Thursday May 23
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance [M-Net.22.30]
The House Bunny [e.tv.20.30 and 00.30]
Friday May 24
FUN AND GAMES IN MEGAMIND
Megamind [M-Net.09.30]
Saturday May 25
Limitless [M-Net.23.00]
Beastly [SABC3.19.30]
Babel [e.tv.23.00]
Sunday May 26
COLIN FARRELL AS THE PERSECUTED HERO IN TOTAL RECALL
Total Recall [M-Net.20.05]
Machine Gun Preacher [00.00]
GRACE KELLY IN ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S TO CATCH A THIEF- THERE IS A BIOPIC ABOUT HER, STARRING CHERYL LADD ON e.tv. ON SUNDAY
Grace Kelly [e.tv.22.40 and 02.05]
Monday May 27
Unknown [M-Net.09.30]
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance [M-Net.01.00]
Tuesday May 28
Love Happens [M-Net.09.30]
Language of a Broken Heart [M-Net.02.00]
Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story [e.tv.22.30 and 02.15]
Wednesday May 29
Limitless [M-Net.00.00]
***
BLANCHETT AND PITT IN BABEL
This week is the most pick ‘n’ mixed bag that I have come across in many a year. To begin: a really fine movie. Babel [e.tv.Saturday.23.00], directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, was the third movie in his Death Trilogy.
SANTAOLALLA WINS HIS OSCAR
In 2006, Inarritu became the first Mexican director to be nominated for an Oscar. In total, Babel received seven nominations, including Best Supporting Actress Nominations for both Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi; only Gustavo Santaolalla won; for Best Original Score.
BERNAL AS SANTIAGO
All the events in the four interlinking stories, written Guillermo Arriaga, are set in motion by a single, seemingly random act. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star, along with Gael Garcia Bernal, who came to Babel, flushed with success, fresh from playing Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries.
THREE AMIGOS-CUARON,INARRITU AND GUILLERMO DEL TORO
2006 was a good year for The Three Amigos of Cinema— apart from Inarritu making Babel, Guillermo del Toro made Pan’s Labyrinth while Alfonso Cuaron made Children of Men. A last word on Babel, it not an easy movie; the action is studded with attention sapping shifts and counter shifts, but the film is beautifully made and brilliantly acted.
BRAD AND METRO MAN
Megamind [M-Net.Friday.09.30], made by DreamWorks Animation is a delight; where almost all our favourite Superheroes come in for a gentle ribbing. The voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill give the movie just right tone; perfect animated entertainment for everyone.
ANOTHER BAD HAIR DAY FOR NICOLAS CAGE
And… speaking of Heroes—hang onto your hats, here comes the second adventure of… gasp… a Supernatural Superhero. Nicolas Cage once again plays Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance [M-Net.Thursday and Monday.01.00].
THE RAZZIE-IN ALL IT'S GLORY
Suffice to say that this little epic was narrowly beaten by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 at the 33rd Annual Golden Raspberry Awards in the category Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel.
ADAM SANDLER AT FULL BLAST
Nicolas Cage has never won a coveted Razzie, even though he has received four nominations, Adam Sandler on the other hand, has eight nominations and to date, three wins. One day when Sandler starts to make a few decent movies or retires, I’m sure that Nicky and or his hair will win a couple of Razzies hands down.
BEFORE
Despite his prowess with Raspberry fruit, Adam Sandler has made lots of movie moola, enabling him to ‘finance production’. He helped produce House Bunny [e.tv.Thursday.20.30 and 00.30], a not bad campus frolic, in which Anna Faris turns her drab bunch of soroity girls from stunned to stunning.
AND AFTER
Faris stars, alongside Emma Stone, Colin Hanks, son of the more famous Tom and Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce and Demi. Kendra Wilkinson appears as herself.
SANDY AND BRAD WON A RAZZIE FOR THIS ONE
Bradley Cooper has, in his time, also won a Razzie; in 2009, he shared The Worst Couple Award with Sandra Bullock in All About Steve.These days, his career seems to be on the rise, mainly thanks to the The Hangover Trilogy.
A TELLING SHOT FROM SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
And to prove that he’s not just a pretty face, he received an Oscar nomination this year for Silver Linings Playbook. This week, catch him and Silver Linings Playbook co star, Robert De Niro, in Limitless [M-Net.Saturday.23.00 and Wednesday.00.00].
CORNISH AND COOPER IN LIMITLESS
In Limitless, which I have reviewed before, Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a writer, suffering from dreaded writer’s block. In despair, he takes a drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain, an innovative notion, but imagine the brain strain, your thought processes in freefall 24 hours a day.
CORNISH AS FANNY BRAWNE IN BRIGHT STAR
The two female leads in this neat bit of Science Faction are Australian born Abbey Cornish, famous for dallying with Ryan Phillippe and later playing Fanny Brawne to Ben Whitshaw’s Keats in Bright Star.
ANNA WITH DAVID
And Anna Friel, who was, in the 90s, one of the many stars of the popular British soapie, Brookside. In 1994, she hit the headlines when she and fellow Brooksidian Nicola Stephenson shared a kiss.
ANNA WITH RHYS
In her private life, Friel seems to be working her way through the cast members of Harry Potter, firstly David Thewliss and now Rhys Ifans.
LOVE HAPPENS. DOES IT?
In Love Happens [M-Net.09.30], Aaron Eckhart is cast as a widower who writes self help books; sadly the poor man isn’t coping that well with his own grief… then he meets an unlucky-in-love florist played by Jennifer Aniston. The movie, which I’ve also reviewed before, is directed by Brandon Camp, a man with just the right name.
JUDDIE TAIIT AS NICK
Juddie Tait, plays another writer, in Language of a Broken Heart [M-Net.Tuesday.02.00]. Tait plays Nick, a scribbler of soppy love stories, is it just me or is someone sending up Nicholas Sparks?
WRITER ALEX FINN
Staying with the written word, Beastly [SABC3.Saturday.19.30] is yet another retelling of Beauty and the Beast, written, this time, by ‘young people’s writer’, Alex Finn.
BEAST AND HIS BEAUTY
What can I say? Alex Pettyfer’s makeup, including prosthesis and tattoos, took over six hours to put in place, there is a nice song called On the Radio by Regina Spektor on the soundtrack and…and Vanessa Hudgens is Beauty.
FARRELL AS DOUGLAS QUAIL/QUAID
Total Recall [M-Net.Sunday.20.05] is a remake of the 1992 Arnie film. This time Colin Farrell stars as Douglas Quail renamed Quaid, a man who doesn’t really know who he is.
THOSE OLD SCI-FI PAPERBACKS-MUCH BELOVED OF SECOND HAND BOOK COLLECTORS
Based on Philip K. Dick’s We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, the movie is a true reflection of Dick’s ambivalent sense of reality. Paranoia and echoes of emptiness are paramount; but most viewers are there to watch the special effects, which are spectacular.
THE MAN WITHOUT A NAME
Unknown [M-Net.Monday.09.30], based on a story by Belgian/French writer, Didier Van Cauwelaert, is a variation on a similar theme; Liam Neeson wakes up from an accident, only to find that he doesn’t exist. Or does he? Or is it a fiendish plot to drive him out of his mind.
HITCHCOCK AND GRANT DURING THE FILMING OF NORTH BY NORTHWEST
Neeson is brilliant in a difficult role, one not dissimilar to the one Cary Grant played in North By Northwest. Come to think of it, most of Hitchcock’s work contained strong feelings of suspicion and persecution; I wonder what Hitchcock would have done with writing by Dick or Van Cauwelaert?
DENNIS RODMAN ASKS THE QUESTION
A quick spin now— from writing to the reality— well almost. Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story [e.tv.Tuesday.22.30 and 02.15] is all about the lanky, green haired, tattooed basketball star who thrived on drama and publicity.
WHEN HE WAS ONE OF MADONNA'S MEN
Just for the hell of it, he wore a dress on the day his autobiography was published and had an affair with Madonna. The Made-for-TV movie shows all kinds of action and stars Dwayne Adway as Rodman.
THE SAM CHILDERS STORY
Machine Gun Preacher [M-Net.Sunday.00.00] is based on the memoirs of Sam Childers who gave up a life as a gang biker and became a preacher/ missionary; helping child soldiers in war torn Africa.
GERALD BUTLER AS CHILDERS
Gerald Butler stars as Childers and the movie is full of good intent, but overall, falls a little flat. Hard to believe that the director is Marc Foster who made one of my favourite movies, Finding Neverland. Machine Gun Preacher isn’t atrocious, just long winded and rather laborious.
KELLY AS THE YOUNG QUAKER WIFE IN HIIGH NOON
Grace Kelly [e.tv.Sunday.22.40 and 02.05] tells the story of Grace Kelly’s rise to fame. In just four years, from High Noon made in 1952 to her finale, High Society, released in 1956, she set the tone for acting, style and dress for the entire decade.
ROMANCING SINATRA IN HIGH SOCIETY
After High Society, she retired and became Princess Grace of Monaco. But that is another story; Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman will be released later this year.
CHERYL LADD AS KELLY MARRIES IAN MCSHANE AS PRINCE RAINIER
Grace Kelly, a biopic, dating from 1983 is pretty good, starring Cheryl Ladd as Grace, Diane Ladd and Beau Bridges as her parents and Ian (Deadwood) Mc Shane as Prince Rainier.
KELLY WITH ALFRED HIITCHCOCK
But, if you can, hire some of Kelly’s movies, especially her work with Hitchcock and see the magic of this understated, yet brilliant actress at work.
KELLY WON HER OSCAR FOR THE COUNTRY GIRL IN 1954. BING CROSBY PLAYED HER ALCHOLIC HUSBAND
Comedy or Drama, she had an uncanny feel for the camera; a smile, a laugh, a head turned in shock or shame.
THEY ONLY MADE ONE MOVIE TOGETHER- BUT WOW! KELLY AND CARY GRANT IN TO CATCH A THIEF MADE IN 1955
Grace Kelly was a true star in that fickle firmament called Hollywood.
DIANE KRUGER AND LIAM NEESON SHARE A TENSE MOMENT IN UNKNOWN
My pick for the week is Unknown [M-Net.Monday.09.30]