an open window!  I guess Yelena does.

                           Martina Smuková doing her best Princess Diana impression for a role entitled ‘Female Czech Cop’.

‘Garçon, we’ll take all of this.  Put it on my tab and wrap it up to go.’  Yelena and Xander.

                                 Reason to watch this movie:  Huge harpoon gun!

Big bad Yorgi, played by Marton Csokas.

        Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons.

           Vin Diesel’s Xander Cage is definitely an adrenaline junkie.

For example, he drives this perfectly good Corvette off a bridge!

Motorcycles!  Explosions!

      And for the coup de grâce, a not-at-all subtle nod to the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

 

The trailer for xXx:

 

Photos courtesy of Revolution Studios, Original Film and Columbia Pictures

 

Note:  Finding pictures from this movie to post here was not an easy task.  I had to wade through tons of nasty stuff that regrettably matched my ‘xXx movie’ search.  I think I’ll just go rinse my eyes out with bleach now …

The Color of Magic

Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, much like its character Cohen the Barbarian, is “a lifetime in [its] own legend”. This movie tells the stories from the first two books of the Discworld series, The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic.  To be honest, I don’t think the first few of books in the series are Pratchett’s best for several reasons, but mostly because the mythology of Discworld hadn’t yet been fully distilled in the author’s mind. Therefore I don’t object too much that the script takes enormous liberties with the narrative, as many of the changes are arguably for the better. Discworld is a genre unto itself, high fantasy taken to such extremes that it passes through the fabric of reality and comes out on the other side in a completely different universe, the result being quite profound, wickedly satiric and of course hilariously funny.  It has been said that Sir Terry Pratchett did for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for science-fiction and I most heartily concur.

Bringing such a world to life on film is a challenge of epic proportions and I applaud director Vadim Jean‘s efforts.  The author himself was involved and even gets a credit for it: ‘Mucked about by Terry Pratchett’.  I loved the shots from space of the Great A’tuin, the world turtle (of indeterminate gender) and the costumes in general were really wonderful with the wizards in particular being quite spectacular.  Cohen the Barbarian was fantastic as a wizened up old hero, Bethan the ditzy erstwhile druid sacrifice was funny and The Luggage was excellent. Tim Curry was a genius choice to play dastardly Trymon, a ruthlessly ambitious wizard, and I was thrilled to see Jeremy Irons as Lord Vetinari. Unfortunately, Irons gives the Patrician a slight speech impediment, where he pronounces R’s as W’s. This makes Lord Vetinari a little ridiculous, hardly the imposing and quietly menacing figure from the books. I also have no idea why Sean Astin was cast as Twoflower, as the Disc’s first tourist is supposed to be from the Agatean Empire (on the Counterweight Continent), which is portrayed in the books as being vaguely Asian with slight Japanese and Chinese flavors (their favorite delicacy is ‘squishi’). All in all though, a great introduction to Discworld which will hopefully inspire you to explore the books. For fans of the series, it’s a rare treat to see the magic of the books come to life and even though it’s never going to be like you imagined it in your head, it’s fun to see what it looks like in someone else’s. – BETHANY

For more on this movie, visit:  The Color of Magic IMDB

For more information on the great Sir Terry Pratchett, the Discworld series and other books, visit: http://terrypratchettbooks.com/

This is Great A’tuin, the sky turtle, who swims through the cosmos.  Discworld rests on the backs of four elephants who stand on A’tuin’s shell.  Really.

Twoflower, Ankh-Morpork’s first tourist (Sean Astin) and Rincewind (David Jason), whose hat reads ‘Wizzard’.

The harbor of Ankh-Morpork.  The Tower of Art at the Unseen University dominates the city’s skyline.

                                    This is The Luggage, made of rare sapient pearwood – note all the little legs under it which allows for self-mobility.  Sometimes when Twoflower opens the lid, it’s full of gold (top left).  Other times, it attempts to eat people (upper right).  And still other times, it produces clean folded and pressed laundry smelling of lavender.

Discworld’s rimfall, around the edge of which runs the Circumfence.  *pauses for laughter*

Tim Curry as the wizard Trymon.  How does that hat stay on?  It’s bigger than his head!

Jeremy Irons as Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.  The little dog is named Wuffles.

Cohen the Barbarian (David Bradley) and Bethan (Laura Haddock).

The Octavo, a powerful magical book containing the eight greatest spells in the Multiverse, one of which has escaped and taken up residence inside Rincewind’s head.

Wyrmberg.  Here there be dragons.

                            Death, voiced by Christopher Lee holding the lifetimers of Rincewind and Twoflower.

The trailer for The Color of Magic:

A cartoon in which Twoflower explains how he obtained The Luggage:

(image courtesy of deviantart.com)

                           (image courtesy of deviantart.com)

Sir Terry Pratchett himself at a convention, followed by The Luggage. (image found on flickr)

(image courtesy of davidgustafik.deviantart.com)

(image found at isawlightningfall.blogspot.com)

Photos courtesy of RHI Entertainment and The Mob Film Company (unless otherwise noted)

Veritas, Prince of Truth

Oh dear, this is not good, just not good at all. With a trite and very simplistic (and unoriginal) plot, zero character development and underwhelming dialogue, this film definitely did not appeal to me. It was super corny and cheesy which was disappointing, as I really like Sean Patrick Flannery as an actor, most well known for The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, the Boondock Saints movies, a stint on Stargate SG-1, playing Greg Stillson on The Dead Zone  and playing King Arthur in the TV movie Guinevere. The idea of having a super hero from a comic come to our world isn’t terrible on its own, but there seemed to be some glaring character inconsistencies with Veritas. He wobbles back and forth between noble warrior and dopey man-child with ADD, doing totally clueless things that made absolutely no sense and in general acting either like an idiot child or a stalwart hero getting down to business.  It undermined his credibility and I found it less than endearing. Kate Walsh was a bit ridiculous, playing possibly the most one-dimensional villain of all time, Nemesii, who’s the antagonist because of her name, she’s green and her eye’s glow.

I can see there is some value in this movie’s message about the importance of truth (which this world has in short supply), but the whole thing seemed geared more towards an audience of ten year old boys. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does mean that I found very little of this movie to be enjoyable. It was fun seeing a very young Tyler Posey who even at this age can still act quite well.  Movies for children do not need to be this clichéd or inane. This one failed to have any weight or depth to the story and I never became emotionally invested in any of the characters. Such a pity, because I really wanted to like this movie. There just wasn’t anything of substance there for me, just asinine banal scenes after scenes  Veritas, Prince of Truth makes an old episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  (a show I absolutely loved for its cheesy heroics) look like Emmy award-winning drama in comparison. – BETHANY

For more on this movie, visit: Veritas, Prince of Truth IMDB

     Amy Jo Johnson as Marty Williams with Tyler Posey as Mouse and Bret Loehr as Kern Williams.  No word on the parrot’s name, but it’s an Amazon of some sort.

        Mouse ( Tyler Posey) grouses with Kern (no relation to Worf, unfortunately, Bret Loehr).

A little hocus pocus with Mouse, Kern and Marty (Amy Jo Johnson).

                    Veritas himself appears, played by ( Sean Patrick Flanery).

                                                                          Not exactly inconspicuous, what with the wings and the glowing eyes when someone says a lie.  Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

                    Makeover!

                                                Nobody would ever recognize you now, Bret Michaels, er, Veritas!

           Just one of the guys.

                                                                           He’s handy to have around when a racehorse needs help.

Pictured on far right: Raymond (Danny Strong from Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

‘Real life isn’t at all what I expected’ cliché.

                              *sigh*

      Nemesii, not coincidentally wearing green.

                                                 Nemesii vs. Veritas

Nemesii goes full on comic mode (Kate Walsh)

Trailer for Veritas, Prince of Truth:

 

Kate Walsh’s bits as Nemesii (no spoilers):

 

Photos courtesy of La Panza Producciones, Twelfth Night Entertainment, Vivendi Entertainment and Lightyear Entertainment

That Awkward Moment

After reading some of the reviews posted online, I went into this movie with rather low expectations. That may just be the best way to approach this film because as a result, I actually liked it. This has been described as a “bromance” and it’s accurate. The core of the story is about 3 guys and their friendships with one another. Full of rapid-fire banter, quips galore and a plethora of appalling language, not to mention quite a bit of scatological humor, this might not appeal to a wide audience. I thought there were way too many f-bombs and felt they were included only to secure an R rating. The plot is relatively simple but provides a good insider’s look at how men think about love, sex and friendship. I get that men have a hard time talking about their feelings, so they show their affection for one another by exchanging insults and the script capitalizes on that. Calling this a rom-com buddy movie makes it sound quite banal, but if you pay attention there’s quite a lot of deeper stuff going on. It’s not meant to be groundbreaking avant-garde cinema but neither is it purely fluff. I thought it was wacky, funny, oddly moving, enlightening and enjoyable to watch. There were some truly very awkward moments all throughout the film which were hilarious, and I really liked Jason’s (Zac Efron) narration. Making a romantic comedy designed to appeal to men is risky and the results won’t please everyone, but I’m glad someone took a chance and produced this movie. I found this to be engaging and amusing, upbeat and hopeful and while it isn’t a masterpiece, it did entertain and isn’t that really the whole point? – BETHANY

For more on That Awkward Moment, visit: That Awkward Moment – IMDB

Or visit the official website for the movie:  That Awkward Moment Website

Daniel (Miles Teller), Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) and Jason (Zac Efron).

Ellie, played by Imogen Poots.

Miles Teller as Daniel with Mackenzie Davis as Chelsea.

                   Ellie Andrews (Imogen Poots) and Jason (Zac Efron).  “I was going to make you wait, and then I realized I’m a dude.”

[Insert your favorite snarky Miles Teller quote here]

Mmmmm, Mikey can take his shirt off for me any time!   (Michael B. Jordan)

Daniel (Miles Teller).  “Yeah, everybody knows you can’t call a girl a hooker. Even hookers hate being called hookers.”

(image found on Pinterest)

This might be the picture of the greatest guy in the world.  Good-looking, sensitive to bruised feelings plus he brought ice cream and booze.  A keeper for sure!

(image found at nedhardy.com)

 

The official trailer for That Awkward Moment:

 

And of course, the gag reel:

 

Photos courtesy of Treehouse Pictures, Aversano Films,  What If It Barks Films, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild Productions, Focus Features and  Virgin Produced

Note:  Quotes put with pictures that do not necessarily depict the moment in the movie where the line is actually said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forbidden Kingdom

Quite possibly the best and most enjoyable kung fu movie I have ever seen. An American teen obsessed with martial arts movies finds a mysterious staff in a Chinatown pawn shop which whisks him away to ancient mythical China, a land of sorcery, gods, demons and warriors. Jason meets up with Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a sloshed sot who fills Jason in on the legend of the staff, telling him the story of how the Monkey King crashed a party atop Five Elements mountain, charmed the Jade Emperor but was subsequently sucker punched by the treacherous Jade Warlord. Together they set off to return the staff to the Monkey King and by doing so restore order to the Middle Kingdom. Somehow this movie manages to make Chinese fantasy and mythology accessible to a Western audience, with all the rich magic of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and all the humor of Shanghai Noon. The fight sequences are amazingly well choreographed and it is worth watching the movie if only to see Jet Li (The Silent Monk) take on Jackie Chan in a knock-down drag-out fight that results in quite a bit of property damage to a perfectly innocent temple. Golden Sparrow joins the merry band, intent on repaying the Jade Warlord in kind for slaughtering her family and she’s quite charming (if a bit intense), despite her odd habit of speaking in the third person. The ‘witch born of wolves’ is downright freaky and I love how she uses her long white hair as a weapon.

Many movies in this genre tend to be weighed down by heavy doses of philosophy and fatalistic doom but while this one is certainly not all sunshine, it has a lightness to it that is refreshing and the story is told in such a way as to be very understandable. The special effects are superlative, bringing the story to life in a totally immersive way and enhancing the magic of the experience.  Absolutely gorgeous cinematography featuring some of the most beautiful scenery in China and an immensely satisfying journey taken by Jason as he suffers the teachings of both Lu and the Monk and learns what is really important in life. A classic coming of age story, I highly recommend you give this most excellent movie a try! – BETHANY

For more on this exceptional kung fu movie, visit the Internet Movie Database

How pathetic are you when you have to fist bump yourself in the mirror?  Michael Angarano as Jason Tripitikas.

Jackie Chan as cheery perma-drunk Lu Yan.

“He who speaks, does not know; He who knows, does not speak. Surely you’re masterful.”

Yifei Liu as Golden Sparrow.

XiaoLi Liu as the Queen Mother and Deshun Wang as the Jade Emperor.

                       Jackie Chan vs. Jet Li as Lu Yan and the Silent Monk.  According to Jackie Chan,when he and Jet Li shot their fight together, they found it relaxing and easy: “I have not worked with someone whom I’m comfortable with, in terms of movements, rhythm and natural reactions, in the last 10 years. I have done many fight scenes with others but there were usually more than 10 takes, which is a waste of time as the person may forget his moves and unnecessary injuries. When I fought with Jet, our actions were quick. We also didn’t have to do the same stunt over 20 times.” (source: IMDB.com)

Jason is literally caught between two masters.

                    The Monkey King seems to always be grinning.

                 Could the Middle Kingdom possibly be more beautiful?

The scenery is just spectacular.

The sets aren’t half bad either.  The Jade Warlord’s fortress.

The Jade Warlord (Collin Chou).

The White-Haired Witch (Bingbing Li).  Gorgeous costumes in this movie!

                         Bingbing Li on set.  The actress spoke almost no English so her lines were adjusted accordingly.  (source: DVD extras)

                               And there goes the hair as a weapon …

The Silent Monk, Lu Yan, Jason and Golden Sparrow.  Jason is much improved, no?

A piece of trivia from IMDB.com:  Jason Tripitikas’ last name is derived from Tripitaka, the monk whom Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, accompanied in “Journey To The West”.

 

 

Jackie Chan’s appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson:

Photos courtesy of Casey Silver Productions, China Film Co-Production Corporation, Huayi Brothers Media, Relativity Media, Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

Legend of the Seeker

An above average fantasy show that is thought-provoking and entertaining all at the same time. Isn’t Darken Rahl just the best name for a villain? Beautifully complex personalities and relationships, full of moral dilemmas and people fighting the good fight, this isn’t just frivolous fluff. Very good on its own merits but I gave it five stars because it introduced me to the Sword of Truth series of books by Terry Goodkind for which I am profoundly grateful. A master author who writes with great clarity and vision, I inhaled all 12 books and then read them again, savoring them like really good chocolate. As good as the TV show is (based loosely on books 1 & 2 in the series, Wizard’s First Rule and Stone of Tears), it barely scratches the surface of Goodkind’s richly imagined world. As far as I know, he came up with a truly unique kind of magical being when he dreamed up the Confessors. Their touch can overwhelm a person’s mind, making them totally subservient and utterly loyal to the Confessor, willing to do absolutely anything she asks. Often chosen as a last resort for condemned prisoners trying to prove their innocence, Confessors can pull the absolute truth out of anyone but the process is irreversible. The show does a great job portraying Kahlan’s power by having the irises of her eyes swirl to black as she releases her will, whereas in the books the effect is described as “thunder without sound”.

The Mord-Sith are also well done (another unique construct) with Cara as an extremely conflicted character. Mord-Sith are terrifyingly powerful women in leather whose cruelty and viciousness take sadomasochistic fanaticism to a whole new level and like the Confessors, they are always female. Goodkind evidently believes (quite rightly so) the female of the species is much more deadly than the male and many of the power players in his world are women. It should be noted this TV series is not, repeat, not a replica of the books in any way shape or form.  The writers used the first two books in the series as a jumping off point and then did all sorts of things with it.  So consider this an impression of Terry Goodkind’s work, but there’s a vast gulf between what the TV show does and what’s in the books.  Epic, original, often terrifically funny and profoundly philosophical, Legend of the Seeker is a good take on a truly spectacular series of books and I highly recommend both of them. – BETHANY

For more on the specifics of Legend of the Seeker visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844653/?ref_=nv_sr_1

For information on the Sword of Truth book series, visit: http://www.terrygoodkind.com/books.shtml

There’s a lot of pictures for this show because frankly, I couldn’t choose which ones to leave out.  Enjoy!

              Hey, I’m just a woods guide from Hartland.  I’m nothing special.                     Craig Horner as Richard Cypher.

                             See?  Woods.

Hoo!  *sigh*  Also, more woods.

OK, maybe I’m the Seeker after all.

Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), the Mother Confessor, followed by Richard and Zedd.

Kahlan holds the Sword of Truth.

Wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (Bruce Spence), more commonly known as Zedd.

               Kahlan, Rihard and Zedd.  You know, the Midlands look an awful lot like New Zealand.

Zedd undercover – he makes a very unattractive woman.

Darken Rahl (Craig Parker), flanked by two Mord-Sith.

    Cara (Tabrett Bethell), a Mord-Sith.

Mord-Sith Denna (Jessica Marais), “training” Richard.

             Sister Nicci (Emily Baldoni), a sorceress also known as Death’s Mistress.

Shota (Danielle Cormack ), a Witch Woman who resides in Agaden Reach and whose motives and loyalties are very unclear.

                                                                  Chase Brandstone(Jay Laga’aia), a Boundary Warden of Hartland and friend of Richard.

A Night Wisp named Shar.

Bummer!  Captured by D’Harans.

         Kahlan on the run with her sister Denee (Tania Nolan).

Aydindril, seat of power for both the Confessors and the Wizards.

Kahlan and Richard with Annabelle (Aimee Teegarden), another Confessor.

Zedd and his brother Thaddicus (Jon Brazier).

                                                                         A very, very unhappy Cara.  Mord-Sith do not wear dresses!

                           Richard and Kahlan go swimming.

The trailer for the premiere of Legend of the Seeker:

 

Photos courtesy of ABC Studios, Buckaroo Entertainment, Ghost House Pictures, Paperboy Productions and Renaissance Pictures